Hell is Us review – nightmarish adventure treads a fine line between cryptic and tedious
Hell is Us reviewDeveloper: Rogue FactorPublisher: NaconPlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out on 1st September on PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5
Strange synths rumble and whir in an electronic hum. Wind chimes tinkle. An unearthly screech in the distance and the bass escalates in intensity. Rain tickles the DualSense. What is out there?
Hell is Us is a masterpiece in mood, and much of that comes down to its score – or, more of a soundscape, really – from composer Stephane Primeau. It lends the game such a heady, oppressive atmosphere. It comes as no surprise, since Primeau was previously in a metal band; the music is dark, haunting, unsettling. I recommend playing with headphones.
That sonic tone is fitting for an adventure game exploring the cyclical nature of war. Hell is Us, as the title suggests, is a nightmare. Demonic entities shift across muddy trenches and urban streets licked by flames; tanks lay abandoned half-submerged in marshy wasteland; and innocent (or sometimes not so innocent) citizens are caught in the crossfire of a country wracked by civil war and supernatural forces.
Yet, as a result of bold design decisions by developer Rogue Factor, Hell is Us is at times a mapless nightmare of abstruse puzzles, confusing menus and shallow combat that, collectively, is hostile to play. Hostility isn’t a bad thing – especially for a game depicting such a combative, malicious world – but there’s a fine line between cryptic and tedious that the studio doesn’t always balance. There are shades of sci-fi Zelda and classic survival horror in Hell is Us: dungeons to explore, idiosyncratic puzzles to solve, and centuries-old mysteries to unravel. Coupled with that oppressive atmosphere, it’s a welcome experience that has all the makings of a cult classic. But I believe it may prove too divisive for some.
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After a story-in-a-story introduction, you’re dropped into the country of Hadea, a world heavily influenced by the 90s through character costumes, the low-fi computer vibes of its menus, and a ravaged landscape seemingly inspired by wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as more recent conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Hadea is split between two religions – the Sabinians and the Palomists – that have caused suffering for centuries, but more recently ghostly creatures have appeared in the wake of civil war. Protagonist Remi is on a simple mission to infiltrate Hadea in search of his family, but is soon sucked into the country’s enigmatic past.
