[PREVIEW] Hell is Us is an Impressive Open-World RPG with the Potential to Be Something Big

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This year, Nacon decided to mix up the genres of games it would publish, and since its first reveal in 2022, Hell is Us has remained a big question mark. Although the game faced several delays, it was shown again at Sony’s State of Play last year and then at this year’s Nacon Connect. We finally got a release date: September 4th for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.

The demo version of the game was recently released, so now everyone can dive into its world. It’s an action-adventure with RPG and soulslike elements where you explore the semi-open world of Hadea, consumed by war. You play as Remi, a United Nations peacekeeper, who is searching for answers about his past in the midst of a civil war and a mysterious incident that created supernatural creatures called Hollow Walkers.

You Have a Lot of Freedom to Explore the World

Right from the start, Hell is Us will impress you with its beautiful graphics, dark atmosphere, excellently crafted characters and cutscenes, and a dynamic, minimalist user interface that appears during combat. However, as with many games made in Unreal Engine 5, there are optimization issues. Slowdowns when multiple characters are on screen and strange lighting moments also plague this game. So, if you don’t have a very powerful PC, you can expect some performance hiccups.

The developers promise that Hell is Us has no maps, indicators, or linear directions, giving you the freedom to decide where to go and who to talk to. The demo version portrays this quite well. Exploration is extremely important because you need to collect resources, whether for healing, stamina, using your drone, or various substances dropped by defeated enemies. The game is also full of secret and hidden consumables and materials and contains a large number of puzzles that unlock secret rooms and much more. You must follow the main story, but the game only gives you hints about what you need to do, not how to do it.

Talking to characters is extremely important, as this is how you uncover parts of the world and clues for your missions. For example, at the beginning, you will talk to a grandfather who will reveal how to find a military vehicle to travel the map. You have to listen carefully to what the characters tell you, as their words can help you solve tasks, for example, by following the sound of bells so you don’t get lost. This is just a part of what the demo version showed us, and we believe the full game will offer much more to explore.

Combat Is Deliberate and Requires Precision

When it comes to combat, it’s deliberate and doesn’t bring anything spectacularly new. It requires precise hits and is based on a stamina system that limits your actions through an exhaustion mechanic. In this state, you even lose health and your attacks are weaker. Light and heavy attacks, blocking and dodging, perfect parries, and a consistent soulslike healing mechanic are all available. It all feels quite fluid for the player, but not for the enemies.

There are a lot of opponents, and they come in several types. There are smaller enemies you defeat quickly, then larger monsters, and very specific enemies that are practically interconnected and attack you from multiple directions. You must defeat one to be able to destroy the other, who is invincible until that point.

The problem is that the enemy AI is quite weak. They will watch you until you get close, can get stuck on obstacles or simply not move, and only react when you approach them. Fortunately, even in the demo, you can change the difficulty of the enemies, choosing between more aggressive or more resilient opponents, so you have a choice.

In addition, the hitbox is also a bit strange, where enemies will attack you but won’t hit you even though they are right in front of you. Remi’s main weapon is a glowing sword, and secondary weapons like axes can also be found. The drone, on the other hand, serves as a tactical tool. It’s activated to distract enemies or interact with the environment, for example, to light your path or read languages you don’t understand.

An Ambitious Project with the Potential to Be Something Big

The weapons in the game have levels and can be upgraded with various modifiers. Your inventory can be full of different items you might need later, and they are all easy to find. The only problem is that when you examine an item in detail, you can’t automatically equip it; you have to “wander” too much from one menu to another. For the best impression of the game, we recommend trying the demo version yourself. It lasts about an hour and a half if you want to explore every corner.

Personally, the combat in Hell is Us wasn’t too demanding; it might even be too “forgiving” since you can block almost anything, and there are various ways to defeat multiple enemies at once. On the other hand, Hell is Us is a truly ambitious action-adventure game that stands out for its exploration without much guidance.

Puzzles and secret rooms are not hard to find; you just need to look around a little more carefully. The graphics are definitely top-notch, but if the optimization isn’t improved, there will be problems. It’s hard to say how well everything will work in the full game, and it remains to be seen how long it will actually take to complete it.