Hell is Us review: searching for a family in a civil war
1.9.2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
As a video game, Hell is Us has deliberately fallen out of time. Graphically spectacular, the game mechanics are reminiscent of yesterday’s games. A balancing act that usually works.
Video games are the only hobby I’ve had since the 90s. That’s why I often feel nostalgic when playing them. The developers know this too, and play with my feelings as if they were Wolfgang Petri. Boomer shooters like Turbo Overkill let me relive the golden age of first-person shooters. Oldschool Rally plays like Colin McRae Rally.
So why am I boring you with a review for a modern mystery action game like Hell is Us? Because Hell is Us is double trouble, not only sending me to hell, but also playing with my emotions. Crazy!
Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the dark adventure is presented in a stylish graphic design. Although you’re not playing in retro-style and instead use modern mechanics, it feels as though you’re playing a PS1 in your bedroom on a 14-inch CRT screen – and that makes me feel warm inside.
In an unknown land, not so long ago
But what’s it actually all about? It’s 1992. In the game, I play the role of Rémi, who travels to his home country of Hadea. Not as a tourist, but as part of a peacekeeping mission tasked with keeping order in the isolated country during a civil war between two hostile parties. Rémi is concerned with his own inner peace, as he was abandoned by his mother at the age of five and grew up abroad and now sees the opportunity to search for his roots in Hadea. In the background, a mysterious client actually has something completely different in mind.
Just as I arrive, supernatural creatures are haunting the land. You can’t kill the snow-white monsters with firearms. It takes an arsenal of medieval weapons, charged with the mysterious lymbic energy, to bring your opponents to their knees. Lucky then that Rémi steals one of these weapons from a corpse right at the beginning. Without batting an eyelid. Like a sociopath.
I plunge into the destroyed world, and the haze lingering over it, as if Silent Hill had grown to the size of a state. The walls of the villages are adorned with graffiti commemorating the heroines and heroes of the civil war in the style of the murals in Northern Ireland. People tell me about atrocities that the other party’s apparently committed. There’s no obvious good or bad side here. Even a peace mission has failed. I have to find out for myself what’s happened and why chalky, humanoid creatures are attacking me everywhere I go.
Where was yesterday?
Yet, Hell is Us does without a minimap or quest markers entirely. This is possible because it’s not an open game world. I can move between different locations with one vehicle. The locations themselves are self-contained levels that I solve simple puzzles in and fight my way through to make progress. I can’t help but think of the classic Tomb Raider. Levels consist of dark forests, burning villages and sunken ruins. The designers have masterfully played on the keyboard of video game clichés without the worlds ever seeming like a copy. When I need to make use of blue and red access cards in an underground laboratory, I grin as I remember Half-Life and Doom. When wooden scaffolding and wooden sheds suddenly appear out of the darkness and the path only leads downwards, I’m overcome with PTSD. I feel like I’ve been transported to Blighttown in Dark Souls.
Well played.
The nostalgia is very much present when I call up the cluttered and confusing inventory on my tablet. It gives me Resident Evil vibes. I can assign and hand over collected items to people in Hadea and do good deeds as if it were a Lucas Arts adventure game. Many items also only serve to draw the curtain a little further aside and reveal more of the world. Who’s fighting against who? What’s the deal with the strange monsters loitering everywhere? And who even am I? I can also give my helping drone the cute name KAPI and equip my weapons in the tablet with upgrades that I pick up along the way.
Come with me to adventure land
It’s essential that I do this, because as soon as my opponents spot me, they’re fast and aggressive and my stamina is limited. After a few blows with my weapon, I have to take a brief break so I can strike again. Sometimes I have to be aggressive in battles, as my energy and health can be recharged for a short time when I fight – I just need to press a button at the right moment. Anyone who has played Nioh or Bloodborne will be familiar with this system. I can also use my KAPI drone to distract opponents, set up a protective cover or help in other ways. It took me a few hours to master this dance between attack and defence.
The fact that there are only a handful of enemy types makes fights much easier, as I can quickly memorise their movements. But I’d still like to see a little more variety. The developers stress that this isn’t a Soulslike game, although there are striking similarities to the From Software games. If I want, I can adjust the difficulty level with sliders to my liking so that enemies do more damage, act even more aggressively or even respawn when I use a save point, similar to the beacons in Dark Souls.
Everything must come to an end
In addition to the battles, Hell is Us consists of puzzles that range between «turn the symbol in the right direction» and «WTF are these numbers for?». The spicy puzzles are optional, I only had trouble solving one once because of the German translation. In English, it all makes sense.
The overall package of Hell is Us is definitely retro thanks to its mechanics and allusions. Visually, however, the game is as modern as it gets thanks to Unreal Engine 5. Including all the quirks that come with the engine. It’s normal for me to experience small lags when playing, especially when exploring the world. The game also sometimes loads objects or entire landscapes too late, which noticeably spoils the gaming experience. I didn’t get on with motion blur at all, it’s supposed to make enemies look «ghostly». I didn’t recognise anything in the mishmash of effects. Fortunately, this can be reduced in the options.
Plus, it doesn’t detract from the atmosphere. This is down to the harmonious soundtrack, which consists of dissonant synthesisers and echoing choirs in the style of Burial. The mystical sound effects and the two successful language versions in English and French round off the listening experience perfectly. I’d have liked to stay in Hadea a little longer, but unfortunately the adventure ends abruptly and leaves me with more questions than answers. After the ultra-short last act, I can reload the most recent save and solve more puzzles, but I’ve already seen the end. Even though a large part of the story’s still hidden in the thick fog of Hadea, I’ve only tied up a few loose ends. On the one hand, the fate of Rémi and his sociopathic nature don’t entice me enough. On the other hand, I’m fascinated by the world torn apart by civil war in which Hell is Us is set.
Hell is Us will be released on 4 September 2025 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. I tested the PC version that Nacon provided me with for testing purposes.
In a nutshell
Retro adventure in a world with depth and technical weaknesses
Hell is Us attempts to combine the charm of old action adventures, mystery drama and a souls-like combat system. And it works, for the most part. The dark world without good and evil and the search for an answer to the question «What the hell happened here?» spur me on. You’re constantly exploring instead of ticking off quest markers and points of interest, and it works wonderfully. I particularly enjoy the cross-references to the video games of my youth, which are skilfully woven into the world without seeming artificial. On the other hand, the narrative ends abruptly and there are technical difficulties. Still, I’ll remember this torn world, which offers so many facets and puzzles and is beautifully designed, for a long time to come.
Pro
- Harmonious setting
- Fun to explore the world
- Stunning graphics
Contra
- Jerks and pop-ins
- Abrupt end
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
Gaming
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