“Hell is Us isn’t about saving the world. It’s about finding meaning in a world that’s already broken,” said creative director Jonathan Jacques Belletete. This quote resonated with me as I plunged into the eerie world of Hell is Us during the demo. After a few hours of exploration, I came to understand its depth and narrative significance.
This game is unlike your average open-world action-adventure RPG. It weaves a moody, mysterious atmosphere that both trusts and confuses players. Hell is Us invites you to explore freely, without conventional instructions. Join me as I share my first impressions of the Hell is Us demo.
Hell Is Beautiful, Kind of Bleak
Let’s get to the point: Hell is Us is visually stunning. The beauty lies not in hyper-realism, but in a haunting, painterly style that turns every screenshot into a surreal experience. The quality of the water caught me off guard—it’s impressive for a debut studio. But that’s just the beginning.
The setting unfolds in Hadea, a fictional Eastern European country ravaged by civil war intertwined with the surreal. It juxtaposes moments of realism with cryptic ruins and bizarre architecture, creating a gripping portrayal of a nation under duress. Expect to come across rolling hills, abandoned villages, and unsettling dungeons in this beautifully bleak landscape.
The environment feels intentionally crafted to narrate stories and secrets. Instead of trivial collectibles, you’ll encounter visual storytelling—a fractured monument, a chime trail weaving through trees, or a statue that feels strangely alive.
Exploration That Truly Feels Like Exploration
One of the thrilling aspects of Hell is Us is its refusal to hand-hold players. You won’t find glowing arrows guiding your next steps; instead, when an NPC suggests following wind chimes north to locate a crashed APC, you genuinely have to engage with your environment.
This sense of exploration harkens back to gaming’s earlier days before GPS-like guidance became standard. Figuring things out on your own feels refreshing. Conversations with characters are enlightening, loading you with clues instead of overwhelming exposition. You engage in a light detective system that deepens your immersion rather than pulling you away through menus.
Each playthrough reveals new quests, sometimes starting unexpectedly. For example, discovering a gold watch with the name “Otis” on it leads you to a side quest, a “Good Deed,” seamlessly intertwining personal stories within a chaotic backdrop.
Dungeons from Another Dimension
More than merely an expansive open world, Hell is Us features intricate hubs filled with secrets, side narratives, and dungeons. These dungeons stand out and are far from typical cave layouts. The enemy aliens are reminiscent of horror film nightmares and evoke feelings of confronting another reality.
The developers have crafted dungeons that feel reminiscent of hidden treasures in a fantasy film. These moments are increasingly rare in modern gaming, where “hidden” often just means slightly off the beaten path. In Hell is Us, puzzles form the backbone of these thrilling experiences. Some are straightforward, while others are complex, requiring keen observation. Belletete hints that the most challenging puzzles may require community collaboration to decode post-launch.
Puzzles feel integrated into the world rather than tacked on. Clues are embedded in the environment or revealed through NPC dialogue, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment when you solve them.
Hell-ish Combat That Surprises You
At first glance, combat in Hell is Us appears to mirror Soulslike games, but it carries its own unique identity. It’s deliberate and methodical, focusing on reading tells and intelligently managing your stamina.
Melee combat includes a variety of weapons such as swords, polearms, and dual axes, each offering unique combat flow. Personally, I gravitated towards the axes for their dynamic, spinning attacks. Combat is rewarded for patience and timing, drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of games like God of War and blending it with the frenetic energy of Devil May Cry.
The “healing ring” system surprised me. After landing a successful attack, a white ring encircles the protagonist, allowing you to regain some lost health if you time it correctly. This mechanic adds an exciting risk-reward element to combat.
The alien enemies in Hell is Us resemble bizarre, unfinished sculptures, bringing an unsettling quality to combat. To navigate these battles, a drone companion proves invaluable, distracting foes in combat and assisting with puzzles in exploration.
Hell Is Us Faces Some Performance Challenges
While my experience on a mid-range system ran smoothly, it did come with performance concerns. Hell is Us operated well with my R5 3600 CPU and 1650 Super on medium settings, balancing visuals and frame rate. However, higher-spec systems reported struggles, hinting at optimization issues that developers may need to address before the official launch.
Hell Is Us Still Lingers in My Mind
Wrapping up my session, I found myself not rushing to finish, but pondering what I had yet to discover—the hidden cave, an intriguing villager hint, a statue that felt significant. Hell is Us captivates not with flashy moments, but by embedding itself in your thoughts long after the game is off.
Belletete aims for Hell is Us to resonate with players well beyond their playtime. So far, it truly delivers. This game isn’t about saving the world; it’s about uncovering truths—about Hadea and within yourself. Sometimes, that’s all we really need.
Prepare yourself for a unique experience: a stunning action-adventure that places trust in its players. With its mix of exploration, light detective work, mysterious storytelling, and intense melee combat, it stands apart in a genre that often doesn’t let players stray from the path. Mark your calendars for the launch of Hell is Us on September 4, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. I can’t wait to dive back in!