While writing this Hell is Us review, I was thinking that as gamers, we've been conditioned. We're reliant on waypoints, markers, hints, maps, and running towards the shiny thing. Hell, if you've seen me play Burnout and crash unexpectedly, just know that my concentration had lapsed and the headlights were the shiny thing I was drawn to. 

My point is that the gamification of games (yes, I said that) can make us comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable. And don't get me wrong, comfortable is fine, but does it hinder our gaming abilities? I feel it's something the devs at Rogue Factor wanted to put to the test.

Did they succeed? Most certainly!

Jowls About That

So what's it all about? You play as Remi, a soldier for the Peacekeepers (the Organised Nation, ON) who has gone AWOL from your troop to return to your home country, Hadea. A place that is supposedly notoriously difficult to leave and get into. You're searching for your parents across the war-stricken world that is Hadea. Civil war has erupted between two heavily religious factions, the Palomists and Sabinians. 

This has led to an incredibly violent conflict that is shattering the very fabric of time in Hadea. Ruptures in time, Timeloops, appear across the county as a result of a destabilising event, the "Calamity". The Calamity has brought forth with unnerving creatures called Lymbic Entities, or Hollow Walkers.

Through your journey in Hell is Us, you must uncover the secrets of the Calamity, seek out your parents, and discover a way to survive, and put a stop to the Lymbic infestation. This adventure will take you across a multitude of varied locales in Hadea.

The framing of the story takes place as a recounting of your exploits. You're being interrogated by a very jowly and unsettling character who wants to hear about what you've been up to since returning to Hadea. Through a truth serum, Remi periodically recounts your playtime.

I enjoyed the setup of the Hell Is Us story. I liked how, when you died in the game, the Jowley man would interject with a "we both know that didn't happen" because you clearly hadn't died! This is a great way to excuse death in the game as a memory lapse or mistake. That being said, it felt a bit hollow that there was no real consequence to dying. 

All’s Well That Ends Well (ish)

Overall, the narrative was pretty good. The plot was serviceable, but I wonder if the premise of world-building through your own discovery is a potential hindrance to key plot points / lore. I wanted to know more about the Jowl man, the enemies, and the extreme emotions present throughout the world (more on that shortly). Of course, I can decide my own narrative, but I do want to know what the devs intended.

I acknowledge I could have discovered a document / collectible that gave me that information, but the game throws a lot of info at you. It’s entirely possible I missed something. 

I was a touch disappointed with the ending. I reached the end of Act 3 fairly quickly upon reaching the final area, and then the story just kind of ends. It did feel like there was more to come in a possible sequel, but it did feel a bit abrupt at the end. And there was no real final boss /conflict, even though it felt like the game was building to something. 

Most Puzzling

Hell is Us is a fascinating concept. The game aims to eliminate the waypoints, quest markers, and built-in guides that are typically found in other games. They provide you with everything you need, somewhere, to uncover the mysteries, lore, and hidden secrets. But you've got to do it yourself. Use your gut, your instinct, everything you've honed as a gamer and curious mind during your time on earth. Be deductive, reason, and uncover to progress. 

I'm not going to lie, I was a touch worried going in that I would find Hell is Us difficult. I'd worked it up in my head that it'd be full of puzzles and piecing bits together with incredibly obscure logic. The thought of taking off the comfortable wheels of gamification made me worry that I'd lose my place, or forget about the progress, and I'd be left aimlessly wandering, looking for something innocuous that held the clue to my success.

Thankfully, your datapad (the menu screen) houses all your discoveries. So you can refer back to them as needed. You can also favourite and archive said discoveries, and stay on top of them. I did find myself not doing this too much, even though I absolutely should have.

One of the things I loved about Atomfall was the autonomy it gave you to explore. Seek out all the nooks and crannies and come away with items that most unlock something further down the line. Hell is Us's design encourages the same curiosity and exploration, and it's incredibly rewarding. You rarely end up going off the beaten path with nothing to show for it.

Thankfully, this wasn't the case. My fears were allayed, and I found Hell Is Us entirely and utterly compelling. 

Second Souls 

Now I know that many a Soulsborne fan will be screaming at me right now! "We've had that since day one, what are you talking about?!" I know, I'm a huge Souls fan myself, and I know that what I've described above is similar to the Souls-like experience. But Hell is Us is somewhere in the middle; it is a puzzler action-adventure game. There are puzzles to solve, and the clues you find around the world in the form of items, documents, and people all contribute. You've got to pull it all together and make sense of it. It isn't as obscure as some of the OG Souls games.

Something that really struck me is how you can "brute force" your way through puzzles. Not all of them, of course, and I don't mean physically. I mean that you don't necessarily need to have the exact specific information or answer to progress if your logic helps you through. In an early puzzle, you are faced with a rotating dial of three circles. You need to enter the right combination to open the door. For whatever reason, I couldn't find a clue to the solution, so I figured I could work it out. And I did, just through a process of elimination. 

Fighting Chance

If I were to describe Hell Is Us to someone, I think I would say it is Souls-adjacent. It feels inspired by a lot of Souls tropes, or indeed the things that inspired Souls titles. 

Manual save points scatter the map, but save point is a bit of a misnomer. They are more like checkpoints, working in the same way as a Dark Souls bonfire; returning to the last one you saved at. But, on dying, any enemies you've defeated remain killed while you're in the area. Fast-travel to another area, and the enemies will respawn, unless you've collapsed the Timeloop and taken out the last of the enemies. It felt good to be able to fully clear a map rather than just expecting enemies to return.

The combat itself works well. You've got light and heavy attacks, the latter of which can be charged for more damage. You can also use your handy drone to attack, distract, and give you additional abilities. You start with a Lymbic Sword but soon find a variety of weapons, including twin axes, a great sword, and a polearm. I can see the argument that there isn't a great deal of weapon variety, but Hell is Us also has a sort of elemental system in the form of emotion. 

From grief, terror, rage, and ecstasy, both enemies and weapons can be charged with these intense emotions, giving them additional abilities and attacks. Weapons can equip a variety of glyphs that give you different attacks and skills. Enemies are "linked" with the emotion and gain a sort of manifestation guardian of said emotion that must be defeated before you can take out the enemy proper. It's an effective system that works well and certainly lends itself to some tough battles. 

Remi, I Choose You!

This is welcome as there are only five base enemy variants, and it helped keep the combat dynamic. Thankfully, the combination of enemies you encounter, particularly when multiple enemies are linked to multiple, different emotional Hazes, provided a good challenge. 

There are a few boss battles, but they felt like inflated versions against standard enemies, rather than something unique. Given the haunting visages that the base enemies create, I've got to think there were some unhinged-looking creatures left on the cutting room floor. 

I never figured out if the emotion-infused elements had a system to it. Is rage better against grief like in Pokémon type elements? Is rage good against rage? Like the story, it's possible I missed this information, but it wasn't forthcoming from what I could tell.

The other element of combat that I really enjoyed is the healing system. Your health and stamina are linked. Your health bar and stamina will be the same. So if you lose health, you lose stamina. This makes it tricky if you take a lot of damage, as you'll do fewer attacks before running out of stamina.

The combat allows you to regain health and stamina mid-battle if you get your timing right. I would really recommend getting to grips with this mechanic, as health kits in the world are somewhat limited. It's pretty damn rewarding to claw back all your health from the brink of death through effective attacks and dodging.

Your abilities can be improved through upgrading your weapons and defensive gear at your local blacksmith. 

Sounds Good to Me

One of the many things I think should be applauded in Hell Is Us is the audio work. The soundscapes created are just excellent. The background "˜music' is ominous and eerie, with the occasional dystopian flourish. Think Blade Runner or Apex Legends. That electronic, futuristic sound haunts you as you explore and creates a disjointed sense of unease. It feels like it doesn't work, but it absolutely does. I found myself appreciating the music regularly.

The voice acting is excellent, too. The characterisation across the entire game is spot on. From fly-by NPCs to the main characters, the voice work is done with genuine passion and personality.  The voice actors should be commended for their work in bringing the cast to life. 

Visually, the game is stunning. Lake Cynon and Telja stand out as points of reference, but the variety in biomes is excellent. From dilapidated ruins, expansive marshland to burning towns and secret labs. There's a lot of variety in where your journey will take you. I appreciated the variety in the different areas. They weren't all semi-open worlds; some were small, compact buildings to explore. This helped the game avoid feeling bloated.

Replay it Again Sam

There's plenty to do in Hell Is Us. You'll uncover secrets, unlocks, and collectibles through completion of the game's many mysteries and good deeds. Good deeds are like side quests where you help out citizens of Hadea. Many of these can be failed, and since there are achievements tied to successfully finishing them all, it might mean another replay. 

There is an endgame where you can mop up missing relics (that give you buffs), research items (that give you insight into the lore), and outstanding mysteries. But of course, if your Good Deed NPC died, you ain't doing it in one go. More annoyingly, on my part, my instinct was telling me there were two points of "no return" for some of those quests, but I chose to ignore it. So I have to deal with that consequence when I should have done what the game wanted me to.

I mean, I'm a confessed achievement whore, so I'm going to play it again, but even if I wasn't, I want to 100% the game. I thoroughly loved my time with it. That being said, I did experience some achievements unlocking, which did slightly sour my experience with the game. Of course, outside of that, I didn’t notice any other issues with the game from a performance perspective.

Heaven or Hell (is Us)?

Hell Is Us isn't just another third-person Souls adjacent action adventure. It's a refreshing celebration of using your brain, relying on your gut, and trusting your instincts.

Its endearing world, haunting enemies, and largely realised lore building are a testament to the developers’ understanding of the gaming mind. I hope this isn't the last we see of the Hell is Us series; my instinct is that it won't be.

Hell is Us released on 4 September 2025 on PC PS5, and Xbox Series. The game was reviewed on Xbox Series X.

We like to thank the devs and publisher for the review code.