Overview

In a year that is stacked and diverse as 2025 has been, we've officially kicked off the final big stint that closes out the year with new games fighting for your time and attention, and amidst the imminent release of the nuclear release that was Hollow Knight Silksong, came many other releases. One of which was Hell is Us, an action game that taps into the puzzle and problem solving that feels remincist of something you'd find in an old Resident Evil. It is a game that has it's flaws, but despite those flaws gets many things right, that you can't really find any games doing in quite the same way.

Hell is Us is a game that feels rough around its outer edges, but at its core is full of heart, it has an atmospheric world, intentional design choices that mostly operate and interlock together to make a great whole of an experience. It has some components that feel like they fall sure. But I find many of its imperfections, weighed with what this game absolutely manages to nail, do make for an experience that feels unapologetic and charming in its own way.

So sit back, relax, and let's get into why you should at least put Hell is Us on your radar.

Story

I'm going to kick things off by talking about the narrative for Hell is Us, which is decent for the most part, following our protagonist, Remi who is under an interrogation by a strange suited figure. The story plays back through the events of Remi's journey, as he explores the world of Haedea exploring and trying to put an end to the ongoing war and turmoil that has been plaguing the land. The narrative begins with a lot of momentum, but it is one of these stories that does start to meander around the middle of the second act, and the writing does feel hit or miss at time with some dialog that does feel like something you' find in a
shlocky action game of the late 2000s or early 2010s.

But that being said there are a lot of strong moments that come from the way the world of Haedea is built, the different characters that you meet who represent each side. The types of people you meet and the way that this conflict is depicted does feel confronting and bleak in a way that I feel adds to the gravitas of the situation you are in.

There is a good sense of mystery that is built around the story of Hell is Us and I do feel in some areas I walked out satisfied, I did feel I was wanting a little more. But the interplay between the gameplay and how the game tells its story in its environments and people, is where the games narrative is at its strongest point.

Gameplay

Combat

Hell is Us' combat feels like it harkens back to an action game of the early 2010's which is a breath of fresh air, by comparison to the plethora of Souls-likes that generally dominate the genre, here in Hell is us, you will be fighting ethereal creatures called the Haze, who come in many different shapes and sizes. Your main challenge that you will face are enemies that are called Lymbic enemies, which are enemies that are bound to an elemental type of enemy that they summon. You'll need to kill the summoned attached enemy before killing the main enemy. It is a fresh and different idea, that does make the early hours of Hell is Us' combat feel fresh and interesting.

The problem starts to set in around the halfway mark in the game, you've by this point seen all the enemies and the most that the game has to throw at you is stronger variants of the same enemy types you've faced. It makes combat bog down to something that you becomes a more mindless affair than something that keeps you engaged and contemplating how you approach each environment.

Another worthy point of mention is that this game has a small handful of bosses, and I can only be thankful for that decision, because the boss encounters in Hell is Us, are incredibly bad, and are easily the moments of the game that I enjoyed the least. There is no spectacle to the encounter, no fanfare, and the mechanics of the encounter are abysmal in how the fight unfolds. It doesn't posit any sense of challenge, the encounters just feel like busy work, and had they been removed I'd argue the game would have been better for it.

Overall in terms of challenging combat, if you're coming from a souls-like background, I feel like you won't be hard pressed here with Hell is Us, it is a pretty simple, flexible and forgiving action-RPG, but if you're someone who is looking for just that, an action-RPG that allows you to utilize and customize some cool abilities, and adventure through a dystopian world, than this might be up your alley.

Puzzles

The puzzles in Hell is Us are one of the games biggest strengths with majority of the puzzles feeling like they offer a good level of challenge that is rewards you for taking in its world, reading notes and logs scattered around. It makes the exploration of each of the different zones of Haeda feel much more immersive, and provides an intentional approach to the layout and design of each location. Making each discovery feel like a puzzle piece that guides and expands the exploration. The puzzles are also varied, and do weave themselves into the history and crafted lore of Haeda which does help give you some added context into the more greater conflict that has been unfolding over the years.

The puzzles themselves feel like they're a major component of Hell is Us' gameplay loop. If I was to break it down simply it does feel like it is a split between a third-person action game, and a detective investigation where you are piecing information together from the different clues and conversations that you find in Haedea. It really does feel reminiscent of the games of old where there are no markers, no quips from companions solving it for you. The most you have is a search tree of people and notes you have acquired, helping to spark that eureka moment. What this approach culminates in, is a sense of problem solving that feels satisfying and rewarding, and this is in large part due to Hell is Us' No-hand holding approach to its world, which we'll dive into shortly. But if there is one element of Hell is Us that absolutely stands out as really well crafted it is its puzzle design, and the balancing act of revealing new clues, along with keeping the solution more a hidden in plain sight affair, rather than something so obvious that it feels like an insult to the players intelligence. That being said, this game did make me take notes once or twice, and did call upon me to remember and piece some things together, in a way that if you are not used to that sort of experience, then you might get lost or find yourself backtracking a few times trying to read and piece together some messages on a statue or a wall in another room.

But this approach to Hell is Us alone is something that I feel plays into the games atmosphere and worldbuilding, clicks together to make the foundations of something special.

Game Systems

The No-hand hold approach

The first thing I'd like to get into when discussing the different game systems that underpin Hell is Us, I want to talk about the approach and philosophy that the game takes to its exploration, world design, and overall gameplay loop. This is what I call the "No-hand hold approach", where the game holds information from you and leaves the game to you the player to figure out. It feels reminiscent of the magic that your would find from the exploration in a From Soft experience married with the puzzles and problem solving of a survival horror game, like old-school Resident Evil. This philosophy is pivotal to the experience because the absence of any map, map markers or a traditional quest log, you're able to get fully immersed in the world. You are instead looking out for iconography, a building or monument, and you're given a compass. It makes notes more worthwhile reading as the convey hints, clues and points of interest, that further contribute to solutions and the overall exploration. It makes exploring the world of Haedea feel natural and the discoveries and the atmosphere feel heightened because of this as well. It is a bold decision that may leave some getting lost, but what it ultimately is achieves is a game that asks you to play it on its terms, and makes a world that feels like second-nature exploring once you get your bearings. It's an action-RPG that you can't brute force your way through, there will be roadblocks that aren't in the form of combat challenges, and these are the mediative moments that underpin Hell is Us and bring its greatest strengths to life.

Progression Systems

The progression systems of Hell is Us are divided into two different parts, there is the underpinning mysteries and investigations, the way in which you explore collect items and complete good deeds that reward you in turn. Then there is the side of progression that is very familiar, you'll be upgrading different weapons assigning them a particular damage type, along with levelling up its rarity making it do more damage. You will also get different abilities that tied to the combat we mentioned earlier. These come in the form of glyphs, abilities for your weapons and modules that upgrade your drone. I found that the overall variety of these different abilities was good, but I felt the reason of motivation to mix and match or try new abilities never really hit me. It felt like there were options, but it was a one hammer fits all kind of situation where not matter what types of glyphs you're using you never really did feel at a strong disadvantage, where you would have to brainstorm or change your playstyle.

However, the way that you progress through both main and side quests and along with these side objectives call good deeds, where you help other NPC's. This method of progression does feel rewarding and satisfying, and it makes side exploration and also paying attention to the random NPC's you communicate with in each environment feel interactable and worth listening to. Not to mention that some of these good deeds can be failed, resulting in negative outcomes if they aren't completed in a timely manner. When I failed a few of these I genuinely did feel bad like I had failed too. It is an aspect that I do feel will make replaying the game feel worthwhile. There is satisfaction in seeing these stories of these different characters you help as you progress, but there are also in-game progression rewards, which tie back to the weapons and glyphs I mentioned earlier.

Visuals and Sound

Visuals

The retro scfi setting of Hell is Us feels like it taps into many different forms stylistic choices with some brutalist look, European vibes, along with some retro scfi that feels very 80s ScFi in its aesthetics. But it is able to take these different vibes and style choices and make its world feel unique and distinct. Haeda has a particular presence that plays into the more bleak and depressing themes that permeate throughout the game. There is also a lot of variation to the world of Haedea too, with the overgrown, cities engulfed in dust, buildings, bunkers, and underground temples, and cities. There is so much variety in how these cities and environments are constructed that further enhance the world-building and history of this world, that you're continuously reading about and hearing through both notes and discussions. The Haze are so interesting in their designs, presence and overall aesthetics. I do wish we'd see more surreal or distinct variants of them, but conceptually they fit this world, and overall atmosphere of this world neatly. Seriously the environments and the world that has been crafted here is so well-put together, and it is stylized in a distinct way that is both other-worldly and human. It has been mentioned in an interview Fextralife had with Hell is Us' director that the cosmic horror vibe of Hell is Us was inspired from what felt like forces that are terrifying being real beyond our comprehension, referencing the radioactivity in Chernobyl as an example explaining the Haze as physical manifestations of human emotion, as denoted my the elements that are attached to them.

Sound

The visual design and the way in which it depicts Hell is Us' bleak and dire world, is equally matched in its sound department offering a pretty solid and all around atmospheric soundtrack that contributes to making exploration, problem solving and the moments in-between. The background music, this depressing electric synth ambient tracks that play in the background, tapping into the feeling of investigation and exploring a world that feels bleak and hopeless. It
really does sell underscore the feeling of the tensions in Haedea the urgency of your journey and investigation, and it is something that is always working in sync with the visuals, and these two components are always setting the mood, the tone, and overall feeling of a particular area you explore, and it does it so effortlessly. Another point that was mentioned in the interview with Fetralife was how the soundtrack is about creating a mood and atmosphere with sound, and much of Hell is Us' soundtrack is inspired by films like Annihilation and how the films soundtrack blends horror tones, with moody sounds. The voice performances are pretty solid too, with some cheesy dialogue that is more a writing quarrel I have with the game, rather than an acting issue. I felt like Remi's performance by Elias Toufexis was really solid, and overall many of the different performances here are good.

Performance

The performance for Hell is Us has been pretty good from my experience with the game, I've been running this game on my 4080 Super and have encountered none to very little performance hiccups. I've been able to run the game with a consistent framerate and have experienced very little technical bugs, with the worst being texture pop-in once or twice in a cutscene. I haven't experienced any crashes, and there have been no in-game bugs or quest lock-outs that I've encountered through my playthrough, overall making this this game pretty easy to pick up and play.

Conclusion

Overall, Hell is Us is an experience that may look like something that you have seen before on its surface. But when you dig deeper there is a unique offering here that is full of heart and charm. It's a game that may not be for everyone, but it is definitely something for me, it may be rough around the edges in some areas, but underneath that friction and roughness, comes a experience that is a rarity and an oddity today. It's puzzles and exploration are as much a mystery as the inner-conflict and plot that is unfolding, making you intrigued in what is going on around you at all times, and whilst the story can feel like it does fizzle out, the feeling that exploring its world and its more micro-level stories do unfold and depict and interesting world. The biggest sore spot to this experience is its lack of enemy variety and meaningful combat, it's not terrible, but it feels more serviceable and decent, than anything special. But despite these setbacks Hell is Us is a worthwhile time and is one of the hidden gems of 2025.

Thanks for watching, and as always I'm Tarrmu. If you enjoyed this video consider giving us a like as that helps the channel, and if you really enjoyed the video consider subscribing.