Hell is Us Review: An Unforgettable Experience

There has been no shortage of amazing games released in 2025. Whether it’s Clair Obscur Expedition 33 or Split Fiction, there’s something for everyone. The Montreal-based studio, Rogue Factor, best known for their work on Mordheim, has broken away from the Games Workshop licensing and created a new intellectual property in the form of Hell is Us. Combining the horrors of human influence and negative emotions taking physical form, the developers have created one of the most unique experiences of the year.

A War on Two Fronts

Hell is Us features a dark and depressing story that delves deep into familiar current-day themes, specifically the barbaric nature of humans. The plot is about the horrific nature neighbors and friends can revert to when propaganda goes too far, and they're pitted against one another for no apparent reason whatsoever. Of course, it’s not only about the conflict between nations, but there’s also a supernatural element, as the manifestation of emotions, specifically the negative ones, have come to life in a demonic form and are wreaking havoc across the land.

The story takes place in the fictional country of Hadea in the 1990s, where it follows a UN peacekeeper named Rémi. Our unlikely protagonist also has a long history with Hadea, being born there but raised in Canada. He goes on a mission to find his parents in his war-torn homeland, but quickly realizes that something isn’t right. Rémi has to find his family and uncover the centuries-old mystery behind the country and the religious nature of these creatures.

The overall story revolving around Rémi is far weaker than the mystery of the Hollow Walkers, as the lore and history of this fictional country has been put together and established in shocking detail. Rémi and his crusade with his family and the war between the two sides mainly serve as an outlet for this engaging enigma to unravel. Every little bit of text that's written has some sort of importance that everyone will want to dig through. It’s not too dissimilar to FromSoftware and Souls games where items have descriptions that help put together what’s going on, but this is told a little more directly though the various documents and dialogues.

No Hand Holding

The biggest and best part of Hell is Us is the adventure aspect. Rogue Factor’s philosophy is all about not holding the player’s hand and it’s prevalent in Hell is Us as little is described or pointing the player in the right direction in a traditional manner. There are no waymarkers to rely on or a map that conveniently shows where Rémi is located at that given time. We are thrown into this world with little explanation and expected to survive.

This works the vast majority of the time, as Hell is Us is as much of a puzzle game as it is an adventure game. Various clues will be spread throughout the vast world that will link to other things, such as codes for safes or keys to locked doors. The amount of connecting the dots and figuring out obscure puzzles is astronomic, as Hell is Us has been built around this.

This works great, as there’s a huge emphasis on revisiting the various areas around the country, mostly advancing the various Mysteries and Good Deeds. These are essentially side quests, but once again, aren’t immediately tracked and instead are obtained through just finding something in the world or talking to an NPC who gives some small passing information that most wouldn’t even give a second thought about. Most of the time, it’s meant to exemplify the horrific nature of two neighbors going to war and their barbaric nature, but sometimes it’s to expand upon the lore of supernatural events as well.

The world of Hadea is also beautifully rendered in the most disturbing of ways. We struggle to call this a horror game, despite the audio and visuals signaling otherwise, but it’s bordering on it due to just how grotesque some of the scenes of the country are depicted. Rémi is taken all across Hadea, from larger locales like the marshes or hills, to smaller areas such as office buildings and libraries. All of this builds up not only what kind of place Hadea is, but the struggles and horrors the people are going through, be it from the war or demonic monsters.

Deep but Shallow Combat

Unfortunately, one aspect of Hell is Us that doesn’t live up to expectations is the combat. While Rogue Factory has created an impressive set of tools to work with, the overall cycle of combat doesn’t change too much throughout the adventures. While the enemies and bosses will get stronger, the vast majority of the time it just amounts to taking down the tethered emotion and then the smaller one. It’s rinse and repeat, with only scenarios of ambushes in numbers that might overwhelm, or throw in multiple emotions attached to one Hollow Walker.

With that said, the amount of experimentation is imaginative. There are only a handful of different weapons to select from, but there’s the ability to upgrade them through different Lymbic emotions. For example, a greatsword can be imbued with Rage or a Polearm can be slapped with a blue tint of Grief. Depending on their pathing, they’re able to equip different abilities that can drastically change how to approach a combat encounter. Some will perform unique attacks, while others may heal or add additional effects to attacks.

On top of that, Rémi also has a drone that can perform various actions, such as propel our protagonist forward or simply distract enemies. The drone itself feels more like a story tool, translating the various ancient texts more than it’s useful in the heat of combat. Don’t get us wrong, as some of its functions can be handy in a pinch, but more times than not, we completely forgot we had a drone that could contribute in battle.

The world of Hadea is also beautifully rendered in the most disturbing of ways.

There’s no getting past the comparison to Soulslikes, as Rémi will be hacking and slashing his way through well-placed mobs in various open areas. There’s a certain truth to this, as if he dies, Rémi will simply respawn at a save point with progress in the area maintaining its state. There’s a strong emphasis on managing stamina and timing blocks to parry Hollow Walkers, and once a rhythm is found, most encounters become clockwork. It’s the emotional connections between the Hollow Walkers that become more of a challenge, as each has their own unique attack patterns, some of which are far stronger than the others.

Closing Comments:

Hell is Us isn’t something you see every day. It’s a thought-provoking adventure that dives deep into the barbaric nature of humans, all while putting together a compelling mystery behind the supernatural elements. On top of that, it’s as much of a puzzle game as it is an adventure, truly testing a player’s will and patience as nothing is guided. There are no waymarkers pointing Rémi in the right direction or a map that shows him where he is. Instead, we have to find everything on our own and remember it, be it putting it in our memory bank or recording it. With that said, Hell is Us isn’t perfect. As enjoyable and surprisingly well-varied the combat is, it mainly boils down to the same formula through most of the lengthy journey. It’s the incredibly detailed and elegantly put-together world and lore that will have everyone immersed. At the end of the day, even with a couple of quirks, Hell is Us is a memorable and rewarding experience that’s a breath of fresh air.