400+ "Very Positive" reviews: New action-adventure RPG launches on Steam with a promising start
Hell is Us launched worldwide on September 4, 2025 for PlayStation 5 (curr. $449 on Amazon), Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game has a distinctive mix of exploration, combat, and mature storytelling. Developed by Rogue Factor and published by Nacon, the game is slowly climbing Steam charts out for its setting, minimal HUD, and a "refusal to guide players" in traditional ways.
The project was announced by Nacon in April 2022 and was led by Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, previously of Deus Ex: Human Revolution fame. The game draws inspiration from the film Annihilation and Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy. Hell is Us was shaped by a desire to offer an "organic" and immersive player experience, which minimizes traditional waypoints and quest markers. The studio, with a team of around 55 people, spent over five years developing the game.
Now, for the game setting: Hell is Us places players in the shoes of Rémi, a soldier navigating the war-torn fictional country of Hadea. Players face supernatural beings called Hollow Walkers, using a variety of melee weapons and tactical options, including a drone named KAPI for distraction and special attacks. Combat is not designed as a souls-like; instead, it focuses on providing a challenge that prioritizes exploration and the narrative itself. The semi-open world is purposefully devoid of hand-holding, which encourages players to learn about objectives from interactions and clues within the environment instead of from a map or quest log.
At launch, Hell is Us saw an all-time peak of around 3,984 concurrent players on Steam, with a live count of around 1,555 players shortly after launch. The game requires a 64-bit system and a robust hardware spec. In addition to the Standard Edition, there was a Digital Deluxe Edition available for the game as well, which included exclusive in-game rewards and early access for up to 48 hours.
You can pick up Hell is Us on the Steam store for $49.99. Check out the game trailer below.
