PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

Hell is Us is a game that stands out for its boldness in making you think. It breaks from the norm and manages to captivate you in a way that perhaps other similar titles in the genre couldn't. With a well-told narrative and top-notch exploration, the title is worth every second of your attention.

With an incredibly dense lore and labyrinthine level design, Hell Is Us is a captivating experience. The game takes its solid (but tough) combat and chin-scratching puzzles and elevates them with a century spanning mystery that goes deeper and deeper. Its hands off approach means there is a huge emphasis on the world, and thankfully Rogue Factor does not disappoint. It’s not going to be for everyone, but for those that love a good lore-filled mystery, this is a PS5 must-play.

Hell Is Us is a game about the depravity of humanity and the consequences of our actions. Almost everything about Hell Is Us is crafted to perfection, from its incredible environmental storytelling to its characters and world. Though some may find it difficult to progress due to a lack of direction, its exploration becomes a key to its success. Its combat is fun with plenty of mechanics to mess around with, but it could have done with a little more enemy variety.

A bold and uncompromising action-adventure that strips away modern hand-holding like maps and quest markers, forcing players to rely on pure instinct and observation. Hell is Us masterfully blends the grim reality of a 90s-inspired civil war with surreal, 'New Weird' horror, creating a deeply immersive and rewarding experience for those willing to embrace its demanding, yet brilliant, design philosophy.

Hell Is Us succeeds in a fantastic throwback premise; to do away with modern quest markers and maps and just exist in the game and find your own way. Yet you are never lost, because its world breathes and lives and guides in far subtler, deeper ways. An incredible modern classic of both mystery and narrative structure that I hope inspires a whole new generation of game developers.

Hell Is Us arrived with a similar surprise effect as the excellent Clair Obscur. It proves to be a unique game that depicts, without filtering, the atrocities of civil war and the reasoning that leads to such horror. Its world-building is of the highest quality, enhanced by an oblique atmosphere and the striking design of Hadea’s war-torn landscapes. Top marks also go to the complete absence of hand-holding, as the game trusts players to pay attention to details, notes, and clues to navigate its world and uncover its clever secrets.

The demo won me over, but the final release helped solidify my feelings. The fact there is a comic book prequel and it has a kick ass score, makes Hell is Us one of my favorite games of 2025 and one of the best of the last 10 years for me in the genre.

Not many modern video games embroil you into an absorbing world and invites you into that visceral world by giving you a myriad of reasons to explore it while being encouraged to find your own way through it without the necessity of hand-holding, but Hell Is Us is one of those special games. You could deride Hell Is Us as a follower of the video game industry’s most celebrated action and RPG games, but by doing so you would be tearing yourself away from what is a very inspired, yet very gripping and robustly built action title. If you’re at all pleased with what you’ve seen from Hell Is Us, rest assured that it is one of the year’s most compelling AA games, and that the immersion this game builds will enrapture you in all the right ways.

With its combination of Souls-like combat, unguided exploration, Resident Evil-esque puzzles, and Zelda-esque dungeon crawling, Hell is Us is one of the most gritty, challenging, and surprising experiences of the year.

Hell is Us is a narrative-driven action-adventure game that focuses on exploration and investigation rather than guiding the player directly. Set in a war-torn land shaped by human cruelty, it offers a deep and symbolic journey filled with secrets and environmental storytelling. Strong art direction and a haunting soundtrack enhance the atmosphere. While combat is straightforward and bugs are present, the experience stands out for its originality and immersive world-building.