Publisher NACON has released the first gameplay trailer for upcoming third-person action adventure game, Hell is Us.
The trailer was part of the September State of Play showcase, and looks very tasty indeed, if you’re into that kind of game. Check out the trailer, below:
Hell is Us is a third-person action-adventure game where the protagonist sets out to learn more about his past in the different regions of a country ravaged by civil war. The almost total self-sufficiency of the country hides a dark secret: the recent appearance of supernatural creatures resembling ancient headstones and monuments in the region. Armed with weapons specially forged to fight these monsters, the protagonist must learn how to defeat them and use his equipment wisely.
The game also features a singular approach to game design, that can best be named by the term “player-plattering”. This concept is the opposite of “silver-plattering”, which consists of over-explaining and serving everything to players on a silver platter. With Hell is Us, the studio wanted to go back to the roots of old-school adventure games, by encouraging exploration and reflection, and by eliminating traditional aids. Here, there are no detailed maps, quest markers or compasses revealing all points of interest: players will have to rely on their intuition, observational and reasoning skills to progress through their journey and discover the secrets of these mysterious lands.
Jonathan Jacques-Belletete, Executive Creative Director and Art Director at Rogue Factor took to the official PlayStation Blog to reveal more info, saying: “With Hell is Us, we decided to break away from conventional norms to offer something radically different. Unlike many modern games that guide players with detailed maps, quest markers, quest journals, and constant assistance, we’ve chosen to eliminate these traditional aids altogether.”
Jacques-Belletete added: “In Hell is Us, you won’t have a magical map or compass revealing all points of interest surrounding you, no markers identifying your next quest objective, and no artificial or mechanical guides to orient you. Instead, we invite you to dive directly into the game’s universe and rely on your own observation, reasoning, and intuition to progress. The environments are not there simply to decorate, they are there to communicate. Correspondingly, paying attention to what the NPCs tell you is crucial; as what they tell you is actual organic information about what to do and how to do it.”
Hell is Us is set for a 2025 release, and will be coming to PC and consoles.