It's hard to know who to recommend this game to, but I know I'm glad I played it.

A lot of reviews will call this a souls-like, and while it may borrow enough from the formula to feel familiar, it's not quite accurate. There isn't the breadth of weapons nor depth of enemies to feel comparable, and the difficulty isn't there. Once you find a weapon and style you enjoy, there isn't much reason to change. For me, I found it easy to stick with the fastest weapons available and stunlock most enemies, and that took me through the last half of the game. But it can still be fun and doesn't overstay its welcome.

The puzzles take center stage, more so than reviews and trailers suggest. You don't get a minimap, but the open world sections generally aren't complicated enough to warrant it if you're able to pay attention. Some reviews mention taking reams of notes, but I honestly found the in-game documentation usually more than enough to get through them.

Hell is Us's strength is in nailing the atmosphere--but that atmosphere is melancholic, depressive, and almost nihilistic (but not quite) at times. This is set in a country defined by civil war, with a new one breaking out every few decades, and they do not shy away from showing a truer nature of it. I joked after finishing that I was going to try and find a more light-hearted game to play, specifically one with fewer dead babies.

It's an interesting game. I sort of liked Rogue Factor's previous stuff, but this one makes me excited to see where they go from here.