Hello everyone and welcome back to another blog post. So, you’ve seen the trailers for Hell is Us, heard the whispers of a challenging, monster-filled adventure, and your brain immediately went to one place: “Ooh, a new Soulslike!” Hold that thought, brave warrior, because you’re about to be as disappointed as when you first realized you couldn’t fast-travel out of a particularly tedious fetch quest.
Let’s cut through the marketing fog. Is Hell is Us a Soulslike? The short, brutally honest answer is no. It has the aesthetic down pat—a grim world, some nasty creatures, and melee combat—but that’s like calling a motorcycle a Formula 1 car because they both have wheels. It’s an action-adventure game that borrowed a few parts from the Soulslike garage but forgot the engine.
The “Soulslike” Checklist: What It Gets Right (And So, So Wrong)
Every genre has its tropes. Let’s see how Hell is Us stacks up against the Soulslike hallmarks. Spoiler alert: it mostly trips over them.
- Stamina-Based Combat: A Resounding No.
Forget managing a green bar. You can swing your ominously named “Limbic Weapon” with the reckless abandon of a toddler with a foam bat until your enemy is a fine red mist. Aggression is your best friend here, not a resource to be meticulously managed. If you were looking for that classic Soulslike tension where one extra swing could mean death, you won’t find it. - Bonfire Checkpoints: Also a No.
The comforting glow of a checkpoint that respawns all your enemies? Gone. Instead, you have an APC that acts as a safe house, but it’s not the respawn-and-reset hub you’re used to. The game leans into a more seamless, semi-open world structure, which sounds cool until you realize you have to run all the way back to where you just were. Fun. - Lose “Souls” on Death: Thankfully, No.
Dying in Hell is Us is about as consequential as stubbing your toe. It’s a minor, momentary annoyance. There’s no mad, heart-pounding dash to retrieve your lost experience points. For veterans of the genre, this removes a core layer of stakes and tension. For everyone else, it’s one less thing to anxiety-cry about. - Deliberate, Weighty Combat: Well, Sort Of…
This is where the disguise is most convincing. On the surface, you have a dodge and a parry. But dig an inch deeper, and you’ll find the combat is significantly simpler and built around the Health Pulse mechanic, which encourages constant aggression by letting you heal through dealing damage. It’s a great system, but it fundamentally changes the rhythm from “methodical dance” to “controlled frenzy.” - Epic, Punishing Boss Fights: Barely.
This is the biggest letdown for anyone coming in with Soulslike expectations. The game has a severe lack of unique, screen-filling bosses. For the most part, you’ll be fighting “elite” versions of regular enemies with a bigger health pool. It’s the gaming equivalent of ordering a gourmet steak and being served a slightly thicker hamburger.
See the pattern? The game wears a Soulslike mask, but the face underneath is a much more traditional, if ambitious, action-adventure title, closer in spirit to God of War or Resident Evil in its structure.
So, What Is It Actually Like to Play?
You will love this game if:
- You crave exploration for exploration’s sake and get a genuine thrill from taking physical notes.
- You value incredible world-building, environmental storytelling, and a grim, thought-provoking atmosphere over tight gameplay loops.
- You think modern games hold your hand too much and you’d like them to, metaphorically, push you down a flight of stairs instead.
You should avoid this game if:
- Your primary motivation in a game is challenging, deep, and varied combat.
- You find backtracking without fast travel to be a tedious waste of your precious free time.
- You need a game to respect your time and give you clear, concise goals.
The Bottom Line
Hell is Us is not a Soulslike. It’s a beautifully bleak, often clunky, action-adventure puzzle game disguised as one. It’s a game with immense soul but some lack of polish in wrong places.
It’s the gaming equivalent of a brilliant, eccentric professor who can’t figure out how to use the projector. You’ll learn amazing things if you’re patient, but you’ll also spend half the class watching him try to plug in the HDMI cable.
What’s the most overhyped “Soulslike” you’ve ever played? Did you finish it or let it collect digital dust? Let me know in the comments—my sanity needs the validation. And if you want to learn more about the game or the devs, go check their website here.