Former Deus Ex developer's moody sci-fi action game Hell Is Us will launch in September
I had Hell Is Us vaguely pegged as an "arty" game, but then I watched the new release date trailer, which begins with Adam Jensen('s voice actor) grizzly-grunting that "when the fury of emotions sparks the wildfire of violence, it dissolves our illusions and exposes the fragile structure of reality". And I realised that, no, this is some glorious nonsense. Maximum ham. High-concept cheeseville. Pseudostravaganza. I mean all these phrases as compliments. Come now - let your illusions dissolve as the fragile structure of your reality is exposed by the wildfire violence of this furious trailer!
In less excitable language, Hell Is Us is a third-person action-adventure with a mix of melee combat featuring lightsabers and drones, exploration featuring a mix of rundown military and otherworldly architecture, and narrative sequences featuring fellahs with flappy double chins.
You play Rémi, who is voiced by the afore-referenced Elias Toufexis, and is on "a quest to find his origins in a country" both "ravaged by civil war" and full of "supernatural creatures reminiscent of ancient headstones and monuments". The game is the work of Rogue Factor with Nacon publishing, and its creative and artistic director is no less a lofty luminary than Deus Ex: Human Revolution art director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête.
It looks a bit like a weaponised Death Stranding, with notes of Alan Wake and Tom Clancy. It's also got something called "player-plattering", which I don't entirely understand.
"Through its Player-Plattering approach incentivizing players to follow their instincts rather than markers, the title aims to return to the roots of adventure games," the press release explains. "It encourages reflection and observation by eliminating all forms of intrusive assistance." Is this some kind of minimal-output HUD mode, perhaps? The term "plattering" makes me feel like I'm going to be eating other players for dinner. Which I guess would be an intriguing mechanic.
Oh hang on, Ed
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