5 Things to Know Before Starting Hell is Us Guide

Hell is Us is the latest game from Montreal-based studio, Rogue Factor, which has greatly emphasized that this is a game not looking to hold your hand. There are no map markers, no quest trackers, none of the usual open-world comforts modern video game players enjoy.

The game will even remind you of this before it starts, to try and make it land that you're meant to find your way through the game by using your instincts, and paying close attention to your environment. After reviewing it for Wccftech, I can say that Hell is Us does a great job at making that experience feel fun and smooth. I can also say there are a few bits of knowledge that would've been nice to have going into the journey.

That's why this guide will break down the five most important things you'll want to know to be ready to jump into Hell is Us, that also don't ruin the mystery and fun of discovery that's so core to the experience.

5 Things to Know Before Starting Hell is Us Guide

1. Have a notebook and a pen at the ready

You don't need to be writing everything you see and do down, this isn't Blue Prince. But it is helpful to have a notebook beside you with a pen ready to jot down potential clues you come across and parts of a puzzle solution as you try to solve the several puzzles you'll face in Hell is Us. The puzzle gameplay is arguably more important to the game than the combat, and unless you have an incredible memory, or swap back and forth between your game and screenshots you take, you'll need a notebook by your side.

2. You can't always solve the puzzle in front of you the first time you see it

There will be a few puzzles you come across, one even in the very first area of the game, that you can't solve the first time you see them. You'll need an item or some piece of knowledge that you'll acquire later on in the game, so the only thing to do is to move on and come back to it later.

With Hell is Us lacking any map or quest trackers, it's tough at times to know what will help you progress the main story, what's optional, and what you need to be doing next. All of that packed together means it's easy to spend far too long smashing your head against something you literally cannot solve the first or sometimes even the second time you come across it. Again, another reason why it's good to have a notebook with you, so you can make a note remembering to go back when you have the item or knowledge you're missing.

3. Spec into crowd-control

You have a few different weapon varieties you can choose from, and between those varieties, you can tweak them by infusing abilities based on four core emotions that are central to the game's story. It all comes down to what you prefer to use, because I found that there are things to appreciate with weapon variants for each emotion. But succeeding in the combat is less about the specifics of your gear, and more about how the weapons and abilities you select let you control the flow of combat.

Hell is Us doesn't feature a lot of boss fights; more accurately, it features several combat encounters with a few or sometimes large quantities of enemies that are designed to try and catch you off-balance. That's why whatever weapon you choose, whatever emotional variant you infuse it with, you'll want abilities and a weapon that can help you even out the odds.

A larger weapon, like a greatsword or the halbred-esque polearm are helpful physical tools for crowd control, but area-of-effect abilities that can be added to any of your weapons are going to be more important in helping you keep the advantage in a fight. So even if you go with the shorter-ranged twin axes, as I did for a good chunk of my playthrough, having abilities that stunned and damaged enemies within a certain area of impact helped even out the fact that I could only really focus my blows at one creature at a time, instead of taking wide sweeping attacks against a group.

4. Talk to everyone

This one should be a little more obvious due to how puzzle solving works in Hell is Us, but it needs to be said: talk to every NPC you see. If you can ask them questions, ask them as many questions as you can. Even the six general knowledge topics you'll see appear with every NPC you can have a direct conversation with.

Most of the time, answers pertaining to your investigation and the puzzle you're trying to solve will come through the unique questions you can ask for each NPC. But there are answers to be found when asking the general knowledge questions.

Even beyond just asking to try and help solve a gameplay-related issue you have, it's worth talking to them because Rogue Factor has done a wonderful job in making everyone you meet feel like a real person. Half of the enjoyment there is in Hell is Us comes from the strength of its supporting cast. Spend as much time with them as you can.

Also, you'll have objects you can 'Trade' with NPCs, which is to say there are things you'll find in the world that, if you listen carefully, are items you can deliver to NPCs who have indirectly asked for them. If you're not sure if you've matched the right object to the person, there's no harm in asking, since the wrong person will just tell you they don't need the object or whatever it is you're offering.

5. Keep your head on a swivel

Hell is Us is not an open-world game. There are several places you'll go to in the game's setting throughout the story, and each is a contained zone that you can explore to the extent of its boundaries.

Because there's no active map for you to rely on, nothing that will tell you in real-time where you've gone and where you're going, you'll need to learn how to get around each zone. Sure, you can make notes and jot directions for yourself, but it's worth keeping in mind that each zone has been designed with the intention that you should be able to find your way naturally.

On top of paying attention to everything people tell you and making notes of the clues you'll read or pick up, looking at the details of your environment is vital to figuring out where to go next and how to solve the puzzles you'll come across. Keep your head on a swivel and don't stop looking around until you're sure you have all the information you need as you move from room to room and place to place within each zone. Since they're all contained, you don't have to worry as much about getting lost and winding up somewhere too far from where you want to be, like how taking the wrong path in an open-world game can mean an hour of backtracking if you're not paying attention.

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