Hell is Us: The Great Game That 2025 Buried (And I'm Still Sad About It)
Hell is Us, a grimdark semi-open-world action game, was crushed by Hollow Knight: Silksong's same-day 2025 launch. Horrible timing, brilliant game.
Ever shown up to a party only to realize you're wearing the same outfit as the host, but the host is a literal rockstar and everyone is screaming their name? That's basically Hell is Us in 2025. I played it, I loved it, and then I watched Hollow Knight: Silksong drop on the exact same day and absolutely obliterate the internet. Now it's 2026, and I'm still here, nursing a grudge and a save file.
Hell is Us is Rogue Factor's greatest creative leap so far. It's a grimdark, semi-open-world action game that refuses to hold your hand. No map markers? Check. No quest arrows? Check. Just you, a weird drone, and a world that wants you dead. It's the kind of game that makes you feel smart when you figure something out, and then immediately stupid when you walk into an ambush. But that's the charm. It rejects traditional open-world design with passion and panache, as the reference article says. And I agree. It's respectable and fascinating.
But here's the thing: 2025 was an absurdly packed year. Every month felt like a new blockbuster. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? Great, but forgotten. Death Stranding 2? Wild. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? A masterpiece. And then there's Hell is Us, a brand-new IP with no established fanbase, launching into a hurricane. I'm not saying it's a tragedy, but it's definitely a 'what if' scenario.
Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Horizon. Remember Horizon Zero Dawn? Gorgeous game, new IP, launched five days before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Five days! And then Horizon Forbidden West launched a week before Elden Ring. A week! Talk about bad timing. Here's a handy table:
Game
Release Date
Competitor
Competitor's Release Date
Horizon Zero Dawn
Feb 28, 2017
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Mar 3, 2017
Horizon Forbidden West
Feb 18, 2022
Elden Ring
Feb 25, 2022
Hell is Us
Sep 4, 2025
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sep 4, 2025
Notice a pattern? Hell is Us didn't just compete with Silksong; it shared the same birthday. And Silksong wasn't just popular—it literally broke Steam. I tried to buy it on launch day and got stuck in a queue longer than my morning commute. Meanwhile, Hell is Us was sitting there, looking cool, but nobody had time.
The real kicker? Hell is Us and Silksong appeal to the same demographic. We're talking grimdark, semi-open-world, no hand-holding, 'figure it out yourself' energy. If you love Silksong's obtuse Metroidvania structure and labyrinthine world design, you're probably the target audience for Hell is Us. But if you bounce off Silksong, you're not going to suddenly love Hell is Us. So there's no 'well, I'll just play the other one' escape hatch. It's a direct collision.
So where does that leave us in 2026? Hell is Us is a good game. Not a masterpiece, but an 8/10 that tries something different. It's not perfect—I could complain about the combat for hours—but it's memorable. And the Horizon games eventually found a strong foothold despite their stiff competition. Maybe Hell is Us can do the same. Maybe in a year or two, people will discover it on sale, or through word of mouth, and realize they missed out.
Or maybe it'll just be that game that got crushed by Silksong. Either way, I'm glad I played it. And hey, if you're one of the few who skipped Silksong (are you okay?), give Hell is Us a shot. It's weird, it's frustrating, and it's got a drone that beeps at you. What more do you want?
If you're planning to circle back to a game like this months later, timing the purchase can be almost as tricky as the game itself. Prices bounce between storefronts, regional discounts pop up without warning, and a good sale can disappear in a day.
That's the gap DealNest fills. Rather than manually checking every launcher and key seller, you can use [this price tracking tool]( to monitor price history, set alerts, and grab a deal when it finally lines up with your backlog. It won't make the release calendar any less crowded, but it can make catching up a lot cheaper.
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