Hell is Others
- October 20, 2022
- Strelka Games
- 6h median play time
Hell is Others is a brutal nightmare of a multiplayer game that will appeal massively to patient players who are willing to make the time investment.
Get on Steam"Hell is Others" is a hardcore extraction game set in a grim, blood-soaked city. Players must survive by hunting for blood to sustain themselves and their plants, while facing other players with similar goals. The game offers a unique progression system, allowing characters to develop through customizable items and resources found in the environment. Confrontation and survival are key in this relentless, endlessly looping experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique blend of top-down shooter and extraction mechanics, reminiscent of Tarkov and Hotline Miami.
- Engaging atmosphere with a Lovecraftian theme, complemented by great art and sound design.
- Replayability is high due to the variety of quests, character progression, and the thrill of PvPvE encounters.
- Matchmaking can be unbalanced, often pairing new players with much higher-level opponents.
- Disconnects can lead to losing all items, which can be frustrating for players.
- Some players find the learning curve steep, especially when facing more experienced opponents.
- story126 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing and unique, blending elements of noir horror with humor, and offering a compelling narrative that motivates players to progress despite the challenges. Players engage in a cyclical quest system that allows for repeated missions and character development, while the atmosphere and art direction enhance the overall experience. However, some players find the quest mechanics frustrating, particularly due to the reliance on fetch quests and the difficulty in locating quest items, which can detract from the enjoyment of the story.
“The story is interesting and creative, allowing for immersion in the game's universe.”
“The story is very quirky and unique, with a mix of unsettling moments and downright funny ones.”
“Great story integrated into the gameplay.”
“There is a basic storyline which unfortunately the majority will need to watch YouTube/Twitch to see the ending.”
“The game is designed to hinder the progress of new players since all the day 0 players have to do is camp the one or two places where new players have to visit to turn in the initial quests for the rewards that'll improve your stats.”
“Quests are almost impossible to find on the map, and I've been left in multiple situations where I've searched every building in an area where a quest says I need to be to turn in items, only for there to be nothing actually there and die.”
- gameplay107 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Hell is Others" is characterized by a fast-paced, tense extraction loop that combines elements of survival, looting, and player-versus-player interactions within a unique noir atmosphere. While many players appreciate the engaging mechanics and aesthetic design, some criticize the repetitive nature of gameplay and the steep learning curve for newcomers, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a satisfying core loop and innovative features, such as home customization and a heartbeat mechanic for detecting nearby players, contributing to its distinct appeal.
“The in-match gameplay is fast-paced and tense, racing against a 12-minute timer to complete tasks while exploring and surviving the hostile city.”
“The gameplay loop is fun at its core, the aesthetic gives a great atmosphere, and the controls are enjoyable when not suffering from dropped inputs.”
“The clever mechanics regarding other players mean you are (usually) not caught by surprise and can choose when to engage and when to run away.”
“The gameplay in 'Hell is Others' is about as repetitive as it gets.”
“Another issue with the game is its repetitive gameplay.”
“Its lack of polish, repetitive gameplay, and uninspired atmosphere make it a game that is hard to recommend.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful artwork, unique art styles, and atmospheric design, particularly highlighting the effective use of pixel art and noir aesthetics. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and immersive ambiance, others note issues with rough graphics and clunky controls that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to its appeal despite some technical shortcomings.
“Fantastic design and art style.”
“The art style and its implementation in all its details is just amazing and adds quite a lot to the game's atmosphere.”
“The retro graphics aesthetic is brilliantly coupled with a Lovecraftian, art-deco fever dream that echoes David Lynch.”
“The graphics are rough and the controls are clunky, making for an overall unenjoyable experience.”
“For these graphics?”
“The art style and its implementation in all its details is just amazing and adds quite a lot to the game's atmosphere.”
- atmosphere30 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, often described as noir, surreal, and rich in detail, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful artwork, engaging gameplay, and a compelling narrative that enhances the game's ambiance. However, some critiques mention that certain titles fall short in delivering a polished atmosphere, impacting their overall recommendation.
“Great atmosphere, great gameplay, beautiful artwork.”
“Brilliant atmosphere, genius design.”
“The art style and its implementation in all its details is just amazing and adds quite a lot to the game's atmosphere.”
“In terms of atmosphere, 'Hell is Others' fails to deliver.”
“Its lack of polish, repetitive gameplay, and uninspired atmosphere make it a game that is hard to recommend.”
“The game is hard but in a good way, it has some rough edges (that are being fixed) but the atmosphere?”
- music9 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as a standout feature, with many reviewers highlighting its pleasantness, stunning quality, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and experience. The soundtrack is often described as the best part of the game, complementing the art style and contributing to an engaging gameplay experience. Overall, the music is seen as a refreshing and integral element that elevates the game beyond its competitors.
“Great music and art; it is a breath of fresh air compared to recent games.”
“The vibe, the art, the music—everything except multiplayer balancing is downright amazing.”
“Music and visuals are stunning, and the game weaves its quests into the gameplay far more intuitively than the competition, in my humble opinion.”
“The concept, atmosphere, and music were alright, but the difficulty was frustrating.”
“The vibe, the art, and the music are amazing, but everything except multiplayer balancing is lacking.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of quirky, dry, and sometimes annoying, with some players finding it hilarious while others feel it detracts from the experience. The writing is praised for its stylish and creative approach, contributing to the game's addictiveness, especially in multiplayer settings where funny moments can arise from player interactions. Overall, the humor adds a unique flavor to the narrative and gameplay, though reactions to it can vary significantly among players.
“The cyclical narrative storyline is meted out like a poem, read just a few lines at a time, but well and succinctly told while still having room for humor.”
“Absolutely addicting, stylish, hilarious writing, creative and sandbox-like combat.”
“The story is very quirky and unique, and has a mix of unsettling moments and downright funny ones as well.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the depth and layers in farming and missions, others feel that the increased enemy difficulty can make grinding tedious and frustrating, especially when it leads to unexpected deaths and loss of progress. Overall, the grinding is seen as less annoying than in many other games, but it still presents challenges that can detract from the enjoyment.
“But this new enemy difficulty didn't feel particularly engaging to fight against; it just felt tedious, especially when not being able to kill 'others' as fast would cause me to need to flee - straight into another 'other', or a crawling/sweeping thing, the most tanky 'thing' I had encountered until that point.”
“Like grinding to get some better gear only to disconnect and lose it all?”
“People like me and several others are running around with insane bullets farming newbies for their blood (currency).”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with minimal issues, others encounter frequent bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay and immersion, particularly during looting and inventory management. Overall, the stability can vary significantly between users.
“The game also suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can ruin the immersion and make it difficult to progress.”
“Looting and inventory management is very uncomfortable and buggy, but it makes up most of the gameplay.”
“It glitches sometimes, which can be annoying.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's high replayability, particularly in the single-player mode, thanks to its engaging systems and fun gameplay. Overall, it offers a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
“This gives the game a ton of replayability, even in just the single-player environment.”
“Super fun, high replayability, and great game systems.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers feel that the game lacks sufficient story and character development, particularly noting that the repetitive fetch quests detract from deeper character engagement.
“The only thing this game needs is more story or character development, especially with the fetch quest loops.”
“The only thing this game needs is more story or character development, especially with the repetitive fetch quest loops.”
“Character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving me disconnected from the characters.”
“I was hoping for deeper character arcs, but instead, I got one-dimensional personalities that didn't evolve throughout the game.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is criticized for its surprisingly poor performance, especially considering it is a 2D sprite game, which typically requires less processing power.
“Shockingly poor performance for a 2D sprite game.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it nearly unplayable.”
“Optimization seems non-existent, leading to frequent crashes and long loading times.”
