Last night, at State of Play, publisher NACON and studio Rogue Factor unveiled the first gameplay trailer for Hell is Us, the studio’s major new project. Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, the creative director on the game, invites players to join him on NACON’s YouTube channel on September 30 at 5pm CEST to find out more about Hell is Us. The game is scheduled for release in 2025 on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Hell is Us is a third-person action-adventure game where the protagonist sets out to learn more about his past in the different regions of a country ravaged by civil war. The almost total self-sufficiency of the country hides a dark secret: the recent appearance of supernatural creatures resembling ancient headstones and monuments in the region. Armed with weapons specially forged to fight these monsters, the protagonist must learn how to defeat them and use his equipment wisely.

The game also features a singular approach to game design, that can best be named by the term “player-plattering”. This concept is the opposite of “silver-plattering”, which consists of over-explaining and serving everything to players on a silver platter. With Hell is Us, the studio wanted to go back to the roots of old-school adventure games, by encouraging exploration and reflection, and by eliminating traditional aids. Here, there are no detailed maps, quest markers or compasses revealing all points of interest: players will have to rely on their intuition, observational and reasoning skills to progress through their journey and discover the secrets of these mysterious lands. Further information on this concept is available in an exclusive PlayStation Blog article.