Made By Deus Ex’s Art Director, Hell Is Us Should Be On Your Radar For Next Year

I’ll be honest here—I’m a sucker for Soulslikes, so anytime I see another one coming up sometime later in the year or next year, I get super excited without my due research, which often leads me toward disappointment, because it’s not easy imitating this genre and getting it right. 

Hell Is Us, however, seems to be headed in the right direction, considering all that we’ve seen of it so far. One of the good things about the project that sticks out right off the bat is the Art Director himself, Jonathan Jacques-Belletete, who has also spearheaded Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deux Ex: The Fall.

If you’re like me and have played the living heck out of those games, then you already know you can expect a variety of stunning environments from Hell Is Us.  

In the video, Jonathan talks about how Hell Is Us takes inspiration from the gaming scene in the 1990s, a time when there was pretty much minimal “silver plattering” and “hand-holding.” As good as that sounds for someone who actually prefers a challenging experience, an enhanced difficulty can also serve as a double-edged sword, where a lack of enough visual indicators can lead to unwarranted frustration. 

The fact that Rogue Factor is employing this approach, however, is a great sign, and a lot of hopes have already been tied to Hell Is Us, considering its fairly gripping storyline and how the Soulslike aspires to 

So the environments, the visuals of the game are not just there to illustrate, they’re there to communicate. So you need to play the game. You need to open your eyes, you need to open your ears to what NPCs  and you’ll find your way, and you’ll discover things, and you will truly own your discoveries and the great joy that comes with that,” says Jonathan. 

The Soulslike Genre Has Picked Up Tremendous Traction In Recent Times

It goes without saying but FromSoftware — the legendary maker of the Dark Souls and co. franchises — has birthed an entire genre in its wake here, leading developers from around the world to follow suit. In 2023 alone, we’ve seen titles like Lords of the Fallen, Lies of P, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and plenty of others coming out in the open, and from here on out, the trend only seems to be rising. 

Hell Is Us will be released sometime in 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Do let me know what you think of the project in the comments ahead.