You can play horrifying sci-fi RPG Hell is Us ahead of launch thanks to new demo

Few genres explore the soul better than horror. It prides itself on plumbing the darkest depths of the human experience, hauling our worst fears up and out into the light to be dissected. And while there's nothing more unsettling than facing inconvenient truths, the best lessons can be taken from doing so. Death Stranding showcased the importance of togetherness, and what happens if we disconnect from our humanity. Rogue Factor's upcoming ARPG, Hell is Us, utilizes its demonic entities in a similarly metaphorical manner, though its concern is eminently focused on how human emotion feeds a perpetual cycle of violence. It's a distinctively dark affair, and right now you can get stuck in ahead of launch.

In Hell is Us, you find yourself in a nation torn asunder by civil war. Protagonist Remi has traveled to Hadea to find his missing parents, only to find far more supernatural spookiness than he bargained for. Earmarked as one of the most exciting upcoming PC games to launch this year, Hell is Us pulls in elements from some of the best soulslike games, though its combat is much more souls-adjacent than anything.

While we've seen plenty of sci-fi horror romps in recent years (Returnal, The Callisto Protocol, and the aforementioned Death Stranding all immediately come to mind), none of them have explored the horrifying reality of life without Google Maps. Hell is Us rips the safety net of an in-game map away from you, leaving you to rely on points of interest, compass directions, and Remi's datapad to get about. I love this concept, as it forces you to stop being a weenie and actually strike up a conversation with the denizens of Hadea to survive its open world. There's no room for social anxiety when you're already going toe-to-toe with the faceless Hollow Walkers.

Back in May, Will graced the site with his Hell is Us preview, praising the game's tactility and focus on player-driven discovery. It's not going to be for everyone; I'm more 'senseless direction' than 'sense of direction,' but therein lies the joy of discovery. If Rogue Factor can give me the same 'holy shit' moments I got when uncovering hidden passages in Elden Ring's Lands Between, I'm sold.

The Hell of Us demo is now available on Steam. You can download it right here.

If you played June's iteration then you won't find much new here, but Rogue Factor has made multiple improvements. Alongside the expected suite of optimization tweaks, there's now a photo mode so you can share your favorite moments with pals. Most significantly, the parry and riposte system has had a soft rework. Now, only certain attacks can be parried (a visual cue has been added), and there's a tutorial in place to help you get a feel of the timings.

There's still some time before Hell is Us' September launch, so use it wisely by checking out more of the best open-world games and best horror games you can play right now.

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