Hell Let Loose - this is a game that I’ll be writing a review about today. I won’t sugarcoat things but I won’t be too harsh as well - I’ll give this game a fair review.

I’ll be talking about gameplay, story, combat, objectives, a little bit about the developers, and how much the game costs on various platforms. Without further ado, let’s start reviewing the game:

What is Hell Let Loose?

It’s a slow-paced, mass-multiplayer game with tiny bits of action taking place in the horrifying times of World War 2. Beginners usually expect this game to be similar to the CoD/BF series but they couldn’t be more wrong. Hell Let Loose is a game that tests your patience and your willingness to focus on the objective more than just mindless killing.

With different maps, factions, and classes to pick from, you’ll be going through a painful journey of learning this game - such as running 100 meters just to get shot, getting annihilated by a tank shell, or just getting pinned down by an MG for a minute straight. Many things will happen!

The game was released on the 6th of June, 2019 and it gathered a huge player base of over 10,000 players. It’s still growing and with more updates coming out soon, you can expect even more players!

Is there any story?

Hell Let Loose takes place between 1939-1945, between three factions - USA, Germany, and USSR. 

The Soviets are fighting on Eastern Front, participating in some of the most vicious battles in Kharkov, Kursk, or Stalingrad. In terms of weaponry, the Soviets are known for the PPSH-41, which is fully automatic, and the Mosin Nagant, which is a bolt-action rifle that packs a punch.

The Americans, on the other hand, are fighting on the Western Front - they are known for storming Utah and Omaha Beach, as well as many urban areas, such as Sainte-Marie-du-Mont or Sainte-Mère-Église. They have a long list of useful weapons, such as the M1A1 Thompson, the M3 Grease Gun, or the M1 Garand.

The Germans are fighting both factions, participating on both fronts. Known for having some of the best weaponry, such as the MP-40 or the infamous MG-42, which was known for mowing down Americans on Omaha Beach. Furthermore, Germans are known for their deadly BF-109s, which are extremely deadly while performing strafing runs or bombing runs, which obliterate everything in the area.

Gameplay and Hell Let Loose

There are 14 classes that you can pick in total - each one of them has a different role to fulfill. Personally, my favorite one is the Assault class, which can be used to storm buildings and streets, it’s a class generally meant for close-quarters combat.

The most disappointing thing that newer players might realize about this game is that it’s very slow-paced - you’re not gonna spawn in and go guns blazing, no. You’re gonna run for at least 200 meters and get shot at by somebody you don’t see. Maybe, just maybe, with a bit of luck, you’re gonna spot and kill an enemy soldier. Don’t get too excited though, you will probably die the next minute…

But Hell Let Loose is also not a game where you play as a main character - you focus on cooperating with your team, communicating as much as possible, and trying to capture objectives. 

The biggest issue I’ve seen with Hell Let Loose is how boring some players can find it - it can be very off-putting to walk around for 10 minutes only to get shot, or spawn on a garrison and get shot in the head by some camper 3 seconds later. Furthermore, the player counts per server(max.100 players) are not always compatible with the map size - it’s unbelievably hard to find anyone sometimes.

Combat

Each class is equipped with a weapon, some are armed with automatic weaponry, which excels in close-quarters combat, while semi-automatic guns are preferable on medium to long distances. My least favorite weaponry is the bolt-action rifles, like the Mosin Nagant, for example.

Besides rifles, you are also equipped with grenades which are great for clearing out rooms, trenches, etc. If everything else fails, you can use your knife, shovel, or whatever else you have. 

Bandages are also important - they can save your life if you get shot but you don’t have too many of them, so please try not to get shot too often.

Positioning is always important - you can go prone, crouch or stand. If you’re behind cover, you can lean left or right with your gun, allowing you to open fire, while not opening yourself too much to the enemy. 

Finally, there are tanks - these bad boys can open fire from a long distance and obliterate other tanks, as well as trucks and infantry. Keep in mind that tanks need infantry to survive - someone needs to look out for Anti-Tank classes, engineers, and other pricks that will want to destroy your team’s tanks. 

Objectives in Hell Let Loose

They are very straightforward - push the frontline and capture a specific point on the map, the frontline will slightly move and the enemy faction will lose territory. 

Of course, the secondary objective is to kill as many enemies as possible, who will vigorously defend the objectives. That’s pretty much it, I could go on about the outposts, garrisons, and tactics but that’s not the topic here.

Are the graphics good in 2023?

Yes, they are extraordinarily good. There’s always something amazing about wandering through the woods of Hill 400, motion blur activating when you sprint/get shot at, and high attention to detail in terms of player models and textures in general. To add more, the lighting also makes the game unbelievably gorgeous at times, whether you’re in a building or on an open field.

By the way, did you know that you can cheat on night maps? Set the brightness to the maximum value and you’ll pretty much have night vision, it might make your game look like crap though!

The developers

Hell Let Loose was released on the 6th of June, 2019 by Black Matter Pty Ltd, a company that still puts its effort into this game 4 years later. There were plenty of updates released in this span of time and the next major one will include new armies - Polish, British, and Finnish.

In terms of bugs, Hell Let Loose is not free of them - I’ve personally got stuck in fences, got randomly forced out of a truck, or just died because… I don’t even know what. Still, these incidents were very rare, so don’t let them discourage you too much.

How much does Hell Let Loose cost?

On Steam, it costs 39,99$. It’s not that cheap, especially for a Polish pleb like me. I’d suggest you wait for a sale and then buy it, but you can do anything you want. 

When it comes to consoles, you can also buy it on the Xbox and PS5, for around 35$. Who plays Hell Let Loose on the console though?

From what I know, there are no pay-to-win elements and there are also no microtransactions, which is a rarity nowadays.

Final Verdict:

8/10.

-1 point, mostly because the HLL community is not a huge fan of teamwork or using team chat

-1 point for pretty relaxed and sluggish gameplay(most of the time)

Pros:

• One of the most realistic WW2 shooters you’re gonna play
• Although rare, the game becomes incredibly satisfying when everyone is communicating with one another
• Very fun to play with friends
• 14 classes to pick from
• There’s always something new to learn in Hell Let Loose
• Automatic, semi-automatic, and bolt-action rifles
• Realistic reload animations
• Eye-pleasing graphics for a game released in 2019
• Disturbing gore and blood
• Maps are based on actual locations in real life
• Airstrikes can be deployed by the commander

Cons:

• The maps are massive, which makes it hard to find enemy players
• The gameplay is very sluggish - a lot of walking, a small amount of action, one of the most off-putting things for new players
• Although they’re rare, bugs are still present
• From my experience, the majority of players don’t communicate with one another, which can create 1-sided matches

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