It is a “normal” and boring evening for Adam Smithson, when suddenly someone knocks on his door. Bizarre things happen in his world, but at this moment things are about to change: in front of it he finds a bonsai and a note that says “Water it. In 10 days you will have a reward.“A bonsai is nothing special for us, but for someone like Adam it is quite unusual to have to deal with a seemingly insignificant gift. But apparently, he’ll find out the truth in ten days. This is the beginning of Hell is Otherswhich today we analyze in review, the new game developed by Yonder in collaboration with Strelka Gamesalready seen struggling with the game Red Rope: don’t Fall Behind.
The “fabulous” world of Adam
From the very first minutes of the game, we realize that we are facing a world that is completely distorted compared to ours. The fact that the bonsai should not be watered with ordinary water, but with blood it is already something that might leave you a little dazed. But this feeling will pass, especially after seeing the appearance of the building attendant, an anthropomorphic rabbit that vaguely recalls the creatures of the saga of Rusty Lake.
As is clear from the note, in the next ten days we will have to keep the bonsai alive by getting blood. Apparently it won’t be difficult, because Adam is something of a handyman forced to make missions (not quite legal or non-violent) in order to make ends meet.
We will be dealing with eccentric characters and vaguely Lovecraftian creatures, but we will have to be very careful not to die in the streets of Century City. Get ready to meet a series of shady characters who will send you on a series of missions, which will reveal themselves very dangerous for your safety. But you will have to resist only for ten days, then after, who knows what will happen …
Your death my life
The noir atmosphere is actually just the outline of a survival horror based on PvPvE, that is, we will have to deal not only with enemies governed by the AI but also with opposing players. Yup, this game has a multiplayer modeso it will be easy to find other players ready to shoot you between the eyes, because the monstrous creatures we will meet will also be other Adam. Logically, we too are monsters in the eyes of others and it can be understood in some moments of the game, in which we appear as an abominable creature for a few moments. Death in this game is permanentin true roguelite style, so keep your eyes open because you won’t have a second chance and you’ll have to start all over again.
Your inventory can be improved along the way, but you will have limited slots. As a good survival horror, you will have to choose wisely which items to keep and which to discard, always bearing in mind that you will need to have a small supply of blood for your bonsai. You will have the opportunity to recover better weapons, so that you can better defend yourself from the AI or other players. Century City will be your personal hell and your room a little purgatory where you can ask for a little respite. In fact, after the clashes and the missions, to save your skin you will have to find a working elevator that will take you to your apartment. This strange condominium worthy of Ballardago from game hub and hosts the plots of the other inhabitants, useful for developing your story.
A little Twin Peaks a little Hotline Miami
The pixel graphics, the top view and even the movements of the characters they may be reminiscent of an old gaming glorythat is to say Hotlime Miami. Despite being a very different game, the rawness of the kills and some of the gameplay will bring back some pleasant memories of a great game in your mind. But the noir atmosphere is easily comparable to that of a David Lynch product, it is no coincidence that Adam vaguely resembles a much more disillusioned and sloppy Agent Cooper.
A round of applause also goes to the sound design that does not miss even a seemingly insignificant noise. The noise of the recharge, the broken bones and the sound of the elevator that we will soon approach hope, will remain in your head for a long time and will immerse you in this atmosphere as absurd as it is spectacular.
Review
-
Hell is Others (Tested on PC)
7.5Final vote
Hell is Others is a little gem that you have certainly never tried in your life. Survival horror combined with that pin of rogue-lite, makes it long-lived and replayable indefinitely. It might seem a bit frustrating for some, due to the continuous game over especially in the initial part, but after understanding the mechanism it will be easy to enjoy the gloomy and rotten atmosphere of Century City.
#Hell #Review #darkness #knocks #door