Hell is Us arrives on Nintendo Switch 2

Hell is Us, an action role-playing game developed by Rogue Factor and published by Nacon, is now available on Nintendo Switch 2. The game, originally released in September 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series, has been adapted for the new portable console.

Game retains core features

The port is described as "surprisingly convincing" despite some technical concessions. Hell is Us retains all the qualities that made the original experience memorable, including its dark universe, unassisted exploration, and demanding combat. The game follows Rémi, a soldier returning to his homeland, Hadéa, to find his family and understand the circumstances of his past.

Narrative and exploration approach

One of the main successes of Hell is Us lies in its narrative and the way the player gradually discovers the universe. Unlike many conventional action role-playing games, Rogue Factor chooses unassisted exploration, with no traditional map, objective markers, or glowing paths indicating the next destination. Information is gathered by talking to characters, consulting collected documents, and observing the environment.

Combat system and mechanics

The combat system is another major quality of the game. It takes up the fundamentals of the genre, with melee attacks, dodges, and parries requiring good stamina management. Rogue Factor introduces adjustments, such as maximum stamina directly linked to remaining health points. The more Rémi takes damage, the less stamina he has to attack or defend.

Customizable difficulty

Hell is Us offers customizable difficulty, allowing players to adjust enemy resistance, damage, and penalties related to death. This flexibility is welcomed and allows for full enjoyment of the exploration and narrative without necessarily seeking a permanent challenge. The game's difficulty was already a good surprise during its initial release and remains relevant for discovery on a portable console.

Technical imperfections

The game has refined itself over the months without eliminating all its historical imperfections. The lip synchronization in French remains somewhat approximate, and certain animations still lack naturalness. However, these flaws do not prevent the adventure from functioning, as its universe, exploration, and mechanics possess a real personality.

Visuals and technical concessions

The Switch 2 version of Hell is Us has been praised for its visuals despite the technical concessions. The image loses some finesse, with textures sometimes less detailed and certain elements of the scenery showing a slight drop in quality. However, the environments retain a good part of their richness. The viewing distance remains satisfactory, and the lighting remains convincing.

Performance and control

On the performance side, the game maintains a frame rate of 30 images per second with regular fluidity. Despite this frequency being more modest than what was experienced on competing consoles, the movements, actions, and combat remain pleasant, and the controls respond correctly. This stability contributes greatly to the overall comfort. The portable mode is more flattering due to the reduced diagonal of the screen, which naturally attenuates certain imperfections.

Adaptation and future prospects

The adaptation of Hell is Us on Nintendo Switch 2 illustrates an encouraging trend for the Switch 2, which continues to welcome ambitious third-party productions from genres previously less represented on the first Switch. Rogue Factor seems to have prioritized the good elements to preserve the identity of its adventure. After more than ten hours, no major sacrifices capable of fundamentally transforming the experience have been detected.