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The annual Nacon Connect event had several interesting reveals this year, from Lovecraftian horror to a RoboCop: Rogue City expansion, but a deep dive into Hell Is Us showed off some interesting ideas from developer Rogue Factor. Set in a semi-open world, Hell Is Us is an action-RPG where players can traverse a region under siege from supernatural creatures. The big draw here is an emphasis on satisfying combat and exploration, with Rogue Factor aiming to make the art of discovering new locales feel rewarding by stripping the game of maps, compasses, and quest-markers.

"Combat is only 50% of the experience. The other half of the game is all about the exploration, the discovery, the joy that's related to them, and how they play a central role in your journey," Hell Is Us creative director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête explained in a developer-diary video. "Unlike traditional games, Hell Is Us doesn't rely on quest-markers or a guided path. There's no magical compass pointing you in the right direction, and there's no quest journal with a shopping list of everything that you need to do and in which order. Our player-plattering approach encourages you to follow your own instincts, discover clues organically, and chart your own course through the adventure."

This approach means that players will need to be observant, gather clues, and then find their own way in the game world. Jacques-Belletête added that this process is designed to feel intuitive, and save for some of the biggest hidden mysteries in the game, searching for new locations should feel organic if you follow your instincts and the information you've gathered.

This is a big departure from the norms set by most modern open-world games, as these titles typically have a number of systems so that players don't get lost in their respective worlds. Sony games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok have been criticized in the past for holding players' hands a little too tightly, although post-launch updates allowed for overt tips to be dialed down significantly.

Hell is Us will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on September 4.