Hell Let Loose

Last updated

Hell Let Loose
Hell Let Loose cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Expression Games (2023–present)
Cover 6 Studios (2023–present) [1]
Black Matter (2018–2023) [2]
Publisher(s) Team17 [2]
Director(s) Maximilian Rea [3]
Engine Unreal Engine 4 [4]
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows
  • July 27, 2021
  • PS5, Xbox Series X/S
  • October 5, 2021
Genre(s) Tactical shooter, first-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Hell Let Loose is a 2021 multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game [5] developed by Expression Games and Cover 6 Studios and published by Team17. [6] [7] Players fight in iconic battles of the Western, North African and Eastern Fronts of World War II at the platoon level. [8]

Contents

The game was originally created and developed by Australian studio Black Matter [9] who first announced it via a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2017, [2] where it had raised US$220,000. [4] It was initially released for Microsoft Windows as an early access title on 6 June 2019, [10] and fully released in July 2021. It was later released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 5 October 2021. [11] In January 2022, the ex-developer Black Matter sold the game to its publisher Team17 for £31 million with a potential additional £15 million based on performance, [12] with the company founding Cover 6 Studios in the beginning of 2023 [13] believed tasked with creating the next title in the series. In April 2023, Team17 contracted UK studio-for-hire Expression Games for the continued development of the game. [14]

Gameplay

Matches are 50 vs. 50 combined arms battles between two teams of either Germans, Americans, [15] Soviets, British [16] or the German Afrika Korps and British 8th Army subfactions. Each faction consists of multiple smaller rifle squads of six soldiers, armoured squads of three tank crewmen, or recon squads of two soldiers. [5] As of November 2023, three game modes exist in the game: Warfare, Offensive and Skirmish. In all three modes, the map is divided into sectors that each team seeks to capture and control. In the Warfare mode, the game is won by either controlling all sectors, or by controlling a majority of them when the timer runs out. In the Offensive mode, a defending team is in control of all sectors at the beginning of the match, and the objective for the opposing side is then to capture all of them before the timer runs out. [17]

Communication is intended as a central gameplay aspect by the developers. [18] Each unit may be led by a single officer, who can communicate with other officers and the commander through a "leadership" voice channel. Similarly, there are unit-only, proximity and party voice channels as well. As an alternative to voice communication, there is also access to team-wide and unit level text chat which is only featured on the PC version of the game.

Hell Let Loose also features an RTS-inspired resource-based strategic meta-game. [8] Each of the two factions fighting will also be assigned a commander, and the commander is in charge of not only the team and squads, but vehicle deployments, air strikes, and supply drops, however these orders do cost resources. Resource nodes can be built using supplies by engineers to bolster resource production, which allows for the commander to deploy more tanks, air strikes and other orders to help the team fighting on the battlefield. These nodes can be taken down if found and dismantled by the enemy team as well.

Hell Let Loose has 12 playable classes. With 8 classes in infantry these include officer, rifleman, automatic rifleman, assault, support, anti-tank, machine gunner, engineer, and medic. There are 2 classes in Armor these include the tank commander, and tank crew. There's also 2 classes in recon these are sniper, and spotter. With the commander in charge as a class. All these classes are vital in a factions victory.

Development

Hell Let Loose is developed on Unreal Engine 4. [4] After about two years of initial development and testing following the launch of its Kickstarter campaign, [19] the game released on Steam as an early-access title on June 6, 2019 — the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, [10] which was then followed by a full release in July 2021. The game was also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 5 October 2021. The last update for the game in 2022, Update 13, was claimed to have brought the console version of the game up to parity with the PC version, according to the ex-developer, Black Matter. [20]

Map design

External image
Map design
Searchtool.svg A developer example illustrating map design based on street level images of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Manche.
Source: Kickstarter campaign. [21]

The playable maps in the game are all based on historical WWII battles [22] by combining satellite imagery, archival aerial photography and street-level recreation. [21] [23] The new developers have also recently stated that they are working on implementing historically accurate loadouts and vehicles for each map.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Hell Let Loose received "generally favorable" reviews for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X and "mixed or average" reviews for PlayStation 5, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game holds a "Very Positive" review score on Steam.

PCGamesN has praised the use of teamwork in the game, writing that "A well-led assault on an enemy strongpoint involves covering the approach with a smokescreen... Taking part in such an assault is a uniquely exhilarating experience that’s like nothing else I’ve felt in a shooter." [31] On the other hand, PC Gamer , while enjoying the changes that made Hell Let Loose more lethal, still felt that the sound wasn't up to par, saying "My main nitpick is with sound... When everything is tuned correctly, a gun should be so loud that I can't hear my teammate over the radio. This is where Hell Let Loose kinda falls flat. No matter how much I mess with audio sliders, the game never gets loud enough for my liking." [32]

In July 2023, Team17 released a since-deleted trailer for the game's next update, "Devotion to Duty". [33] Upon the release of the trailer, it was met with poor reception by the community due to multiple graphical and animation glitches. [34] The game became the subject of review bombing on Steam. [35] As a result of the criticism, Cover 6 Studios and Team17 issued a joint apology, [36] [37] and announced plans to continue to improve the game on Reddit. [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asobo Studio</span> French video game developer

Asobo Studio SAS is a French video game developer based in Bordeaux and founded in 2002. The studio is most known for developing video game adaptations of several Pixar movies, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and the 2020 and 2024 versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. To develop most of their games, they use their own game engine called Zouna, which was originally developed in the 1990s by some of their own employees who used to work at Kalisto Entertainment. It was later further developed by Asobo. The studio's name is derived from the Japanese word "asobō" (遊ぼう) that means "let's play".

<i>World of Tanks</i> Massively multiplayer online game

World of Tanks (WoT) is an armoured warfare-themed multiplayer online game developed by Wargaming, featuring 20th century (1910s–1970s) era combat vehicles. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of "premium" features. The focus is on player vs. player gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle, from the time of Pre-World War 2 to the Cold War-era.

Team17 Group plc is a British video game developer and publisher based in Wakefield, England. The venture was created in December 1990 through the merger of British publisher 17-Bit Software and Swedish developer Team 7. At the time, the two companies consisted of and were led by Michael Robinson, Martyn Brown and Debbie Bestwick, and Andreas Tadic, Rico Holmes and Peter Tuleby, respectively. Bestwick later became Team17's chief executive officer until 1 January 2024. After their first game, Full Contact (1991) for the Amiga, the studio followed up with multiple number-one releases on that platform and saw major success with Andy Davidson's Worms in 1995, the resulting franchise of which still remains as the company's primary development output, having developed over 20 entries in it.

<i>Hunt: Showdown</i> 2019 video game

Hunt: Showdown is a first-person shooter video game by Crytek. It was launched on Steam in early access on 22 February 2018 and for Xbox Game Preview on 29 May 2019. The full release of the game launched on 27 August 2019 for Microsoft Windows, it was also released on Xbox One on 19 September 2019 and PlayStation 4 on 18 February 2020. In the game, the player assumes the role of a bounty hunter who tries to kill mythical monsters in order to claim their bounties and survive long enough against other bounty hunters to reach an extraction point.

<i>Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord</i> 2022 video game

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a strategy action role-playing video game developed and published by TaleWorlds Entertainment, and co-published by Prime Matter. It is a prequel to Mount & Blade: Warband, a stand-alone expansion for the 2008 game Mount & Blade. Bannerlord takes place 210 years before its predecessor, with a setting inspired by the Migration Period. Bannerlord was announced in 2012. A Steam page for the game was created in late 2015; the following year, TaleWorlds began releasing weekly developer diaries detailing elements of the game. An early access version of the game was released on March 27, 2020 and quickly became the largest launch of the year on Steam, achieving nearly 250,000 concurrent players on Steam. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 25, 2022.

<i>Battalion 1944</i> 2019 video game

Battalion 1944 is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bulkhead Interactive and published by Square Enix Collective and released for Windows. The game was announced via a Kickstarter campaign in February 2016, and released on 23 May 2019. The game is set during World War II and runs on Unreal Engine 4. Bulkhead is a collaborative effort between companies Deco Digital and Bevel Studios. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were also announced but never released.

Nacon is a French video game publisher, holdings company and gaming peripherals manufacturer based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020, Bigben Group was consolidated to form Nacon.

<i>Everspace</i> 2017 video game

Everspace is a 3D space shooter with roguelike elements developed and published by German studio Rockfish Games. It was released in 2017. A sequel, Everspace 2 was released in 2023.

<i>Bright Memory</i> 2019 video game

Bright Memory is a first-person shooter game developed by FYQD Personal Studio.

<i>Starfield</i> (video game) 2023 video game

Starfield is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. In the game, the player character joins a group of space explorers who must venture to various corners of the galaxy to acquire mysterious artifacts. The game features an open world in the form of an area within the Milky Way galaxy, containing both fictional and non-fictional planetary systems.

<i>Crusader Kings III</i> 2020 video game

Crusader Kings III is a grand strategy role-playing video game set in the Middle Ages, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to Crusader Kings (2004) and Crusader Kings II (2012). The game was released on PC on 1 September 2020 and on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on 29 March 2022 in most regions. The game received generally positive reviews on release, and has sold over 3 million copies as of September 2023.

<i>Enlisted</i> (video game) 2021 squad-based tactical shooter video game

Enlisted is a free squad-based multiplayer tactical first-person shooter developed by Darkflow Software and published by Gaijin Entertainment. The game is set during World War II and revolves around major battles fought across all fronts of the war. It was an Xbox Series X/S launch title and timed console exclusive. On March 2, 2021, the closed beta went live on PlayStation 5. On April 8, 2021, the game was released on PC as an open beta test.

<i>Redfall</i> 2023 video game

Redfall is a first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on May 2, 2023. The game received mixed reviews, with criticism for its gameplay design, story, and technical problems.

<i>Company of Heroes 3</i> 2023 video game

Company of Heroes 3 is a real-time strategy game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for Windows. A sequel to Company of Heroes 2, the game features new mechanics and modes and is set in the Italian and North African theaters of World War II.

Ready or Not is a 2023 tactical first-person shooter video game developed and published by Ireland-based VOID Interactive and released for Microsoft Windows. Ready or Not follows the operations of a police SWAT team in the fictional American city of Los Sueños in the midst of a violent crime wave.

<i>Broken Roads</i> (video game) 2024 video game

Broken Roads is a 2024 video game by independent developer Drop Bear Bytes and published by Versus Evil. Described as a post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game, Broken Roads is set in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The game has been compared to non-traditional dialogue-based role-playing games, such as Disco Elysium, in featuring a mechanic described the 'Moral Compass', that responds to moral choices made by the player. The game was released on April 10, 2024, for Windows, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

References

  1. "Team17 opens Cover 6 Studios to co-develop Hell Let Loose". gamesindustry.biz. 12 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Tarason, Dominic (28 November 2018). "Team 17 to publish 50 vs 50 WW2 shooter, Hell Let Loose". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  3. "PRESS KIT". Presskit. Hell Let Loose. 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Phillips, Tom (28 November 2018). "There's another WW2 shooter in development". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 Hossam, Mostafa (11 June 2019). "Hell Let Loose Preview (Early Access)". The Indie Game Website. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  6. "Team17 Launches Cover 6 Studios to Co-Develop Hell Let Loose". 80.lv. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  7. Newman, Lucy (12 April 2023). "Team17 Partners with Expression Games for Hell Let Loose Co-Development". Team17 Digital LTD – The Spirit Of Independent Games. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Press Kit". hell-let-loose. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  9. "Black Matter". LinkedIn . Retrieved 2 November 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. 1 2 Tarason, Dominic (7 June 2019). "Hell Let Loose dives into the hundred-player trenches of early access". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 29 October 2019.
  11. "Hardcore WW2 shooter Hell Let Loose hits PS5 and Xbox Series X and S in October". Eurogamer. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  12. Grimshaw, Jack (7 January 2022). "Team17 acquires 'Hell Let Loose' IP for £46 million". NME. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  13. "Hell Let Loose dev leaves WW2 game for "next project", but don't panic". PCGamesN. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. Newman, Lucy (12 April 2023). "Team17 Partners with Expression Games for Hell Let Loose Co-Development". Team17 Digital LTD - The Spirit Of Independent Games. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  15. Black Matter (28 November 2018). "This is Hell Let Loose!". Steam Community . Archived from the original on 31 October 2019.
  16. Lyons, Ben (26 May 2023). "The British Forces have debuted in Hell Let Loose". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  17. Black Matter (4 October 2019). "Developer Briefing #43 - Introducing the Offensive Gamemode!". Steam Community . Archived from the original on 31 October 2019.
  18. "Hell Let Loose". Team17 . Archived from the original on 3 November 2019.
  19. Smith, Chris (28 May 2019). "Driving a tank in 'Hell Let Loose' is the most fun I've ever had playing a first-person shooter". Boy Genius Report (BGR). Archived from the original on 3 November 2019.
  20. "Hell Let Loose - Developer Briefing #173 - Update 13, Console Parity, Commonwealth Timeline - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Hell Let Loose". Kickstarter . Archived from the original on 30 October 2019.
  22. "Hell Let Loose: A tour of all iconic maps". YouTube . 21 July 2020.
  23. "Hell Let Loose Maps Are To-Scale With Real Locations". ScreenRant. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  24. "Hell Let Loose for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  25. "Hell Let Loose for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  26. "Hell Let Loose for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  27. "Hell Let Loose". OpenCritic . 6 June 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  28. Goroff, Michael (5 October 2021). "Hell Let Loose (console version) review". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  29. Park, Morgan (9 September 2021). "Hell Let Loose review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  30. Ian, Boudreau (18 October 2021). "Hell Let Loose review – battle hardened". PCGamesN . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  31. Boudreau, Ian (27 July 2021). "Hell Let Loose review – battle hardened". PCGamesN. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  32. Park, Morgan (9 September 2021). "Hell Let Loose review". pcgamer. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  33. Hell Let Loose - Devotion to Duty Update Announcement | PC Gaming Show 2023, 11 June 2023, retrieved 31 July 2023
  34. ""Embarrassing" Hell Let Loose trailer has floating arms and A-posing". PCGamesN. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  35. "Hell Let Loose is being review bombed on Steam after glitchy trailer". PCGamesN. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  36. "Hell Let Loose devs "deeply apologize" after glitch-filled trailer". PCGamesN. 14 June 2023.
  37. "Hell Let Loose - A Message to The Community - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  38. Wombat_Medic (27 July 2023). "Developer Briefing #192 - Answering Your Questions!". r/HellLetLoose. Retrieved 31 July 2023.