Hell Let Loose is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game[4] developed by Australian[5] studio Black Matter and published by Team17. Players fight in iconic battles of the Western and Eastern Fronts of World War II at the platoon[6] level.
Hell Let Loose | |
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Developer(s) | Black Matter[1] |
Publisher(s) | Team17[1] |
Director(s) | Maximilian Rea[2] |
Programmer(s) | Roman Kramar, James Baxter[2] |
Artist(s) | Rick Echler, Mikhail Fomenko, Stanislav Ostrikov, Olga Tishchenko, Stefan Engdahl, Danny Ivan Flu, Danyal Davies, Tom Harle[2] |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4[3] |
Platform(s) |
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Release | Microsoft Windows
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Genre(s) | Tactical shooter, first-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
The game was announced via a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2017,[1] where it raised US$220,000.[3] It was initially released for Microsoft Windows[3] as an early access title on 6 June 2019,[7] with full release in July 2021. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 5 October 2021.[8]
Matches are 50 vs. 50 combined arms battles between two teams of Germans and Americans,[9] and, more recently since the full release of the game, Soviets. Each consists of multiple smaller rifle squads of six soldiers, armoured squads of three soldiers, or recon squads of two soldiers.[4] As of October 2022[update], two game modes exist in the game: Warfare and Offensive. In both 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 at a given point in time, or by controlling a majority of them when the timer runs out, essentially functioning as capture the flag. 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.[10]
Communication is intended as a central gameplay aspect by the developers.[11] 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 and proximity voice channels as well. As an alternative to voice communication, players also have access to team-wide and unit level text chat.
Hell Let Loose also features a RTS-inspired[12] resource-based strategic meta-game.[6] 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 tank deployments, air strikes, and orders, however these orders cost resources. Resource nodes can be built using supplies by engineers to bolster resource production, and be able to deploy more tanks, air strikes and orders in order to help the team fighting on the battlefield, however they can be taken down if found by the enemy team.
Hell Let Loose is developed on Unreal Engine 4.[3] After about two years of initial development and testing following the launch of its Kickstarter campaign,[13] the game released on Steam as an early-access title on June 6, 2019 — the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings.[7]
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Map design | |
![]() Source: Kickstarter campaign.[14] |
The playable maps in the game are designed based on historical WWII theaters of war by combining satellite imagery, archival aerial photography and street-level recreation.[14][15] According to the developers, the map for Norman town Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is "a 1:1 scale battlefield" recreated through the aforementioned methods.[14]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | (PC) 79/100[16] (PS5) 73/100[17] (XSX) 84/100[18] |
Publication | Score |
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Electronic Gaming Monthly | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PC Gamer (US) | 70/100[20] |
PCGamesN | 9/10[21] |
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.
PCGamesN 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". While enjoying the changes that made Hell Let Loose more lethal, PC Gamer felt the sound wasn't up to par, "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".