HELL IS US (I)

Impressions at this point, maybe a quarter(?) through the game: a flawed masterpiece. Loathe the combat as it's the least interesting part of the game: this is the first time I've lowered a difficulty level to the easiest because it was getting in the way of the interesting part: uncovering and revealing the world.

Note: doing this is my first recommendation to anyone considering playing HELL IS US. That being said, "Lenient" is a bit too easy and repetitive; the midway, "Balanced," is anything but. A middle ground between the two would be most welcome if future updates don't tweak the combat. In a future replay, I might bump it to balanced since I won't be as occupied with learning the ins and outs of the world.

And it's a game definitely screaming replay: I love its mapless, goal-less, open enough world. My heartbreaking failure to get around to good deeds in time. Best level design I've seen in ages: Hadea has soul to it - not surprising, considering the main reason I bought the game new was that it's the creative director debut of DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION / MANKIND DIVIDED's art director, Jonathan Jacques-Belletete.

It may not be perfect but it is, so far, something special and new.

🔗 Deus Ex Writer Says The Fact Elon Musk Loves It Is Its ‘Worst Legacy’

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via Kotaku:

“It’s bizarre that Elon Musk would not recognize where he actually sits in theDeus Ex universe, because it is not in the JC Denton role,” Grossman said. “Musk plainly imagines he’s the JC Denton of this world—a plainspoken everyman, standing up to the elite. As is obvious to everyone, Musk is the one with power and he’s just pathologically incapable of honest introspection.”

He continued, “I would say Musk is like a Deus Ex villain, except that the franchise doesn’t have any villains as whiny and self-servingly delusional as he’s shown himself to be.”

links/2023w28

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