After a two-month delay, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is ready to launch, and I recently had the opportunity to play the latest version of the game. The sequel to the 2021 title leaves the World War II setting behind to adapt another major conflict in history, the Vietnam War.
Now, I have to preface this review by stating that I never played the first HLL, even though first-person shooters are one of my favorite game genres in general. However, that didn't present a challenge here. Instead, I took this opportunity to see what it's like to play the new title as a newcomer.
The franchise already has a solid and committed fanbase, with the first title averaging around 7k players on Steam every day. That said, it's very likely that the sequel will welcome plenty of new faces who want to give it a go. If that sounds like you, then you've come to the right place!
Just like its predecessor, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a large-scale tactical shooter, and this is a very crucial point for anyone new. At first glance, the game can look like a Battlefield replica, especially since its maps are big and offer different modes of transportation like trucks, boats, tanks, and helicopters. However, that's as far as the comparisons will go, because once you start playing, you'll realize the game is nothing like Battlefield at all.
The tactical aspect becomes very prominent during gameplay, as this is not a traditional arcade-style shooter like Call of Duty or the aforementioned Battlefield. You can't just hop into a match to run and gun. In fact, if you load into the map and go to where the action is, you will probably die immediately if you're not careful.
To dive deeper into this subject, I'll break down how every aspect of the game respects and actually stays true to this "tactical" label. First up, let's talk about movement.
The soldiers can walk and sprint like usual, but the gun handling is different. It takes a bit of time for the character to bring the gun up after sprinting, making it difficult to run into an objective and react fast when you see an enemy. It is more effective to slow the pace and have your gun up when you know there are enemies nearby. This is one of the ways the game maintains that tactical approach, forcing players to think twice about how they traverse.
Although I couldn't test for bullet drop, the sniper has a nice touch: players need to unscope for the soldier to reload the chamber. The same goes for when it's time to fully reload, showcasing another way the game controls the pace and keeps things grounded.
Crouching and going prone also takes its time, and the game doesn't offer methods to go prone faster, like a diving mechanic. Mantling can feel a bit clunky at times, as it was tricky knowing which objects or walls the character can climb over. The mantling movement remains slow, and most of the time, it's only possible for small structures.
Of course, there is fall damage, and landing from height will likely require you to bandage yourself up before combat, as going into the action without full health can be risky.
Movement never feels over the top, keeping a realistic pace and constantly setting you back to avoid any rash decision-making. There can be opportunities for that, but under the appropriate situation. The slower pace might not be to everyone's taste, but it thrives when combined with teamwork and cooperation between units.
The next thing I want to discuss is the units and roles. Everyone has their role in a match, and it's impossible to win without any kind of teamwork. Believe me when I say it: one can't just do a crazy play and win without the rest of the team, as each unit plays a crucial role.
The Infantry unit is in charge of pushing the points, as they have roles capable of close-quarters combat, medics to bring allies back to life, heavy loadouts to lay down fire, and even support items to drop, such as ammo. These players tend to be at the front of the line.
Recon is a two-man unit with a different style of play, as they must try to be sneaky and gain ground slowly and methodically. The spotter sets down outposts or tunnels and spots threats from afar, while the sniper provides support by eliminating identified threats.
The Helicopter and Armor units are for those who specifically want to jump into the vehicles and do as much damage as possible. Although helicopters are only available for the U.S. side, players from either team can hop in a tank and try to secure a location. Nonetheless, they can't just go and push wherever they want, as they would need ground support from other roles to keep their vehicle rolling. Otherwise, they will get taken out by the enemy on foot, often sneaking up from a blind spot.
To make up for the missing helicopters, the NVA has one of the coolest things in the game: tunnels. The Commander and squad leaders from the NVA can create a tunnel system to connect their outposts. This is basically a fast travel system, and there is even a cutscene every time you use it, where your soldier crawls their way through an underground tunnel.
The Mortar unit is for players who want to provide indirect fire support with high-explosive mortar rounds. They also have a spotter, which is called Observer, and a support role to provide supplies.
Lastly, we have the Commander. This is the team's leader, and they are in charge of planning the strategies and coordinating all units. On top of that, Commanders have access to some exclusive elements, like calling in a napalm strike or a recon plane to get a reading of where the enemy is.
Although the role distribution is pretty great, I feel like HLL: Vietnam is lacking more gameplay options. After all, this title is based on a war where the winning side had to be creative as they fought on their home soil, coming up with smart ideas that took their enemies by surprise. For instance, Punji Sticks, a booby trap that was very common on the Vietnamese side and a signature trap of this conflict, feels like a big omission here. It's unclear whether this will be added with post-launch updates, but it would make the game much more versatile and fun.
All the units play a crucial role and need to work in tandem to achieve success. If one unit is lacking, the enemy team can easily gain an advantage, showing once more how tactical this game can be regardless of its chaotic war backdrop. The game provides a good platform to encourage teamwork, with three different voice chats: proximity chat to talk with any allies nearby, unit voice chat to only communicate with your unit, and the commanders' voice chat so that all unit leaders and the commander are in sync.
Next up, the setting, which is obviously the Cold War-era conflict between the North Vietnamese Army and the United States. The maps do a great job of setting the tone, as they are all based on important battles or stages of the war.
Their scale fits the game's skeleton, providing enough space for vehicles to traverse naturally, giving players room to come up with tactics other than just pushing straight through the middle. Maps also have a good number of open and closed areas. The jungle is present in most maps, accurately representing the tropical country. This vegetation provides good cover when moving from one point to another, and the game doesn't always have to rely on buildings for it, mixing things up and making every zone, except for the initial spawn area, dangerous.
However, I am completely sure that players will get tired of the jungle very quickly, not because it's a bad design choice, but because players will abuse it. Hiding in the vegetation is a good way to be stealthy, and it's extremely hard to spot a player if you're not looking for one. I got jumpscared a few times while playing, as I would be walking towards my objective only to be killed by a random player hiding between the bushes.
As far as I see it, centering the game solely on the Vietnam conflict has its pros and cons. On one side, the game has a clear theme, and the maps follow a similar aesthetic, bringing the tropical Southeast Asian country to life. Not everything is jungle in the game, as maps feature rivers, sandy areas, rocky terrains, settlements, military bases, villages over a swamp, etc. Yet, the game is limited in this regard, as there is no way a snowy map or a mountain/forest map will fit. I guess people already have that in the first game, so that would be the justification here.
Now, I can't continue without touching on one particular subject: how friendly is HLL: Vietnam for newcomers? This is probably the most important takeaway in this review, since I was a newbie to the franchise myself.
At the start, you need to complete a tutorial that teaches you the basics, from movement to objectives and weapon handling. This is all very well, but immediately jumping straight into a match after just one tutorial is, in my opinion, a bad idea. I'm speaking from experience here, as the first time I spawned in, I didn't know where to go, I didn't know how to get a vehicle, nothing. I started walking to the first point as a dummy, and trust me, you don't want to be doing that. The game will turn into a walking simulator, since the travel distances are big, and you'll eventually get bored in your first match.
The best thing to do after completing the first tutorial is to go into the Basic Training section, and then into Tutorials. Yes, I know completing tutorials sounds boring, and you'll be tempted to get into the real stuff straight away. But this is actually part of the noob-friendly quality-of-life features the game has. There are tutorials for each unit, each role, and even vehicles.
You don't have to do everything, as you will obviously learn from playing. But understanding basic features, like the fact that only the Commander can summon vehicles, is important. Completing a few tutorials was very helpful after my first game, and the difference was noticeable afterwards.
The game not only offers tutorials, but also a Training Ground to test loadouts and even a Field Manual where you can read what each game element is for. From what I've seen, this is one of the best improvements from the original game, as it makes the sequel a more welcoming experience for someone new to the franchise.
I still haven't discussed the soundtrack, which is something I always look forward to in a new game. Ian Livingstone is the game's composer this time, and he is well-experienced in this genre, as his credits include titles like Battlefield 1943, Battlefield Heroes, and Napoleon: Total War.
Departing from the dramatic tracks and upbeat Big Band music that fit the first game, the tracks in this entry are more minimalistic and down-to-earth. I had the game running in the background while writing this review just to give the menu music a good listen, and I would say it's a track that fits the theme perfectly and gives players a state of serenity through some melancholy beats before jumping into battle.
Overall, I jumped into HLL: Vietnam expecting my usual cup of tea: a run-and-gun shooter with some realistic elements and large-scale combat. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the tactical elements, its commitment to providing an immersive experience, and how welcoming it is for newcomers. It might not be the perfect game for me, but it is a very enjoyable experience that will give players a good time if played correctly.
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