Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Review

The Vietnam-themed expansion for Hell Let Loose is a demanding, communication-heavy shooter that delivers thrilling teamwork but suffers from inconsistent

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a 100-player multiplayer shooter set in the jungles of Southeast Asia. According to a review by Eurogamer, it transplants the original game's structure to a new theater, pitting the US Army against the North Vietnamese Army.

If you've played the original, Vietnam will feel familiar in its large-scale, combined-arms warfare. The game strongly encourages teamwork through a rigid command hierarchy. Squads of six are led by a squad leader who can place spawn points, while an overall Commander for each army can call in supplies and airstrikes.

The game attempts to introduce faction asymmetry. The US Army has access to helicopters, while the NVA can build a network of underground tunnels for fast travel. However, the review states these elements don't drastically alter the moment-to-moment experience for most players.

The Jungle is the Real Character

What does change the experience is the environment. Most maps are covered in dense vegetation, making it extremely challenging to spot enemies. Players often crawl through long grass, trying to identify nearby enemy positions by sound.

The tension is compounded because the game doesn't explicitly register kills; unless you're close enough to hear and see an enemy fall, you might not know if they're dead.

The map design is praised as excellent. Expression Games creates variety from trees, rice paddies, and villages. Notable maps include Thanh Hóa Bridge, which features a central railway bridge creating mixed combat scenarios, and Huế Outskirts, where elevation is important.

These maps are significantly larger than Battlefield 6's environments, making transport vehicles useful and giving Commanders strategic room.

Communication is Mandatory

This scale is why communication is so important in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. Players need to talk about enemy positions constantly. When they do, the game can be fantastic. The review describes an inspiring Offensive match where a communicative squad leader accurately called out enemy assaults and directed the team to a successful defense.

When players don't communicate, the game is less fun. It can devolve into a miserable snipe-fest. While snipers are limited, basic rifles are effective at long range. At its worst, the game becomes a mire of spawn-killing and instant, unexplained deaths. The jungle can sometimes mitigate this, but level-of-detail phasing can also make players more visible at a distance than they realize.

Shortcomings and Community Concerns

As a pure shooter, the review finds Hell Let Loose: Vietnam a step behind competitors. Movement is described as clumsy and sluggish. Close-quarters gunfights feel oddly intangible without hit markers, though the reviewer appreciates the refusal to use them.

The emphasis on voice chat also exposes players to the more unpleasant corners of the internet. The reviewer notes encountering both helpful and toxic players, and while individuals can be muted, the game's design mandates player interaction. The article argues that when a game requires this, more work is needed to foster a tolerant community, as many players have alternatives where they don't have to listen to offensive language.

Ultimately, the game encapsulates the best and worst of online multiplayer. It can provide more interesting battlefields than Battlefield when it clicks, but it is less consistently entertaining and requires more work to reap its rewards. The full squad roster and their roles become vital for success in this punishing environment.

Source: Eurogamer