Xbox kicked off 2024 with a number of different Xbox Game Pass games spread out throughout January including some games from series that are household names like Resident Evil and Assassin’s Creed. One game was snuck in among the others, however, that some people might not have been so familiar with. That game is Hell Let Loose, a tactical, strategic first-person shooter from developer Black Matter where communication is key. It’s because of that fact that the people who’ve been playing Hell Let Loose long before it came to Xbox Game Pass on the console and PC haven’t exactly been thrilled that the game is now on Xbox’s subscription service.
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If you don’t know much about Hell Let Loose, it’s a far cry from other more mainstream FPS games like Call of Duty. It’s described by Black Matter as “a hardcore World War Two first person shooter” where players have to strategically manage the frontline of their forces while also juggling “a unique resource based RTS-inspired meta-game.” In short, it’s a bit more involved than pointing and shooting, and longtime players expressed qualms right away about their matches being inundated by people unfamiliar with the game’s mechanics.
Hell Let Loose Players Respond to the Xbox Game Pass Addition
The responses to Xbox’s announcement about Hell Let Loose coming to Xbox Game Pass were quick. The game arrived on the PC and console version of Game Pass on January 4th, but even before that, players were fearing the worst. Those familiar with the game were prepping others for what to expect.
“It’s get shot once and you are dead type of thing,” said Reddit user KingLuis when the game was announced for Xbox Game Pass. “You’ll also have a general that is on mic calling the shots and trying to get squads into certain positions to win territory. So mic use is important. If you are expecting a run and gun, you’ll find yourself dead a lot.”
Clips like this one here showing soldiers doing not much of anything at all have been used by Hell Let Loose players to indicate how the influx of Xbox Game Pass players has gone. Other clipless posts have shared sentiments saying the Xbox Game Pass move is “terrible” for Hell Let Loose. Others have been a bit more optimistic by predicting the most likely outcome: that matches might be a bit rough for awhile with new players joining and that the matches would smooth themselves out soon enough once players dropped off the game.
Some players have been more welcoming with Reddit user Decent_Paddler sharing a helpful guide on how to play the game if you’re new to it. Hell Let Loose‘s Squad Leader role is an important one, so the guide advises players on how to get started with that position or to avoid it entirely if you’re not comfortable speaking much with your team.
Hell Let Loose has been experiencing some server issues itself that are related to the Xbox Game Pass release with Black Matter providing periodic updates on those problems.
