Hell Let Loose gameplay trailer showcases 'authentic' WWII combat

We haven't heard from the WWII multiplayer FPS Hell Let Loose since October 2017, when it launched a $100,000 Kickstarter to help get it across the finish line. It ended up drawing in more than double that amount, and today the developers announced that it will launch on Steam Early Access in January 2019.

Hell Let Loose is a "realistic platoon-based" shooter built around 50v50 battles, "in which players must coordinate to capture sectors and resources to beat the opposition into submission," publisher Team17 said. "Authenticity is key, and players will be able to experience history using a realistic period arsenal, with accurate weapon behavior."

The trailer released today appears to reflect that approach. In contrast with the high-speed, over-the-top gameplay of Battlefield 5, the action in Hell Let Loose is slow, clunky, and ugly: You can't see a hell of a lot, and the kills in the trailer aren't the result of epic duels but of shooting guys in the back while their attention is focused elsewhere. "Realism" is a squishy concept in the context of videogames, but that seems pretty close to the mark as these things go.

Hell Let Loose is listed on Steam, and there's a website up at hellletloose.com, although there's not a whole lot to see there right now. Developer Black Matter said that "a roadmap of key content drops" will be posted when the Early Access release is live.