- Primary Subject: Hell Let Loose: Vietnam
- Key Update: I tried Hell Let Loose: Vietnam in a private test, and here are my first thoughts as a newcomer to the franchise.
- Status: Game Preview
- Last Verified: April 24, 2026
- Quick Answer: Hell Let Loose: Vietnam offers a refined experience that tries to be more welcoming towards new players, and makes use of the upgraded graphical engine.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, the sequel to the 2021 WWII shooter, is on the way from developers Expression Games. The new title is changing one historic conflict for another, now using the Vietnam War as a backdrop.
I had the chance to try out the game early in a private test along with other peers, content creators, and members of the development team. After collecting my thoughts, here are my first impressions about the upcoming shooter.
My Experience as a Newcomer
I have to say upfront that I've never played the first Hell Let Loose. Sure, I've heard about it, but never tried it before. This is a good precedent to establish, given that I went in blind, not exactly knowing what to expect or look out for.
I do love to play shooters in general, but Hell Let Loose is not like your typical Call of Duty or Battlefield experience, and I'll certainly explain more about that later.
Fortunately for me, the game has a proper tutorial, and although most of the controls are what you would expect in a shooter, some are different. The game includes building mechanics, letting you build outposts and other structures to support pushes in the standard Warfare mode. Another interesting mechanic is when you have to activate a gun's special attachment, such as a grenade launcher or bayonet, as you have to first switch to it before being able to use it.
The test was on PC, and I was using mouse and keyboard, something I debated for a bit before, since I vary between using that and a controller for my games. Despite the foreign mechanics, I never really felt like the game was too difficult to get the gist of - in fact, I got used to it pretty quickly.
Even though I had played a tutorial, I kept getting in-game tips clarifying how to use certain things or what to do depending on the role I had throughout the two matches. I find that so useful, as I was constantly wondering what I could do to help my team, besides not dying in the crossfire.
I think making the game inviting for new players is one of the biggest challenges Vietnam will face once it's available for everyone. Small things like tips and clear/concise tutorials are good practices.
There is already a considerable fanbase for this franchise, as the first title maintains a consistent player base, shown by the Steam numbers. However, the key will be to become an experience that anyone can get into quickly. During a short Q&A session with the developers, they even mentioned that this is one of their objectives for the sequel, hence the dedicated tutorials I mentioned.
Large-Scale and Tactically Oriented
If you are anticipating a fast-paced and arcade-style experience, you might have to change your expectations.
We played two matches in a map titled Thanh Hòa Bridge, which follows along a river across the Vietnamese jungles, a scenario already showcased in the trailers. Once I started playing, the game felt a bit overwhelming, as the map was massive in terms of scale. Both the gameplay mechanics and the map are designed to create large-scale battles, where positioning, teamwork, and communication play a big role.
You can't just go out on your own, try to flank the enemy team, and carry the game on your shoulders - it's highly unlikely. In fact, if you try to do that, the game will work against you.
Players must coordinate pushes, set up spawn points strategically, decide when to attack and when to defend, and overall work as a team. The game rewards communication, making this experience not only large-scale but also very immersive.
Just to show you how important communication is, at the start of the first game, I was left behind in the spawn because I was setting up my graphics and controls. I couldn't find any vehicles, so I had to walk towards the action, but the distances are so significant that a vehicle was necessary at this point - I could've easily spent 3 minutes walking. Luckily, I used voice chat to communicate with my platoon leader, and he spawned at the initial HQ with a vehicle to pick me up and get me to the frontline.
At one point in the second game, we were losing the capture point close to our base, and our platoon leader (who was a dev and knew what to do) told us to send reinforcements back and not focus too much on the point we were contesting in the middle of the map, since losing the point close to the starting base would've made the game worse for us. It was the right call, as securing the point near our base allowed us to push, and we gained the middle point soon after.
Getting into the different roles and communicating with other players not only makes the experience more immersive but also adds another layer of fun.
The gunplay felt very standard, with each weapon having different recoil patterns. The rifle I was using performed effectively at short and middle ranges, but struggled to provide any value when trying to engage targets from greater distances. In the second game, I switched to the Recon class to try the Sniper loadout, and as expected, the game features bullet drop when firing at targets from long distances.
The first game ended quickly, since my team got destroyed pretty badly, but as the second game went on, I was slowly getting the feel of the game, and the overwhelming feeling I had at the beginning started to fade.
Moving around the map also feels as tactical as possible, since the jungle's high vegetation allows for sneaky pushes and provides cover when necessary to heal. When I was at the frontline, combat felt very tactical, as running without a sense of direction could make you an easy target for the enemy. The pushes weren't fast, as they would progress or regress depending on which side was having more casualties. Taking cover, maximizing vantage points, and setting up respawn points for reinforcements were key in these moments.
One thing I need to point out is that the game looked beautiful, and having watched gameplay from the first game, the upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to 5 is as clear as day.
The devs teased that one map available at launch will have fog that will interfere with the player's visibility. That sparked my curiosity, not only because it would be interesting to see how it affects gameplay, but also because I want to see how it looks, having enjoyed the visuals in the jungle map.
Final Thoughts
The two matches I played made me interested in the franchise and what this sequel has to offer.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam has the potential to be more successful than its predecessor. The sequel doesn't try to reinvent the wheel and brings a more refined experience than the original title, aiming to be more solid. In the current market, where most FPS titles are opting to dive into the extraction shooter genre, the franchise can make use of that and provide a different experience for players.
The launch content, along with the planned post-launch support, will be a key factor in its success, since we have seen how players lose interest fast in a game with no post-launch additions or underwhelming content at launch.
Overall, the game has a solid base, competitive graphics, and a fun package for players to get their hands on, but it needs to stick the landing in terms of accessibility for newcomers and offer the right amount of content both at launch and beyond.
A big thank you to Expression Games and Team17 for letting me try the game early.
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