Hell Let Loose: Vietnam review: "Often frustrating but always involving, this FPS brings war to life and bloody death"

Vietnam was a truly hellish experience for all concerned, and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, from Expression Games, has absolutely nailed that. I don't even mean for that to come off as backhanded. The game's firefights are intense, often unfair, sometimes heroic, and occasionally funny. Following on from the success of the original game's medley of WW2's Eastern and Western Front greatest hits, Vietnam is a mixture of what works in that game and a complete abandonment of peer-conflict battlefields. On one side, you have the USA, a military superpower, on the other, the North Vietnamese Army, who are, on paper, vastly outmatched. Just as in real life, however, the NVA have a host of tricks up their sleeves to level the playing field.

The most notable trick at the NVA's disposal is the ability to create tunnels that stretch across the map, linking tunnels and garrisons. While only four of these can be connected at any one time, they create an incredible sense of asymmetric warfare. Enter a tunnel, select where you want to exit, and you'll cut to a first-person cutscene of your (hopefully) claustrophilic soldier crawling to their destination. This is explicitly designed as a counter to the US-exclusive helicopters that are also capable of whisking soldiers across the map, albeit more slowly, and while vulnerable to RPGs and anti-aircraft fire.

M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E

Balance is always a fine line for a multiplayer game to walk, and it must be said, Expression Games has largely done very well. Most of the games I've played across the review period have been proper tug-of-war affairs, but a few times I've questioned whether the balance was actually a little too finely-tuned in favor of the NVA. Part of this is somewhat realistic, in fairness. The maps themselves are a tight mix of jungle, urban environments, and even some fairly desert-like sand dunes, and being able to pop up from a tunnel into the dense camouflage of the jungles accurately represents the home-field advantage of the NVA. That doesn't make it any less frustrating, however, to be shot by an enemy that you can't even see from 150-200 meters.

Part of the terrifying nature of the Vietnam War, for both sides, was that sightlines were appalling. Here, too, if an enemy gets their eyes on you first, you're pretty much done. It's no coincidence that the most memorable firefights in my matches are essentially urban warfare, reminiscent of the climax of Full Metal Jacket. One highlight takes place in a fairly self-explanatory Industrial Zone, all railway lines and warehouses, while another revolves around a dense pier, dodging fire and ducking between cargo containers. Crucially, in both of these battles, I could actually see the enemy.

What's less fun are the moments on certain maps where you spawn and walk 500 meters towards the objective, only to be gunned down by an enemy sniper concealed in a bush half a mile away. Realistic, sure, but fun? No.

When you're in a blazing battle, however, the weapons are an absolute joy to use. Whether you're using an M16 or Type 56, M60 or RPD, they're tremendous fun, and crucially, all sound very distinct from one another. It's easy to identify whether a nearby machine gun is an enemy or a friend, and iconic weapons like the spectacularly bloopy M79 grenade launcher are lovingly rendered. Each weapon also gets a fantastically detailed analysis voiced by the Royal Armouries' Jonathan Ferguson, with this treatment even extending to obscurities like Soviet smoke grenades.

Much like its predecessor, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a game that really lives and dies by communication. Hopping on voice chat is almost compulsory if you want to play well and be a good teammate. On the rare occasions that I end up with a completely silent squad, the game's fun takes a notable dip. The importance of teamwork is woven deeply into the game's DNA. Each side has a multitude of roles for you to step into, from your standard rifleman all the way up to grenadiers, pilots, tank commanders, and sniper spotters. Thankfully, the game does feature a tutorial this time, making it a much easier affair to get to grips with, and it's very comprehensive, teaching you the basics of a wide variety of specialisms.

Playing as a medic is where I feel like I make the biggest impact so far. In a game that's as brutal as this one, being able to resurrect players (who can be revived unless they've been shot in the head or blown to pieces) is very helpful, indeed. While I still rack up the occasional kill as a medic, it's a slightly less intense affair, but one that still makes you feel like a hero after dragging an ally to safety beneath a hail of gunfire.

I'll be curious to see whether Expression add more factions to the game over time, and what roles each faction may inherit. Let's not forget that when the original title launched, only the United States and Germany were present, and while we're unlikely to see Squad levels of factions – Anzac forces, the Viet Cong, South Korea and the Pathet Lao could all make for interesting additions. It would have been nice to see this at launch, but there's a very good selection of arms and equipment available already, so you're unlikely to get bored anytime soon.

For a game that's so rooted in history, with a strong sense of the atrocious nature of the Vietnam War, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam largely succeeds in recreating reality in all its bloody business. That is for both good and ill, but its undeniable frustrations are never quite able to take away from the game's stomach-churningly brutal battles or its moments of sublime teamwork.

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