Call of Duty and Battlefield may only occasionally dip into the Second World War these days, with CoD's most recent Nazi battering entry being 2023's Call of Duty: Vanguard, while Battlefield hasn't so much as sniffed an M1 Garand since 2018's Battlefield 5. But there are plenty of other shooters dedicated to replicating history's most destructive conflict in virtual form. One such example is Team17's well-regarded 2021 shooter Hell Let Loose, which is letting players enlist for free over this weekend.
Hell Let Loose is a large-scale multiplayer affair, where two teams of 50 players battle across large World War 2-era maps. Structurally it resembles Battlefield, with large-scale, combined arms combat and game modes similar to Conquest and Rush. But it's a more hardcore, tactical affair than DICE's shooter. Careless movement will get you killed quickly, so there's a much greater emphasis on teamwork and communication.
Multiplayer shooter specialist Morgan Park reviewed Hell Let Loose back in 2021, and enjoyed how it balanced challenging combat with more accessible logistics than some other military simulators, awarding it a score of 70. "Black Matter has simplified most of the logistical mechanics that can bog down 90-minute Squad matches. Constructing a Garrison building that the entire team can respawn at is way faster and takes half the effort as in Squad."
Morgan's main criticism of Hell Let Loose was its audio design: "No matter how much I mess with audio sliders, the game never gets loud enough for my liking." The game has received numerous audio updates since Morgan's review, though whether or not they address his specific concerns, I cannot say.
In any case, if you're looking for a shooter that takes itself more seriously than CoD, but still lets you get into the action without drawing up an entire battle-plan beforehand, Hell Let Loose is free to play until Monday. And if you find yourself wanting to play more after the free weekend expires, then it's on a 50% discount until June 26.
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