No More Room in Hell 2’s 1.0 update goes live tomorrow, August 11, but I’ve already sunk more than a few hours into the patch over the last few days. I’m nothing if not a fan of the end of the world, so No More Room in Hell 2 was already a winner for me, but the 1.0 update feels like a new generation entirely.
Don’t get me wrong; this game isn’t without a touch of jank, but the work that has been done to get this game ready for graduation is tangible, and what’s dropping will firmly impress fans; of that much I’m sure. Below, you’ll find a whistle-stop review for No More Room in Hell 2’s 1.0 update and the new Raven Rock map, which is equally as impressive as the finished product.
No More Room in Hell 2 Hits Full Release Status
NMRiH 2’s 1.0 update has been a long time coming. The game dropped in October 2024, so it’s close to two years since it emerged, and the review stakes haven’t been entirely kind to this game. On Steam, it boasts an overall rating of ‘mixed’, but I’m firmly sure that the sentiment will improve once everyone gets across the 1.0 patch.
We’re talking thousands of optimizations and bug fixes, performance enhancements, an all-new objective map (Raven Rock), console launches, survival mode, solo mode, a new tutorial, more achievements and assignments, boosted character customization, and much more. It is certainly worthy of that ‘full release’ accolade, all things considered.
Now, in full transparency, I didn’t get a chance to play the 1.0 update with anyone else by my side, but that means I was able to fully appreciate the new solo mode.
The first thing I did was run into Raven Rock, the new objective-based map that takes players through a dark and decimated military bunker. It’s a hell of a thing that took me more than an hour to finish on the easiest difficulty, and I can see how it would be phenomenally more entertaining alongside up to seven other players.
Elsewhere, I had more than a few survival mode runs, enjoying a spread that took me across the maps available and sampling ‘wave defense’ gameplay. Between each wave, you get a little time to prepare, and then it’s all hands on the tiller, and it can quickly get chaotic.
The road to 1.0 saw Torn Banner release more than a dozen jam-packed updates, fleshing out the game’s ecosystem to no end, but this ultimate patch is where things really matter.
From a gameplay perspective, I had so much fun playing the 1.0 update of NMRiH 2. The combat is relatively light-hearted and bloody, and clanging the undead shamblers around the head with a mallet never… ever got old. It’s diverse as hell, and you’ll constantly be trying out new weapons and items.
The inventory system is innovative and clean, and it really forces you to prioritize your loot and (I’m assuming) work together to balance your gear between your teammates. There are a few puzzles to solve here and there, which add another challenge layer, and if you play on a higher difficulty, you’ll really feel the strain as the world adapts to offer you a more intense struggle.
Visually, there’s enough detail for this game to pop; the zombie models are interesting and pretty gruesome at times, and the character customization improvements ring true very nicely off the bat. Also, the skill path system is decent and encourages a lot of time spent in the game grinding levels.
If you enjoy No More Room in Hell 2, you’ll have plenty of reasons to keep playing for ages.
What I’m a huge fan of especially is the diversity of the map pool available. Each one felt unique enough to stand apart from the others, and I spent a lot of time digging around all the nooks and crannies of each environment. They’re really well designed, offer a non-linear approach to exploring them, and boast some seriously clean (well, for the apocalypse) ambiences.
When I said ‘jank’ at the start of this review, it was mostly because of some minor animations and elements of enemy behaviour. I know they’re zombies, but they’re not super intelligent enemies to fight, and sometimes they move awkwardly through or around items; they clip with things fairly aggressively, or they seem to have inconsistent reactions to incoming damage.
It can ruin the ‘immersion’ a little.
Ultimately, No More Room in Hell 2’s 1.0 update should be a game-changer in more than one sense of the term. I can see this bringing a nice spike to the player count, introducing an entirely new audience via the console releases, and boosting the game’s overall review sentiment.
I had a phenomenal time playing NMRiH 2 1.0, and I’m absolutely going to continue rinsing it after the update has been released globally. My only hope is that all the meat I spoke about doesn’t become too repetitive and that I don’t ‘lose too much’ by always playing it solo, because that’s my plan.
Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if you’ve ever played No More Room in Hell 2.
For more Insider Gaming reviews, check out our coverage of Beast of Reincarnation, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
No More Room in Hell 2
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No More Room in Hell 2
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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