To Hell With The Ugly

To Hell With The Ugly

Released May 2023

To Hell with the Ugly is an adventure game where you play as Rock Bailey, a gorgeous yet shallow young man, who must investigate and fight his way to freedom after being kidnapped. Alternate between turn-based combats and investigation in this film noir adaptation of the novel by Boris Vian.

88% positive · 167 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
Buying through an affiliate store helps support the site

Evaluation

To Hell With The Ugly launched on May 30, 2023 as a complete, narrative-driven adventure game — a film noir adaptation of Boris Vian's novel. The game was released in a finished state with no post-launch content updates announced or delivered. The only DLC ever listed is the official soundtrack, which released on December 31, 2024 and is purely supplementary (not gameplay content). Of the 11 developer news posts on record, 10 are promotional (sales, events, conventions) and just one marks the original launch — there have been no roadmaps, content announcements, or expansion plans communicated at any point. The developer has not indicated any plans to add further content to the game.
Evidence
Game launched on May 30, 2023. No post-launch content updates, roadmaps, or future content announcements accompanied the release.
news post · May 30, 2023 source content shipped
high
The only DLC listed is the official game soundtrack, released December 31, 2024. No gameplay or story DLC exists.
dlc listing · Dec 31, 2024 source content shipped
medium

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
ARTE France
Achievements
20
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

You’re Rocky, a 20 year old young man with a certain charm that doesn’t go unnoticed. After a night out at the Zooty Slammer, you wake up in a strange hospital, kidnapped and drugged.
Whatever they did to you last night, they did it. And now it’s too late for apologies, you need to get to the bottom of this…
Rocky style.




Finalist in the 2023 IGF awards in “Excellence in Visual Arts” and showcased in the 10th anniversary day of the devs, To Hell With the Ugly is an adventure game set in a 1950s LA film noir setting.

Play as Rock Bailey, a blond and handsome young man who systematically refuses all advances made to him. To the dismay of everybody around him, he stubbornly saves himself until the day he turns 20.
Everything changes when he is drugged and kidnapped outside the Zooty Slammer jazz club and wakes up in a strange hospital. They stole something from him, something very personal, and he wants revenge. Help Rocky get to the bottom of this mystery and find out the truth behind it.





To Hell with the Ugly is an adventure game with a focus on narration. Rocky has already lost part of his pride, he won’t shy away from combat if it takes him closer to the revenge he seeks. With his journalist partner Gary, they will have to gather clues from crime scenes and use them to make assumptions and solve puzzles, explore all the nooks and crannies of 1950s LA and let their fists do the talking in turn-based combat.

To unravel this mystery, you must:

  • Investigate Los Angeles in the 50s, explore its darkest corners, meet the locals and immerse yourself in this film noir atmosphere
  • Fight for your freedom, let the fists talk in turn-based combats based on timing, precision and amazingly beautiful hair
  • Gather clues and information, investigate crime scenes, and make the right choices to solve mysteries.





A film noir set in 1950s LA
Explore 1950s LA like you’ve never seen it before, in this homage to noir movies. Discover the hidden side of the city, a sordid / gruesome investigation centered on the disappearance of the most beautiful inhabitants and human experimentations.

A stunning art direction
A breathtaking 2D world combined with fully animated cinematics and an incredible, bold art direction that bring the city of Los Angeles to life.

It’s jazz all the way down
What best describes 1950s LA than jazz music?
Carry out your investigation to the smooth rhythm of the jazzy soundtrack of To Hell With the Ugly!



Boris Vian reimagined
To Hell With the Ugly is an adaptation of Boris Vian’s satiric work of the same name, reimagined for the 21st century. Delve into the absurd and acclaimed work of the famous French author, brought to you by La Poule Noire and ARTE France.

Mature content :
- Explicit nudity
- Hand-to-hand and weapon combat
- Light sexual content
- Experimentation on humans


To Hell with the Ugly provides users with the following options :

  • adjust text size
  • adjust the color of each different category of text : dialogues, thoughts and highlighted words (subtitles/captions are not yet adjustable).
  • reassign keys (on keyboard only)
  • adjust the speed of the virtual cursor
  • activate or deactivate the ""hold for running"" option
  • skip fights
  • adjust audio tracks separately
  • pause game play at any time during the game
Last evaluated Jun 24, 2026
Something about this evaluation looks wrong Report illegal or harmful content