(I finally beat this game but my thoughts from when i shelved it haven't really changed tbh)
I'm gonna let you know ahead of time that i'm not high over heels for this game like the majority of the community seems to be. Don't get me wrong, i do think it's a good game but i only moderately enjoyed it.
I think the game has a lot going for it. It's a very clean game visually and there's a lot personality that went into the character designs. So much so that when i think of the Greek Gods, i think the Hades' character designs is what my mind will default to. The writing is also good, i don't think there's a bad character in this game. Zagreus is a pretty fun protagonist and his interactions with all the characters are never bad.
As far as the gameplay goes, i think the combat is good.....when you're using one of two weapons. The sword and the spear are the only good weapons in this game, the other ones are bad. Alright, maybe shield is actually good but that requires me to do a defensive playstyle, something that is 100% not my thing. Gauntlets are way too close range for my liking and then the bow and the gun both suck. The bow won't let you quick fire (you can volley but it's not the same) and the gun is really cool because guns in a Greek mythology game never happen..... but then i saw that the gun has ammo and decided it wasn't worth it.
The boons and weapon buffs you get are pretty sweet and they make each run feel fresh......at first. See, here's my main problem with the game: it's a roguelike. I once saw Hades be described as "a roguelike for people who don't like roguelikes" and i disagree somewhat. As someone who doesn't like roguelike game design, i was invested in Hades for longer than i would've been with any other roguelike. Hades actually had a story and characters to pull me in. In that regard, Hades is a roguelike for people who don't like roguelikes. However, if you don't like roguelikes, then this game won't really change your mind.
Hades started off addicting and at first, i could see why it was so loved. But as i did more and more runs (most of which ended in failure), i eventually started to feel tired. Even after getting a streak of six successful runs, that addicting loop from the first few runs was long gone. Climbing to the top felt more like a chore rather than something i wanted to do, even with permanent upgrades and the ways boons and weapon buffs tries to change up the game.
But by far my least favorite thing about the game is how weapon upgrades are handled. To upgrade weapons, you need Titan's Blood, which is dropped by the first and last boss in the game. Except boss drops only happen once per run per weapon per heat. I suppose this was Supergiant's way of experimenting with different weapons and difficulties but if i can only vibe with two of the weapons and the game's already kinda tough on me by default (to the point i had to grind up God Mode because i'll admit, i needed it) then why would i do something different? I like the idea of the Pact of Punishment but boss drops should not have been made as rare as they are.
I think the Pact of Punishment in general needed more things beyond just making the game harder or longer. I know the thing with roguelikes is that you keep replaying them over and over but it definitely gets too repetitive. I can only fight the same bosses so many times before it tires me out and i think that's the main thing that contributed to my burnout from this game. The Pact of Punishment is supposed to change up the runs but it changes it in a way that either makes it harder or makes it take longer and this, combined with how boss drops are handled make it very unappealing for anyone who isn't looking for a hardcore challenge or 100%, etc.
Hades is fine and while i fundamentally don't vibe with roguelikes, what does make this game standout is everything else about it.
I'm gonna let you know ahead of time that i'm not high over heels for this game like the majority of the community seems to be. Don't get me wrong, i do think it's a good game but i only moderately enjoyed it.
I think the game has a lot going for it. It's a very clean game visually and there's a lot personality that went into the character designs. So much so that when i think of the Greek Gods, i think the Hades' character designs is what my mind will default to. The writing is also good, i don't think there's a bad character in this game. Zagreus is a pretty fun protagonist and his interactions with all the characters are never bad.
As far as the gameplay goes, i think the combat is good.....when you're using one of two weapons. The sword and the spear are the only good weapons in this game, the other ones are bad. Alright, maybe shield is actually good but that requires me to do a defensive playstyle, something that is 100% not my thing. Gauntlets are way too close range for my liking and then the bow and the gun both suck. The bow won't let you quick fire (you can volley but it's not the same) and the gun is really cool because guns in a Greek mythology game never happen..... but then i saw that the gun has ammo and decided it wasn't worth it.
The boons and weapon buffs you get are pretty sweet and they make each run feel fresh......at first. See, here's my main problem with the game: it's a roguelike. I once saw Hades be described as "a roguelike for people who don't like roguelikes" and i disagree somewhat. As someone who doesn't like roguelike game design, i was invested in Hades for longer than i would've been with any other roguelike. Hades actually had a story and characters to pull me in. In that regard, Hades is a roguelike for people who don't like roguelikes. However, if you don't like roguelikes, then this game won't really change your mind.
Hades started off addicting and at first, i could see why it was so loved. But as i did more and more runs (most of which ended in failure), i eventually started to feel tired. Even after getting a streak of six successful runs, that addicting loop from the first few runs was long gone. Climbing to the top felt more like a chore rather than something i wanted to do, even with permanent upgrades and the ways boons and weapon buffs tries to change up the game.
But by far my least favorite thing about the game is how weapon upgrades are handled. To upgrade weapons, you need Titan's Blood, which is dropped by the first and last boss in the game. Except boss drops only happen once per run per weapon per heat. I suppose this was Supergiant's way of experimenting with different weapons and difficulties but if i can only vibe with two of the weapons and the game's already kinda tough on me by default (to the point i had to grind up God Mode because i'll admit, i needed it) then why would i do something different? I like the idea of the Pact of Punishment but boss drops should not have been made as rare as they are.
I think the Pact of Punishment in general needed more things beyond just making the game harder or longer. I know the thing with roguelikes is that you keep replaying them over and over but it definitely gets too repetitive. I can only fight the same bosses so many times before it tires me out and i think that's the main thing that contributed to my burnout from this game. The Pact of Punishment is supposed to change up the runs but it changes it in a way that either makes it harder or makes it take longer and this, combined with how boss drops are handled make it very unappealing for anyone who isn't looking for a hardcore challenge or 100%, etc.
Hades is fine and while i fundamentally don't vibe with roguelikes, what does make this game standout is everything else about it.