Fantastic game. I've always loved rhythm games and action games so this was just a wonderful mix of both worlds with style permeating at every part of the game. The rhythm of the beat affecting enemies in combat your button inputs in combat as well as the platforming works flawlessly here. The music needs to be great for all of this to work and it is. The only real problem I have with this game is the lack of lock-on which is most felt when trying to target specific enemies with your ally skills. Chai is also kind of annoying for the majority of the game but gets a lot better right at the end.

As I finish this game I'm so fucking sad were not getting a sequel ever. Fuck Microsoft. I will definitely be replaying this game for years.

As I'm nearing the conclusion of this game on my first playthrough (I watched my brother play as a kid growing up) the one thing I keep thinking about this game is that its timeless. This game could've released in 2023 and it would still feel fresh and modern. Thats a testament to what Retro studios pulled off in 2002.

The gameplay is excellent mixing in puzzles into the traversal as well as some of the combat with your different beams and visors. The music is superb and the art direction is still so unique even till this day.

The story told through no dialogue whatsover but rather scanning the environment, computers, scriptures etc and piecing together what happened to the chozo feels like a direct inspiration for modern souls game story telling

The only real change that was made with the remastered apart from graphical upgrades was the introduction of modern controls.'

In terms of negatives I have 2. The enemy respawn rate is where this game shows its age the most. You go into a room kill the enemies leave the room and then immediately go back in and all enemies have respawned. Very early 2000s and prior game design. Theres also a big difficulty jump in the Phazon mines.

Overall this is truly an all time game that might still feel fresh 20 years from now.

As I'm playing this game again to work on my platinum trophy in preparation for Hades 2 I'm falling in love with it again. My introduction to the roguelike Genre and I was instantly hooked. This genre is ALL about the gameplay and Hades is one of the few that interweaves an over arching narrative into the gameplay and its done wonderfully. The voice acting is top notch the story is very basic but still fantastic to experience. One of my favourite aspects of the Roguelike Genre is how low commitment it is you can play for 40 minutes and whether or not you clear the run you're still making progress. You can quit whenever you want and pick your run back up whenever and its such a minor feature but its something I absolutely love about this Genre. Its just fun to load up a game for 20-40 minutes kill some enemies and get off the game. Perfect genre to play alongside a much longer game (like a JRPG) for a nice change of pace.

The bread and butter for this game is the combat and its one of my favourites ever. Brutally hard at first but you gradually get better at the game and the game gradually rewards you with ways for Zag to permanently get better. The whole package falls apart if the gameplay isn't great and its nearly perfect here. 6 different weapons that all feel very different from each other with upgradable aspects that also feel different from each other and Boons that can wildly change your build from run to run. This is a perfect game to me with an endgame that makes this game endlessly replayable.

Masterpiece. I love this game.

Santa Monica not wanting to make the Norse saga a trilogy is definitely felt in this game. It suffers from some pretty glaring pacing issues story wise, and your companion refusing to shut the fuck up when doing a puzzle are probably the only two issues I had with this game.

I prefer 2018 over this due to the tightness and clear end goal set up right from the beginning of that game but this is still a great sequel to a nearly perfect game. The added enemy types greatly improve upon the combat and I do love Kratos redemption arc started in the previous game coming full circle. The environments and openness to combat arenas are great and Kratos becoming more of an outspoken Hero feels like one of the most well written character arcs in gaming. I love this game so much and the Valhalla DLC (which i'll probably review separately) takes all of the great parts of Ragnarok and trims out the fat. Santa Monica has a fan in me for life.