Lightning in a bottle. (Lighting in a Zeus boon?) Hades is video game brilliance. Taking a millennia-old story and converting it into a game with a format so suited for it seems like it shouldn't be possible, yet Supergiant executed that effect to perfection. If there's one rougelite you try, it should be this (source: me, because this is the only rougelite I've ever really gotten into lol).
There is so much to like about this game. The art is generally so pleasing. The soundtrack is as unique as it is gnarly, setting the stage for every encounter deftly. Bosses are usually high quality and varied. There's so much room for experimentation. The available upgrades on each run are nearly all unique and satisfying. Your progression over time is tangible, without ever getting to a point where difficulty escapes those who seek it. It's genuinely funny, especially as time goes on. Everyone is hot, both the in-Asphodel-and-literally-on-fire kind and the art-team-was-ludicrously-horny-for-the-whole-development-process kind. I could go on and on, but there's two major things that make this game so good to me.
MAJOR THING #1: the integration of story into the gameplay loop is magic. Again, it feels like the universe made a mistake in allowing this thing to exist, because perfection at this scale shouldn't be possible. Especially as your progress through your eventual first clear, the tale of the House of Hades is magnetic. The best way to understand how well this story fits into the rougelite genre is to play it. The execution is excellent, and I was sold the whole way. You want to know what happens! You want to discover new secrets, slowly get stronger and smarter, prepare for new challenges and develop relationships along the way.
And, inevitably, you will die. Sometimes you expect it, sometimes you deserve it, sometimes you thought you finally were going to beat [REDACTED] and lose it at the last second. I have been livid emerging from the River Styx more than once, yet the pacing of the gameplay loop gives you a second or two to regain your bearings, listen to old friends or purchase an upgrade, make sure your weapon is ready to go... and bam, you're excited to dive into a new run and see if you can tackle that challenge this time. I have never been this, fine, addicted (first step is admitting the problem!) to a single-player game before. The pull for one more run can be impossible to resist at times. Then, when that urge finally led to my first full clear, I... quit.
I basically thought the appeal of Hades was gone once I fully cleared once. I played over a holiday break and beat it just before returning to classes, so it was a natural time to move on. On a whim, I recently picked it back up again, which leads to MAJOR THING #2: playing this game is so damn fun. I played until the credits this last play period. On the way, I realized all I had missed underlying sheen of the story and overarching gameplay loop.
The weapons and their variants. The boons. The strategy and tactics Supergiant employed in creating their series of chambers. The insanity which can result from that foresight, both random and intentional on your part. The video game underlying this experience is awesome, and the randomness leads to the best experiences. For example: for no reason at all, I decided to save all of my money (Obols) on a run a few days ago. In one of the final rooms, I randomly rolled a Daedalus upgrade boosting my base attack damage by a % of my gold balance, and thus walked into the [REDACTED] fight with a 3x base attack damage. That damage, boosted by 2 or 3 percentage boons, totally mopped the floor with the poor boss. That never should've happened, and probably never will again for me, but was so fun. It's probably even better when you plan to do some cool new thing and it works, but I can't get over the violence I inflicted with the base sword on that run lol.
I would say Hades is a masterclass, but nobody can learn from that class because the idea can't be replicated. This story, this genre, and the gameplay weaving it all together is wholly one of a kind. Which is probably an inaccurate way to describe a game with a confirmed sequel in the works but oh well. It's really that good, and I really do love it. Can pet the dog, 5/5.
There is so much to like about this game. The art is generally so pleasing. The soundtrack is as unique as it is gnarly, setting the stage for every encounter deftly. Bosses are usually high quality and varied. There's so much room for experimentation. The available upgrades on each run are nearly all unique and satisfying. Your progression over time is tangible, without ever getting to a point where difficulty escapes those who seek it. It's genuinely funny, especially as time goes on. Everyone is hot, both the in-Asphodel-and-literally-on-fire kind and the art-team-was-ludicrously-horny-for-the-whole-development-process kind. I could go on and on, but there's two major things that make this game so good to me.
MAJOR THING #1: the integration of story into the gameplay loop is magic. Again, it feels like the universe made a mistake in allowing this thing to exist, because perfection at this scale shouldn't be possible. Especially as your progress through your eventual first clear, the tale of the House of Hades is magnetic. The best way to understand how well this story fits into the rougelite genre is to play it. The execution is excellent, and I was sold the whole way. You want to know what happens! You want to discover new secrets, slowly get stronger and smarter, prepare for new challenges and develop relationships along the way.
And, inevitably, you will die. Sometimes you expect it, sometimes you deserve it, sometimes you thought you finally were going to beat [REDACTED] and lose it at the last second. I have been livid emerging from the River Styx more than once, yet the pacing of the gameplay loop gives you a second or two to regain your bearings, listen to old friends or purchase an upgrade, make sure your weapon is ready to go... and bam, you're excited to dive into a new run and see if you can tackle that challenge this time. I have never been this, fine, addicted (first step is admitting the problem!) to a single-player game before. The pull for one more run can be impossible to resist at times. Then, when that urge finally led to my first full clear, I... quit.
I basically thought the appeal of Hades was gone once I fully cleared once. I played over a holiday break and beat it just before returning to classes, so it was a natural time to move on. On a whim, I recently picked it back up again, which leads to MAJOR THING #2: playing this game is so damn fun. I played until the credits this last play period. On the way, I realized all I had missed underlying sheen of the story and overarching gameplay loop.
The weapons and their variants. The boons. The strategy and tactics Supergiant employed in creating their series of chambers. The insanity which can result from that foresight, both random and intentional on your part. The video game underlying this experience is awesome, and the randomness leads to the best experiences. For example: for no reason at all, I decided to save all of my money (Obols) on a run a few days ago. In one of the final rooms, I randomly rolled a Daedalus upgrade boosting my base attack damage by a % of my gold balance, and thus walked into the [REDACTED] fight with a 3x base attack damage. That damage, boosted by 2 or 3 percentage boons, totally mopped the floor with the poor boss. That never should've happened, and probably never will again for me, but was so fun. It's probably even better when you plan to do some cool new thing and it works, but I can't get over the violence I inflicted with the base sword on that run lol.
I would say Hades is a masterclass, but nobody can learn from that class because the idea can't be replicated. This story, this genre, and the gameplay weaving it all together is wholly one of a kind. Which is probably an inaccurate way to describe a game with a confirmed sequel in the works but oh well. It's really that good, and I really do love it. Can pet the dog, 5/5.