Such an awesome rogue-lite.
The soundtrack is kickass, and it's quite clear Doom played a strong influence here. I really like the presence of the fiery, amped electronic-laced guitar grooves existing alongside solemn, heartfelt ballads and soaring wails accented by beefy bass riffs.
The melody of each sector of the Underworld swells to be stronger and stronger as you get closer to the boss of each area, building up to an exciting crescendo that manages to replicate the same adrenaline boosts of its inspirations.
I love the variety and all of the distinct, flavourful and intricate character designs.
The mythology aspect is incorporated cleverly into the game in almost every step of the way. I'm rusty in my Greek myth knowledge but from what I can tell, it's quite faithful to them.
The writing brings said characters to life throughout the story; by which, the story is done in a quite inventive way. It's told through multiple runs.
Each time you return to the House of Hades, there's always something new awaiting you there, whether it's dialogue, character interaction or some other new detail. Each time you interact with a god of Olympus, they have new, different dialogue each time, and they can even comment on what type of other boons you have already, or your choice of weapon.
It really helps in keeping the game fresh and exciting even when you do fail and return home.
A neat detail is that you can also form bonds with the characters through talking with them and giving them gifts too.
I didn't like Zagreus's VA at first cause I thought it was kinda strange he was so soft-spoken, polite and quiet for THIS character, but honestly, the longer I played through the game, the more it grew on me.
It really outlines his personality as someone who is fair and grounded, a sort of gentleman character, especially compared to Hades himself.
The story in this game details Zag's attempt to escape from the Underworld, his oppressive father, and to try and carve a new path for himself.
Despite the simple premise, it's done in a tactful way, exploring the themes of familial bonds and finding one's origins.
I was surprised by how the story was handled with much weight to it, considering this genre doesn't exactly lend itself well to storytelling; and hence, often in a lot of these games, it is left on the backburner, but Hades rides these waves expertly.
The selection of starter weapons compared to some other rogues might be small, but what you can do with the available weapons, and the amount of variables that affect how each weapon plays, makes the game incredibly fun to experiment in and try out different combos.
Each weapon plays differently and facilitates multiple playstyles, and the game tries to encourage you to try different runs with different weapons by enticing you with a points boost applied to a random weapon in the selection phase.
As if that wasn't enough, Hades also provides additional fun stuff for you to do between runs and during them, such as fishing and decorating the House of Hades using gems you collected on your run.
The attention to detail in Hades is staggering for a rogue-lite, and while I have a ways to go in finishing the main story, I really enjoyed my time with this game.
It certainly left an impression on me.
The soundtrack is kickass, and it's quite clear Doom played a strong influence here. I really like the presence of the fiery, amped electronic-laced guitar grooves existing alongside solemn, heartfelt ballads and soaring wails accented by beefy bass riffs.
The melody of each sector of the Underworld swells to be stronger and stronger as you get closer to the boss of each area, building up to an exciting crescendo that manages to replicate the same adrenaline boosts of its inspirations.
I love the variety and all of the distinct, flavourful and intricate character designs.
The mythology aspect is incorporated cleverly into the game in almost every step of the way. I'm rusty in my Greek myth knowledge but from what I can tell, it's quite faithful to them.
The writing brings said characters to life throughout the story; by which, the story is done in a quite inventive way. It's told through multiple runs.
Each time you return to the House of Hades, there's always something new awaiting you there, whether it's dialogue, character interaction or some other new detail. Each time you interact with a god of Olympus, they have new, different dialogue each time, and they can even comment on what type of other boons you have already, or your choice of weapon.
It really helps in keeping the game fresh and exciting even when you do fail and return home.
A neat detail is that you can also form bonds with the characters through talking with them and giving them gifts too.
I didn't like Zagreus's VA at first cause I thought it was kinda strange he was so soft-spoken, polite and quiet for THIS character, but honestly, the longer I played through the game, the more it grew on me.
It really outlines his personality as someone who is fair and grounded, a sort of gentleman character, especially compared to Hades himself.
The story in this game details Zag's attempt to escape from the Underworld, his oppressive father, and to try and carve a new path for himself.
Despite the simple premise, it's done in a tactful way, exploring the themes of familial bonds and finding one's origins.
I was surprised by how the story was handled with much weight to it, considering this genre doesn't exactly lend itself well to storytelling; and hence, often in a lot of these games, it is left on the backburner, but Hades rides these waves expertly.
The selection of starter weapons compared to some other rogues might be small, but what you can do with the available weapons, and the amount of variables that affect how each weapon plays, makes the game incredibly fun to experiment in and try out different combos.
Each weapon plays differently and facilitates multiple playstyles, and the game tries to encourage you to try different runs with different weapons by enticing you with a points boost applied to a random weapon in the selection phase.
As if that wasn't enough, Hades also provides additional fun stuff for you to do between runs and during them, such as fishing and decorating the House of Hades using gems you collected on your run.
The attention to detail in Hades is staggering for a rogue-lite, and while I have a ways to go in finishing the main story, I really enjoyed my time with this game.
It certainly left an impression on me.