Aesthetically this game is top notch, with amazing visual design, music, storyline, and voice acting. There's not much I can say about them that hasn't been already said, but I really did enjoy all the characters and the world inspired by Greek mythos. Gameplay-wise...yeah this one's got some problems.
Hades is fun for the first ten or so hours, but then it becomes increasingly repetitive and frustrating as you lose time and time again despite learning the ins and outs of every combat mechanic the game has to offer. This game suffers from a term I like to call roguelike-itis, where you can play perfectly, build the absolute best character you possibly can, find the greatest treasures and boons the game has to offer, and yet still lose on a bullshit boss or a string of frustrating enemy rooms with little to no opportunity to heal. Part of the reason why I loved Slay the Spire was because it didn't fall prey to any of that, and it was incredibly disheartening to see Hades embrace this full-form.
The main source of this frustration is the third world, Elysium. I can't tell you how many runs I've had where I played perfectly through Tartarus and Asphodel, only to have Elysium's ludicrously OP enemies drain my extra lives and then lose at the fight against Theseus and the Minotaur, being sent all the way back to the start to try again. There is a special character that pops up sometimes that refills your extra lives, but he's not super reliable since he doesn't appear on every run and even if you do find him that isn't a guarantee that Theseus and his broken-ass attacks won't tear through them like paper.
And then even if you do make it past Elysium you'll end up in Styx where you'll get killed by something you've never seen before because you have next to no experience in that area, and if by some miracle you make it to Hades himself you'll get your ass kicked six ways from Sunday.
The challenge of besting your godly father and his millions of disciples is awesome at first, inspiring feelings of defiance as the game tells you over and over again that escape is impossible. But as the game went on and I died in Elysium over and over again I started finding Zagreus's confidence misplaced, and that escape really was impossible. I got frustrated that there's no reliable way to heal beyond hoping you'll find a fountain or a special character or the slim chance that Charon will have healing items in his shop instead of crap I don't need. I shook my head in dismay as I killed the Bone Hydra for the third time that day, knowing that no matter how well I did on his fight I'd still probably lose in a few minutes thanks to the Elysium difficulty spike.
Oh, and did I mention you need to beat the game TEN TIMES to reach the true ending? That includes fighting your way through Elysium's bullcrap, Thesus's OP shield defense, the unpredictability of Styx, and the run-ending madness of fighting Hades ten times just to see the credits roll. Not. Freakin'. Worth it.
If you're into roguelikes, this is an obvious recommendation for the storyline alone. For everyone else, Hades is the reason let's plays exist.
(Game 5/30 on my 1 Year, 30 Games list: https://www.backloggd.com/u/hyena142/list/1-year-30-games-2021/)
Hades is fun for the first ten or so hours, but then it becomes increasingly repetitive and frustrating as you lose time and time again despite learning the ins and outs of every combat mechanic the game has to offer. This game suffers from a term I like to call roguelike-itis, where you can play perfectly, build the absolute best character you possibly can, find the greatest treasures and boons the game has to offer, and yet still lose on a bullshit boss or a string of frustrating enemy rooms with little to no opportunity to heal. Part of the reason why I loved Slay the Spire was because it didn't fall prey to any of that, and it was incredibly disheartening to see Hades embrace this full-form.
The main source of this frustration is the third world, Elysium. I can't tell you how many runs I've had where I played perfectly through Tartarus and Asphodel, only to have Elysium's ludicrously OP enemies drain my extra lives and then lose at the fight against Theseus and the Minotaur, being sent all the way back to the start to try again. There is a special character that pops up sometimes that refills your extra lives, but he's not super reliable since he doesn't appear on every run and even if you do find him that isn't a guarantee that Theseus and his broken-ass attacks won't tear through them like paper.
And then even if you do make it past Elysium you'll end up in Styx where you'll get killed by something you've never seen before because you have next to no experience in that area, and if by some miracle you make it to Hades himself you'll get your ass kicked six ways from Sunday.
The challenge of besting your godly father and his millions of disciples is awesome at first, inspiring feelings of defiance as the game tells you over and over again that escape is impossible. But as the game went on and I died in Elysium over and over again I started finding Zagreus's confidence misplaced, and that escape really was impossible. I got frustrated that there's no reliable way to heal beyond hoping you'll find a fountain or a special character or the slim chance that Charon will have healing items in his shop instead of crap I don't need. I shook my head in dismay as I killed the Bone Hydra for the third time that day, knowing that no matter how well I did on his fight I'd still probably lose in a few minutes thanks to the Elysium difficulty spike.
Oh, and did I mention you need to beat the game TEN TIMES to reach the true ending? That includes fighting your way through Elysium's bullcrap, Thesus's OP shield defense, the unpredictability of Styx, and the run-ending madness of fighting Hades ten times just to see the credits roll. Not. Freakin'. Worth it.
If you're into roguelikes, this is an obvious recommendation for the storyline alone. For everyone else, Hades is the reason let's plays exist.
(Game 5/30 on my 1 Year, 30 Games list: https://www.backloggd.com/u/hyena142/list/1-year-30-games-2021/)
2 Comments
You're about a year late on this one bud lol. I'm sure I'll go back to it eventually, I just completely ran out of patience for stupid-ass Elysium that ended with stupid-ass Theseus and his stupid-ass shield after trying to figure out how to beat him consistently for like a week. That being said it definitely strikes a strong balance between so easy you can win on like your third attempt (Monster Train) and you are never seeing the end of this game (Spelunky).
rottweilersmile
2 years ago