Hades Review

(Image Credit: Supergiant Games)

From their first 2011 release of Bastion to their newer titles Pyre and Transistor, Supergiant

Games has become known for the beauty they bring to their titles and I have always

followed them closely. From their storytelling to their art style and atmosphere, and their

music, there was one thing that felt not quite there yet and that was the combat. However, In

their 4th title, Hades, they've come in guns blazing and they've ticked every box.

Hades is a "permadeath" action RPG, or can also be referred to as a 'roguelike', similar to

many other titles in the genre I have come love, but this one just brings a completely

different feel to it altogether. With an absorbing and intricate story of greek gods and mighty

heroes of legend, told with a vivid and eye-catching art style, amazing voice acting, and

absorbing soundtrack it's hard not to love this game at every turn.

(Image Credit: Supergiant Games)

The story follows Zagreus, son of Hades, who at first looks like a buff brooding prince with

anger issues, but is soon melted away to show an actual decent person with an air of wit

about him, as he fights his way through the chaotic and dangerous underworld to reach the

surface, and his freedom. Along the way, you'll get to converse with the many gods wishing

to give your their blessing, from the God of Wine and Hedonism, Dionysus, to the lightning

God himself, Zeus.

At the beginning of each run, you pick from 6 legendary weapons ranging from a fast

attacking sword, a shield you can use to block attacks and projectiles, or even a gun that

lobs grenades, and a freebie boon from a god before starting the climb though the

underworld's three realms. Each chamber is randomized where several enemies will spawn,

you slay them, collect a reward, and it's on the next chamber.

(Image Credit: Supergiant Games)

Besides your weapons, basic attack and special you also have a ranged ability called a

"cast", a "call" (almost like an ultimate power from the god of your choosing) and last but not

least, your trusty dash. Mobility is a huge part of this game, not just for escaping that lava pit

or that huge club coming your way, but also for positioning yourself to slam foes into walls

and traps and set yourself up for your other abilities. Each one of your moves can be

augmented with any of the gods you come across at random and also supportive boons,

which makes the run feel fresh and new every time.

Most roguelikes reward you for winning, be it through story continuation or new perks to

make your next run easier, but in Hades, the prior stays true to the genre, but you are also

rewarded for failure, with something very few games do - they reward you with more story. Each death leads you right back into the throne room of the god of the underworld, arising from the river Styx, but with an almost always renewed vigor. Each character has something new to say, or there is a new interaction between them that then furthers the story and makes you want to die all over again just to hear something new each time (and to always give some pats to your magnificent three-headed doggo!).

(Image Credit: Supergiant Games)

When it comes to the upgrades in runs and between them, it's a bit to take in but it all makes

sense very quickly. Gold collected through your runs can be used at Charon’s chamber or

smaller shops around the rooms but is lost upon death. Shards of darkness are used in the

house of Hades for permanent upgrades like extra gold per room or extra chances to find

rarer boons, and Gemstones are used to splash out for renovations for the hub or unlock

added features to the chambers in your runs. Further down the line, you'll start getting into

Diamonds, Titanblood, and some other currencies but I won't ruin it for you and let you find

out for yourself.

(Image Credit: Supergiant Games)

From the clean and fast-paced combat, a killer soundtrack, amazing art style, and a story so

incredibly well written it should be criminal, it's a game I’ve found almost impossible to put

down. Hades has been an absolute pleasure to play and still surprises me even now at over

200 hours, and is easily my favorite game for this year. My only gripes I have with this game

is purely personal. I just wish it had a sandbox mode I could test out all the gods’ powers

with, and a transcript or history I could revisit with the interactions between characters.

That said I would easily score this 9/10 without question and would be even inclined to push

that to 9.5, it's just that good.

If you haven’t played Hades I certainly advise you to go and pick it up for yourself on Steam. It's easily one of the best roguelikes to have come out in the last few years and you definitely won't regret it for a second. Now, back to my next run!

This review was completed by Control Parner, 'The Burger'. You'll usually find him on Indie games, much like 'Hades'. Burger streams every week, Wednesday to Thursday 12pm-9pm (AEST) and loves to have a chat in the stream about anything! Give him a sub today!