Lord of the underworld

Greek Mythology is really a gift to gaming that keeps on giving. Already having been the bedrock for many acclaimed games such as Immortal: Fenix Rising, AC: Odyssey and of course God of War. Having told so many stories about the Gods and Monsters from the Greek Pantheon one couldn’t be blamed for thinking there wasn’t anything left. But the folks over at Supergiant Games dug deep into that fertile ground and came away with what is indeed a great game entitled simply Hades. Having come out of early access in 2020 and FINALLY coming to next gen consoles in 2021 this dazzling masterpiece truly shines as brightly as Helios. Taking advantage of the consoles 60fps and 4K graphics horsepower, Hades not only is as beautiful as Aphrodite, it’s as quick and smooth as Hermes.

While in the mythology, Hades is of course the lord of the underworld but this game isn’t about him; this game is about Hades the underworld and one son’s mission to escape from it. In Hades the player controls Zagreus, son of the Lord of the Dead. Upon learning of his mother Persephone, who went missing years earlier from the underworld; Zagreus plots an escape. Unbeknownst to him his Olympian family who coincidentally just learned of his existence has vowed to aid him in his mission; along with his adoptive mother Nyx and many other mythological creatures, Zag will need all of their help to escape.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99

Of course, his father has no desire to allow his son to leave, so he has turned the entirety of the realm against the young prince to stop him. Each attempt at a run has the same loop of talking to the many and varied NPC’s in the manor, escape from the window, fight, die, repeat. The random nature of the game of course makes it impossible to really plan what players are going to go for during their run. Each of the combat rooms will be different each run as will the foes they will face. Since loot is also dynamic players will have to pray to RNGesus to provide them with the desired equipment which makes the players own luck an unseen part of the gameplay.

Speaking of gameplay, those wizards at Supergiant seem to have been working towards this game as you can see the influences from their past titles during play, especially Bastion. Controlling Zag is simple, with each face button corresponding to a basic attack, a special attack, a cast (which is a gem weapon that must be retrieved after use) and a dash move for evasions. There are six weapons to choose from, each offering a pretty distinct playstyle. As you progress you will find various ways to enhance Zag’s weapons and abilities. Most of these will not be permanent upgrades and will expire once you do, however players can earn a currency as a reward for completing rooms and can alter Zagreus permanently. One of the biggest things that can aid Zagreus is help from his family atop Olympus, this help comes in the form of boons from each God. These boons alter and improve Zagreus’s standard abilities by increasing damage and adding buffs and debuffs, such as Diyonais the God of Wine’s ability to infuse special attacks with drunkenness to provide DoT or Zeus who can give Zag the ability to leave behind a pool of electricity when he uses his dash. The catch being that each God will present 3 boons that players can choose one of, so players have to weigh these decisions when they appear because like the other rewards these are also always random. The variety between all of the boons and weapons gives the player a wealth of tools to experiment and combo with.

Hades does a great job of providing a lot of variety in weapons and boons, and because of this combat is simply a blast. While it can be tough at times because the game will force playera to “make the best out of a bad situation” which is to say that one may have a weapon that they loved but once different enemies start showing up it might not be as easy to use that weapon. Players may have to rely more on debuffs and combos to take down the denizens of the underworld. Fighting in Hades is truly a fast & furious affair, each encounter a blur of dashes, attacks and brightly colored explosions. While there is a varied number of enemies to encounter as one makes their escape, some of the later bosses end up being recycled. If I had any sort of nitpick about this masterpiece it would be that I’d like to see some more variety there. This is purely a cosmetic thing, this doesn’t take from the splendor of this game at all. The horsepower of the next gen consoles is on full display when engaged in combat. Hades is all about moving fast and attacking faster, and at 60fps these actions are as smooth as silk; and the hand painted, brightly colored levels sing as brightly as a siren in native 4k.

While historically Hades is a very dark and dreary place, the depiction here is the polar opposite. Yes, there are spirits of the dead, and pools of fire but it’s all a wondrous sight to behold. Masters of the style, Supergiant’s signature painted visuals are at their very best in Hades. Though this isn’t a game about exploration, sometimes the beauty of it can be lost in the blur of combat but I implore you to take a look now and again. There are some highlighted items that provide lore around some of the rooms you’ll go in; all of these are read by the amazing narrator. But the sheer magnificence of the work that has been done on Hades deserves to be seen by as many players as possible.

I have never been a fan of the rogue-lite genre, I have never figured out why honestly. It may have been the fact that you go in knowing you are going to play the same stuff over and over and over again, whatever the reason I am a fan of how Hades does rogue-lite. Even though you will play the same areas multiple times in your quest to escape, it was enjoyable each and every time. Not only that but in no way did a defeat feel cheap, I always knew I did because I missed a dodge, or I misused an attack. That’s important I think to player morale, nothing worse than feeling like a game is cheating to make you keep playing. Hades is the complete package; compelling gameplay, remarkable character voices and depictions, a story that is slowly revealed to you, exquisite graphics and a marvelous soundtrack! If you are a fan of rogue-lites there is absolutely no reason for you to not be playing Hades, and if you aren’t a fan of the genre but enjoy action RPG’s with the above ingredients then you should give this a try. If Hades becomes the gold standard for rogue-lites going forward, then consider me a willing convert and long live the rogue lites!

Review copy of game provided by publisher.