Hades is so well put together, it’s hard to find flaws in its design. It checks all the boxes: amazing music, a masterful and witty narrative, depth and meaningful complexity, and most of all, it was just damn good fun. Hell never looked so stylish.
Completing Returnal spawned a fire in me that pushed me to start challenging myself with games that were tougher, or at least out of my usual comfort zone. I eventually toppled Demon’s Souls Remake, and that was a sigh of relief upon completion. I figured since Returnal was a roguelike, why not check out the genre a bit more? The timing could have not been more perfect because one of the most incredible games of the genre happened to grace consoles: Hades.
The concept of Hades is quite simple. You play as Zagreus, and you pretty much have a crap relationship with your father Hades and you want out. Problem is, the layers of Hell aren’t too keen on letting you disobey Daddy, so all of the inhabitants of Hell are against you in hopes of gaining favor with him (they never do). Zagreus makes it his goal to get to the surface and see his family, the Olympians, and they aid him in his quest by offering special power-ups called Boons. They each have their reasons for doing so, whether it’s just curiosity, bloodshed, or just sticking it to Hades, they offer you abilities as well as quips and some backstory into the happenings on Olympus and the state of affairs for the family in general. Many of us have read the books, poetry and stories of the Greek gods and their feats and defining characteristics, as well as the fact that they seem to possess immensely human qualities. I’m not going to get into the deep topic of mythology because, although it is one of my favorite subjects it would end up manifesting into something much bigger. For sake of simplicity, they are just like us except with vast powers and immortality. As you can imagine, this is one super dysfunctional family.
Hades took what could have been a simple death loop, and made it so it truly felt like each run was different. Over the 100+ runs I did in my 100 hours of playing, I don’t think I encountered an NPC giving me the same dialogue twice. Rogue Legacy sure had the challenge, but it absolutely lacked depth as far as a story and meaningful growth of characters. In Hades, you grew close to the characters, felt kinship with your cousins, definitely flirted with Aphrodite, and looked forward to those brief surface moments, all to do it over again. But even in doing so, you progressed. Questlines progressed through dialogue and certain events taking place, so through death you are actually progressing by having another opportunity to continue the dialogue. You invest in the Mirror of Darkness courtesy of Nyx to gain passives that will give you an edge for your next run, hopefully making it a few more floors farther.. While it is worth it to stick with a solid combination of boons while learning the ropes, you will eventually get to the point where you can clear every level of Hell regardless of what boons you have and regardless of your weapon choice.
You have several means of attack in your arsenal as you adventure to the land of the living. You you have a basic attack and special attack, which are influenced by the weapon you are wielding. You also have a cast skill, which I guess could be considered a ranged/magical attack? To top it off you can dodge…and even that can take the form of an attack with the proper boon setup. Survival is key on the mastery of these techniques, and it really just becomes a new experience once you are able to coordinate your skills in sync with the boons you have. I cannot stress to you enough that just having awesome boons will not make you successful. You will learn how to you use them properly, and what compliments your playstyle. Even the most seemingly simple boon can give you awesome might when used properly or in tandem with another.
Upgrading your weapons and your Mirror are crucial to progression in Hades. The Mirror features amazing passives that can be purchased with Darkness, a currency that can be found as rewards in some chambers, or exchanged. I find that the best way to farm Darkness is to do runs using a weapon you’ve already cleared with. Instead of items like Diamonds, you’ll get Darkness instead, and a decent amount at that. Far more than you normally would from clearing a room. Among useful upgrades are abilities that can increase chances for Legendary Boons, additional lives, and extra casting ammo. Once you have a few runs under your belt you are able to start challenging yourself even further. Why would you want to make this game harder, you ask? Well, after you clear bosses with X weapon, you can no longer get those high value rewards anymore. You are introduced to the Heat system, which allows you to adjust aspects of your run to increase difficulty, and by doing so you reset the ability to unlock items such as Titan Blood, Ambrosia, and Diamonds. Hidden Aspects are unlocked much later and drastically change the way the weapons work, almost to the point where you may need to relearn the weapon. However, they are immensely powerful when properly used. The Exagryph was not really my style but let me tell you…the Hidden Aspect makes that bad boy a shredder. Paired with an attack boon that has continuous or stacking damage, like Zeus or Ares, and it becomes a laser beam of calamity.
As you learn secrets about the family, and about yourself, you begin to uncover why things are the way they are. Nevertheless, the ever determined Zagreus continues to defy odds through the graces of the Fates themselves, and eventually makes it to the surface. In between all the constant death are moments of bonding, rivalries, insults, jokes, sorrow, despair, regret, hatred, and everything else imaginable. The House of the Dead is filled with various characters who have their own struggles, as well as the few important individuals you meet through your travels. It’s these moments of dialogue and connection that set Hades apart from something Rogue Legacy or Returnal. It feels personal, because I think everyone one of us can relate to some sort of family issue or relationship that is being strained or tested. And despite them being Gods, the dead, or everything in between, Hades somehow found a way to make it all seem so human and alive. Quests like aiding Orpheus to seek his muse just made the halls of Hell seem to grow joyful somehow when you are finally completed. Let’s not forget to mention that enthralling melody from Eurydice whenever you stumble upon her chambers. The song was so beautiful I would find myself just staying in the room a bit longer as sort of a respite from the chaos above and below. It showed that even in the pits of Hell, there was still life, love and beauty to be found for those daring enough to seek it.
Hades is so well put together, it’s hard to find flaws in its design. It checks all the boxes: amazing music, a masterful and witty narrative, depth and meaningful complexity, and most of all, it was just damn good fun. Let’s not forget how gorgeous Supergiant Games managed to make Hell and all of its denizens, it was like journeying through fine art. Perhaps the only downside I can think of is that the genre itself may not be for everyone, and even additional features like God Mode don’t guarantee success. However, for those hungering for an excellent game that will keep you pushing for the quickest clears, and challenging yourself in a plethora of ways to perfect it, Hades is a no-brainer. Make no mistake, Hades is a must-play for this generation and Supergiant Games continues to raise their own bar higher.
-Game Info-
Hades
Genre: Roguelike/Dungeon Crawler
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Release Date: 12/6/2018 | 8/13/2021
Platforms: PS4/PS5, XB1/XBS S/X, NSW, PC
-GamerDad Info-
Completed On: 9/8/2021
Played On: PS5
Time Played: 102 Hours
Rating: 9/10
Level One Gamer Dad Plays 