Hell. We're all going there. There's absolutely no two ways about it. What? You really thought you'd get to spend your life on earth mouthing off like that on the internet sans reprisal? Come on now, mate, accept your fate and grow up. However, before we all head off to roast for eternity in the fires of the forever abyss, we can at least indulge ourselves in Supergiant Games' sublime Hades, a devilishly delightful roguelite romp through the netherworld that's arrived on Switch in a port more heavenly than anything any of you lot can expect to see when you close your eyes for the final time.
Hades has of course been knocking about for a fair old while, having been in Early Access on the Epic Store since the tail end of 2018, and this lengthy gestation period has seen it updated, fine-tuned and tweaked to its current state of virtual perfection. The fact that it's so good isn't exactly a surprise; it's not like Supergiant Games hasn't already impressed the hell out of us with the likes of Bastion, Transistor and Pyre – all of whom Hades shares mucho DNA with – but this latest effort really does feel like the developer reaching some sort of high-water mark.
Where their previous titles could – if we're being really picky – feel a little weightless and light at times, where their isometric viewpoints could irritate now and again, Hades just absolutely nails it all. Everything about this game sings. From its gaudily opulent vision of the House of Hades, to its deadly death chambers, wonderfully warped roster of fiery foes and supremely tight, expansive and satisfying combat. This is the work of a developer firing on all cylinders, providing us, the eternally damned, with an exquisite experience that easily ranks as one of the very best roguelike/action-RPGs released to date.
Assuming the role of Zagreus, the cocksure, rebellious and rather likeable son of Hades himself, your task here is a straightforward one; simply hack, slash and dash your way through the very worst that your angry auld da can throw at you in order to escape hell and ascend to Mount Olympus. Easy, right? No. No, it's not. In time-honoured roguelite fashion you begin your journey here by being repeatedly smashed, albeit this time into the wonderfully intricate floors of the underworld. Starting off as weak as a kitten with a wall of boiling death stood in your way, you'll fight and die and fight and die, slowly but surely gaining strength as you go, inching further forward upon each bloody rebirth until you finally make it all the way up and out.
If it sounds a little tough, well, it is. However, the genius of Hades is that no matter how torrid a time it's dishing out, it's never anything less than exquisitely addictive fun. Everything here, every tiny detail of the combat and narrative, has been perfectly implemented, intertwined and balanced to make your journey from meek little kitten-child to great big bloody death lion of the eternal abyss an absolute joy that you'll find yourself returning to time and again once the credits have rolled on your first successful trip.
Dropping into the exquisitely detailed environs of Tartarus for the first time, Stygian Blade in hand, trembling at the thought of what's to come, you'll be greeted with a random gift from the gods, your generous Olympian relatives and benefactors who are on hand to aid you in your repeated escape attempts. These gifts take the form of run-specific boons, upgrades to your weapons and abilities that you can pick and choose between to tailor Zagreus for action.
Zeus, for example, can imbue your weapons with lightning damage and cause your dash move to fire off bolts at nearby foes. Dionysus adds a hangover effect to your attacks and movements that causes continuous damage to enemies you come into contact with, whilst Hermes provides you with increased speed and agility, giving you extra dash movements and blazingly fast attacks to help you dodge and weave your way through the mayhem. There are a whole host of Olympians here, and each one has a plethora of boosts and boons for you to get to grips with.
Each death chamber that you enter as you make your way through Hades' four biomes gifts you with these boons and rewards and, upon completing each one, you'll be presented with multiple paths forward. Each of these paths offers a different prize for success, enabling you to pick and choose how you'd like to curate your build as you progress. Want to focus on unlocking more of your arsenal of weapons? Take the route indicated by a key symbol. Want to earn more gold coin or treasure to buy temporary buffs or pay your father's architect to add healing rooms to your next run? Open the doors indicating gold and treasure. There are routes that let you focus on each of the various Olympian's perks and powers and it results in a wonderfully flexible system that ensures things never grow old, no matter how many times your dad's big bads beat you down.
Added to this almost endless barrage of tactical options are the weapons you'll employ in combat. You'll start out with the relatively straightforward, up-close and personal joy of the Stygian Blade then expand your arsenal to include the likes of a bow for ranged combat, a shield that's perfect for ricocheting through groups of foes – a real spectacle when it's charged with a little bit of Zeus' lightning – a spear that can be violently flung across rooms and recalled with the touch of a button and a great big pair of bludgeoning fists. The weapons here are a wonderfully varied bunch that, when mixed and matched with all of the boons on offer, give you a ton of choice in how you want to kit yourself out to meet the challenges ahead.
Alongside all of this there are also permanent upgrades to be applied to Zagreus using darkness shards gathered on your deadly runs. With these you'll increase your core attack stats, gain additional dashes, get more opportunities to earn vitality and, importantly, acquire the gift of death defiance, enabling you to resurrect a number of times with a semi-full HP bar upon being defeated. There are, in short, a ton of moving parts and elements here – we haven't even covered keepsakes or boon rarity levels – but they've been handled with such a deft touch that the whole thing still feels slick, unfussy and simple to navigate. Combat here is never sullied by distractions or collectibles, breakable scenery doesn't interrupt proceedings by hiding rewards, there's nothing but the flow of combat to focus on during battle, and it's some of the best battling we've encountered in quite some time.
The enemies you'll encounter as you dash and blast your way through the halls of Tartarus, acrid ash plains of Asphodel and lush fields of Elysium are thrown at you in carefully considered formations rather than simply piled on for the sake of difficulty. Chambers full of nasties and boss battles that initially seem like insurmountable obstacles slowly become gauntlets that you can run, not just successfully, but with plentiful style.
Each of the weapons Zag has at his disposal has its benefits and shortcomings – we're currently besotted with the Eternal Spear's long reach and devastating spin attack – and in experimenting with the many boons offered to you by the Olympians, you'll find ways in which to upgrade them that fit your playstyle like a glove. Firing your electrified spear through a crowd of wretched thugs and numbskulls, ricocheting the Shield of Chaos around a room full of bone-rakers and inferno-bombers while all the while dashing and dodging, leaving pools of poison or ejecting great big bolts of Zeus' lightning... it's truly sublime stuff that feels gritty and satisfying and endlessly addictive.
However, where Hades really comes into its own, where it really sets itself apart from other roguelites that manage to nail the combat side of things, is how it handles its narrative. Each and every one of the many Olympian and Chthonic Gods you encounter here is wonderfully well written and acted, with a ton of incidental dialogue pertaining to how you've just performed in your most recent run. The story unfolds in its own time, whether you're doing well and making progress or suffering harshly at the hands of your father's fiends, and that core relationship between Zagreus and Hades is a constantly entertaining one with plenty of intrigue and incident to keep you hooked.
As you wander the resplendent corridors of the House of Hades between sorties you'll get to know Nyx, Orpheus, Achilles and even Cerberus – a good three-headed doggo who loves a gentle pet on his heads as much as the next mutt – and all of these relationships can be enhanced and furthered by continued conversation and by plying your favourites with sweet nectar plundered on the field of battle. It's an almost dating-simulator-esque element that nets you rewards and reveals little secrets here as you go, making the downtime between escape attempts an absolute joy, rather than just the usual boring void of menu screens and stats that it's so often presented as.
It's this gloriously heady mix between a superbly-handled narrative and that wonderfully brutal and flexible combat that makes Hades the all-consuming joy that it is. It's just a perfect combination and it all looks and sounds fantastic, with a wonderfully vibrant art style that's absolutely dripping in tiny little details and grotesqueries. On Switch, happily, this is a hugely impressive port, running at 720p in handheld and 1080p in docked. It aims for 60fps and, for the vast majority of its running time, it manages it, with just a few fairly minimal drops when things get properly hectic on-screen.
Graphically, it's also pretty much a match for the PC version as far as we can tell and looks truly stunning in handheld where the action remains impressively readable no matter how hectic things get – this one really is an absolute joy to play portably. Cross saves too, although greyed out as an option just now, are on their way in an upcoming patch, a pretty big deal for those of us who've been indulging since this one originally hit early access.
Overall then, Hades is Supergiant Games' greatest achievement to date – no mean feat considering the quality of what they've produced thus far. It's a rip-roaring rampage through a glorious vision of hell that marries its story and combat together to wonderful effect. We've been enjoying this one for quite some time on PC and to have it delivered to Switch in a port of this quality, well, it makes the knowledge that we'll all soon be roasting in the great forever fire just that little bit easier to bear.
Conclusion
Hades is a sublime mix of satisfyingly gritty and flexible combat, a wonderfully vibrant art style and genuinely fun and engaging narrative. Supergiant Games has an excellent track record thus far but this really does feel its finest hour, a rip-roaring rampage through the underworld that's arrived here on Switch in a port that's nigh-on perfect. Even if you're yet to be swayed by the admittedly repetitive ebb and flow of the roguelike genre, we passionately urge you to at least give this one a try; for fans of the genre or anyone even remotely interested, this is one heavenly vision of hell that we highly recommend you sacrifice yourself to.
Comments 149
Yup, 10/10. I’ve been addicted all weekend. Seriously hard to put down!
Edit - Oh meant to add, it has a “God Mode” option in the menu which has no negative side effects - doesn’t disable anything, doesn’t count against you. What it does is give you a 20% base damage reduction, and it increases every death by 2% hitting a cap of 80%. Super added this as a way to help combat the death/repeat cycle that can turn people away. It’s a perfect way to get a little extra mileage per run without feeling like you’re invincible, and also allows the player to eventually see the ending even if they’re horrible at rogues.
Cue people having issues with 10/10 scores. Me, I'm utterly delighted when a game impresses a reviewer enough for such an occasional scoring.
We all know no game is 'perfect' and giving a game a 10/10 doesn't mean that. It means it's a very special game that deserves to be placed alongside a finite group of other masterpieces – and we all know it's a subjective view – so let's not go round in circles with this, and just celebrate another masterpiece coming to the Switch.
I'm glad i waited for the switch version, it's even better than the review makes it out to be
It looks amazing. Just dont have the money. Also, can you soom in the camera?
Really enjoying this. Sufficiently impressed with supergiant's previous catalogue I pre-ordered. Very glad I did.
Definitely expected a 10/10 review, it's just that good a game imo.
Man, it's hard to support Supergiant with their constant console switching and exclusivity deals. This does sound good though.
Wow, every indie game now is getting a 10/10... I still feel sad the very best indie game ever, Hollow Knight, got a 9.
"Hades - A Heavenly Trip Into Hell That's Utterly Essential For All Switch Owners"
Will I like it even if I hate roguelike games??
Wow, very tempted to pick this up. I had a decent time with Transistor, though the art style and atmosphere weren't for me. This whole concept looks way more epic and compelling though. Plus I'm just waking up to the roguelites thanks to Mana Spark, so could definitely be swayed to what looks like a more seminal example of the genre. On the wishlist it goes.
It’s riding high on the European eShop chart and there’s a LOT of people on my Friend’s List playing this! Happy to see it doing so well, I’m absorbed in Super Mario 3D All-Stars myself at the minute. Looking forward to your Ori review @nintendolife, absolutely adored the first one!
Wow!
I had sworn off roguelikes after I hit a skill level wall at Dead Cells 4BC, but this review makes me rethink that decision.
Is there a high skill level requirement to ‘complete’ this game too? As is the case in Dead Cells?
Been struggling to put this down since grabbing it yesterday. Really good game which definatly deserves that 10/10 score.
@Dm9982 that God Mode sounds perfect. I'd not turn it on by default as I'm always inclined to see how I get on but that sort of defined auto-handicap I like. I'd hope that it lets you know how much of it you've used as itd give an ongoing measure of how you're doing.
Very tempted by this game.
Well, since I just finished Summer in Mara, which is nowhere close to the 3 this outlet awarded it, to name just the latest example, I have exactly zero faith in the accuracy of this score, so I'll stick with my general disinterest in roguelikes, roguelites, roguelooks, roguelifes, roguelochs, and whatever other subgenres people insist on recognizing nowadays.
Absolutely deserves a 10, best game I’ve played all year. I played it on PC all the way through beta and now it’s out, it’s better than I ever could have thought. I never thought there could be a roguelike that surpassed Isaac but here it is. This and Disco Elysium are the only two ports I could ever wish for, not for myself but for all those Switch owners who get to play them.
Really, this is quite special. Up there with Celeste, Shovel Knight, Into the Breach and Hollow Knight!
@oatmaster It’s a really nice feature, and you can turn it on and off at will. Even mid run. It’s nice to see options like that included in games now days!
This and Rebel Galaxy Outlaw are all I want this month. I got Hades day one. Transistor is one of my all-time favorite games and I see myself playing this more due to the nature of the game. Hades is glorious. The reviewer said it all. This is a must have. Supergiant, you’re one of my heroes.
Downloaded it immediately when it went up on the eShop. Haven't gotten a chance to play it yet but it's next on my list, looking forward to it.
This game is utterly incredible. Been addicted all weekend.
It would have been cool so see some online multiplayer options.
Although It'd be nice to have multiplayer - I kinda like it when a developer commits to making a very focused single-player only experience. Sometimes games dissipate themselves trying to do too much.
May get round to this eventually when I can put Mario 64 down. I've grabbed it during the launch discount b cause of outstanding reviews across the board. Ori 2 can wait for a sale I think.
The latest partner direct was certainly better than the others before it.
@Dm9982 I've cashed in a few carts worth of gold points and bought it for fifteen quid, sounds like it's worth it.
Woah, 10/10. That was unexpected. Downloading it off my wishlist straight away.
Thanks for the revw
I was looking at this in the eShop to play with my son, it looks really good, but when I got to the bottom of the page and it said 1 player I moved on.
I'll let him know about it, more his thing than mine.
I'd be the first to admit I'm not much a fan of roguelikes myself but I decided to purchase this on a whim after the Direct due to being a fan of Supergiant's other titles. Needless to say I'm impressed and find myself quite addicted to Hades, ha. The game positively oozes with style, the writing is so good and the gameplay is fast, weighty and satisfying. I'm really glad I took the chance on it. The 10/10 score is well earned.
Oh man, too many good games. This looks cool.
WOW holy F##k, all the fantastic franchises and studios that exist, and this pulls the first ten I've ever seen. I was kinda on the fence, not anymore.
Is the writing as inconsistent as it is in these few screenshots?
This game came out of nowhere....
10/10 also..
@geox30 and Slay the Spire. Don't forget that one 😉
@FantasiaWHT You mean the two screenshots with dialogue from characters with totally different personalities? What kind of consistency were looking for, there, exactly?
Read fine to me. Don't know the context, but Hades seems like a snide overlord, and Hermes, fittingly, seems like he can't even wait for words to tumble out formally.
This game has gotten its hooks into me deep. I’ve already put around 25 hours into it since it hit Switch. That’s quite a bit for me. The gauntlets are the best.
I've been holding out for this Switch version! Will be picking it up coming week. Just love Supergiant and their creative outlook on videogames. Especially the art direction and overall game feel. Hyped!
Love this game. I’m not one to pick up random indies on day 1, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised myself. I love the different combinations of weapons and boons I’ve picked up in my dozen or so runs and expect I’ll be playing a lot more in the next few weeks
Another great game begging to be played is not what I need right now! I was afraid Hades would review so well I’d feel compelled to get it. I’ll just wait patiently for the physical release someday and hopefully catch up on the backlog by then.
I usually pass on Roguelites (I made an exception for GoNNER that I do not regret — that game was great), but this review and everything I have read elsewhere really makes this game sound special. I guess I will have to give it a go, once I can justify another gaming purchase (the 1 + 2 punch of 3D All-Stars and November's Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has eaten up my gaming budget for a while).
If I strongly dislike Bastion (which I know a lot of people love), is there any hope of my enjoying Hades?
I haven’t played this before. Is it basically Diablo?
@aaronsullivan No, even within characters' own lines. The screenshots with dialogue have mysteriously disappeared from this article for me, but it jumped out at me immediately. And the cerberus line is eye-rolling.
I was so impressed with the videos and the reviews in the past days that I decided I'll buy it and play after the 3D collection. It will be my first rogue-like (or lite)
@Murbs
Sure, that's great too!
I'm always really happy when Supergiant Games achieve great things with their games. Greg Kassavin, one of the most passionate games journalists and reviewers works for them.
@sketchturner Honestly, I wasn't that into Bastion either, clearly a brilliant game but it wasn't for me. This is just next level.
I say I hate rogues but I loved and still play Dead Cells and this is even better.
This game is a masterpiece. Not even 5 minutes in and I knew it was special. Everything about it just clicks so smoothly.
The voice acting, the music, the art, the flow, the upgrades, the story and dark humor and most importantly the flawless gameplay.
So many systems at play and they are all rolled out in a way that’s easy to understand and never overwhelming as part of the story which is brilliant. The combat may appear to be repetitive but it isn’t and nothing else is because of the way the story and upgrades are handed out.
Anybody on the fence and saying they don’t like rogueslite:likes do not worry.
Not for me, but glad to hear it's a good port.
Fingers crossed for a physical version!
Cross save functionality between PC and Switch (or other consoles) is the best idea ever. I love the flexibility it provides.
As for the game, it looks fabulous, I need to pick it up soon. Too many big games on the go right now though.
Hmm. A lot of rogue-lites or whatever that scored highly here on NL, I ended up regretting my time with. Didn't enjoy Dead Cells, got tired of dying in Steredenn, etc. But they make this game sound quite good. And I do like Transistor. Maybe I'll chance it...would have preferred a female or customizable lead, but oh well.
An absolute gift from the gods! 10/10 very much deserved!
I really liked Dead Cells, but this game has deep story and characters, so I really want to pick this up soon.
Deciniteky want this but hoping for a physical release
Got it right away I don’t regret it at all
My friend had Early Access to this, and kept telling me how great it was. I picked it up the moment it was available on the Switch, and haven't played anything else since. So good.
@Zeldafan79 That's why the score is labeled as outstanding. Not perfect
Not just the review, but the impressions of other commentors make this sound like a must-play (even though I'm not a huge fan of the genre). I'll definitely try it when I have the chance.
Hades is excellent, but this review is very misleading and inaccurate with regard to the Switch port's visual parity with the PC version. It looks good running at a native 720p in handheld mode, yes, but it looks significantly worse in docked mode. It runs at 720p in docked as well (confirmed by the developers), and it's then scaled up by the Switch to 1080p if that's what your system is set to output. The end result is a very soft, noisy, and shimmery image where even HUD/UI elements show obvious artifacts. It's a severe downgrade from the crisp presentation of the PC version, and I think that this review should be corrected to reflect that.
@Dm9982 the adjustable difficulty really makes this appealing to me. Might get this at full price.
Good stuff, yet another on my eShop wishlist.
Definitely plan on getting this after i saw it in the recent Direct. Looks awesome. Someone said if you like dead cells you'll like Hades and Dead Cells is my second most play Switch game so I'm looking forward to this. This might be next up after i work my way through the new Mario All-Stars.
My goodness a 10?!
yet again the dark sides rocks
@JimmySpades
I mean every other review website has given it a top end score as well, but don’t let that get in the way of your grumping.
i didn't like it. it's similar to every rouge like
@Dualmask i didn't like dead cell too and i don't like a lot hades. for me it's a 6.5/7
Now they need to develop loot based and m online multiplayer with same genetics as this run.
From what I’m hearing, this one actually legitimately deserves the 10/10.
Everyone who’s played it says it’s incredible. I bought it but haven’t started it yet.
@CTmatic No, it's nothing like Diablo other than it being isometric.
I'll probably pick it up on steam, see about a physical release on switch if it happens.
I've been participating in early access for over a year with this game on PC. It is every bit as incredible as this review makes it out to be. It has been honed to a near-flawless edge by now, please do yourself a favor and play it.
I did think it looked very promising, all the co signs here have sealed the deal. Next purchase for sure 👍
Totally agree with that 10. Regardless of whatever small issues it may have, I'd say this sets a new standard against which other rogue lites should be judged
For me its a 11/10. I was really looking really forward to this one, but then I forgot about it... and playing it from the moment it came out and cant put the switch away... Its a bit hard and I love the way it is... not going to use the god mod which would ruin it...
I’ve not played a rogue lite, but this seems a good place to start!
So, to the "There's no such thing as a perfect game" crowd, #1: Note the word 'Outstanding' beneath the points. It did not say perfect. Which leads into #2: If you close off the ability to ever give a 10, 9 becomes the new perfect, since it's the highest achievable. So it's a flawed argument at best. Perfect scores are used to denote when a game and all it's parts work together so well it changes "playing a game" into "having an experience".
In short? Some of y'all need to ask for pliers for Christmas to pull the thorns out of your backsides. Gaming is supposed to be about having fun, not being pretentious arsefaces.
Yesterday was my first day with the game and I spent at least five hours with it, completely enthralled. I clicked this review fully expecting, if not demanding to see a 10/10. They seem rare enough here on NL, and regardless I believe Hades truly deserves the score and praise.
@rockodoodle Yeah, as far as the rogue genre goes, this one is pretty easy comparatively. Plus that God Mode, while not an immediate crutch, does help lengthen each successive run so you don’t feel like you’re not progressing. Do know that the narrative plays out each time you die, so there’s really no sting of dying unlike other rogues. The moment you die, you know you’re getting more story, and unlocking more stuff.
@oatmaster Awesome, enjoy man! Really is a fun and great game! Especially if you’re a fan of old school Zelda / Diablo style of combat, Greek mythos, and well written but also humorous stories.
Don’t be afraid of God Mode starting out, can always turn off, especially if it’s too easy and you’re not dying / getting story progression - the game is a LOT more story focused than any other rogue I’ve played, and this is a great thing actually. And as you unlock the weapons, experiment and find which works best for you - then stick with it for awhile so that you can progress further into Tartarus. Like me for example, I suck with the melee weapons, but am really good with the Bow. I’ve managed to clear 3 full areas with the bow already, but have yet to beat the first Fury with any other weapon.
@the_beaver Absolutely. I have been eyeing this game since I saw it in a GameInformer magisine (magisine?) And boy does it deliver. It's gameplay is tough, but fair, the voice acting is top-notch, the art is gorgeous, and it has amazing characters. Trust me, this game deserves the 10 out of 10.
First time seeing a non-Nintendo game earning a 10/10. May check it out soon.
@rjejr Why not play “pass the controller” old school style on every death as a way to play 2 player? This game would work that way well!
@CTmatic Not really like Diablo except the isometric camera and hellish setting. There’s no leveling, and gear doesn’t drop from enemies, instead it’s rewarded via completing a room. The combat is closer to a brawler / God of War than it is Diablo. It’s a rogue lite so progression is also vastly different than Diablo - rogues are all about making it as far as you can without dying, then taking some form of currency with you at death - coins, keys, etc - to unlock permanent upgrades and findables for future runs, inching your way towards the end. Don’t let that turn you off as it’s a lot more fun and rewarding than it sounds, PLUS Hades has a story that gets unfolded at each death. Expect to die, a lot, before you hit end game.
Some of the toughest rogue games out there have you dying 100-200 times before you manage to beat the first boss typically. Hades however is much more forgiving, and I managed to beat the first Fury on my second run.
Plus as I mentioned earlier, there’s a God Mode option that gives you more and more damage reduction at every death.
Fantastic game, one of the best on the system.
I didn't like Bastion at all, so il give Hades a miss.
Definitely going to give game a shot. Been playing Super mario 3d all stars, and Wwe 2k battlegrounds!!
What a well written review! Great work!
The game looks absolutely gorgeous from the screenshots. Having a narrative that's also interesting really seems to add to this game. I would love to purchase this as a physical piece, but I'll go digital on this for now.
Yup. Great review, but also some great and helpful comments. I don't think I ever liked as many comments before in one thread. Thanks!
@OmegaDestroyer I agree, it IS really hard to support a developer who makes good games.
/s
Get over yourself. The company has done what it had to do to make the games it wanted to. The fact that Switch is the first console on the books for arguably their best game is a boon for Switch owners, and I’m sure it will come to other platforms in time like nearly every other title they’ve made has.
Seems decent but this is one of those developers who has a very passionate cult like following so I take 10's with a grain of salt. The style of game definitely isn't the most appealing to me and I somewhat recently got Bastion on sale so I think I will just play that before I consider this.
Thanks for the review and all the great comments from those who've played it! Now plan to pick it up ASAP
@Eddy9000 Well, I was letting NintendoLife know that they're undermining their own credibility, doing a large disservice to games they underreview by costing them sales and audience, and even doing a disservice to games they review well by contributing to their dismissal in a crying wolf sort of way, but sure, we'll go with I'm a grump.
@JayJ Know that my review is unbiased towards SG, I haven’t played Bastion or Transistor yet. But if you like Dead Cells, Isaac, Gungeon, or God of War / Greek mythos, there’s a very high chance you’ll enjoy this. It truly is awesome. Like Diablo, Dead Cells, and God of War had a badass baby.
@Dm9982 Well I do love classic Diablo games so I will have to check this out. Thanks for the comment and the review!
I told myself I had too many games and I wasn't going to buy this one but now I feel compelled by some evil power.
A perfect 10?
Well, this looks like one heck of a good game!
... What, I'm not saying THAT word. I'm a good toad.
@DJ_Cheemstar if it helps, it's on sale for $20 instead of $25. Dunno for how long
Gotta give this mario allstars some love first. On the wish list it goes!
What the..... BUT THIS ISNT MADE BY NINTENDO!
I’ve been watching the making of this on No Clip YouTube, they were there from the beginning so it’s an interesting watch. Happy to see it’s doing well in reviews
@the_beaver No, because you hate roguelike games
I'm not the biggest fan of rouguelikes or even RPGs, but I like a bit of action in a fantasy setting. I love Redeemer, which is basically Gauntlet with ultra violence, and also Cat Quest, an action RPG that's not too confusing with good combat (and cats).
You reckon I'll like this, amigos?
I've done 21 runs now and so far the furthest I've got is to the final boss of the third area. That was with the grenade launcher- I am absolutely loving it. I've been in this position before though with Dead Cells, which I was really enjoying but as soon as I beat it once I was done, didn't want to do it again. Hoping that doesn't happen here and that completing a run is just the start.
@TossedLlama The music I did t notice too much. However there are two characters that I've come across that pertain to music; a court musician in the house of hades that has lost the will to sing (but they're close to singing again)
And a random encounter out in the underworld that once you enter the room you just hear this wonderful melodic voice that you could just get lost in.
Amazing game and perfect for me during the pandemic/lockdown--I keep myself pretty busy and this game is great in one hour or less bursts of playtime. I'm satisfied even if I only have time to play 15 minutes. The art style rocks and the voice work is fantastic. I sometimes voice the lines along with the game to see if I can match the bravado of some of the voice actors.
What the......a 10!?! Ok this game got my attention
Started playing on Saturday afternoon, then put switch away and went to bed on Sunday morning. This one takes the best of Bastion and Transistor and put it all on steroids. Also liked the humor - was laughing non-stop first couple of hours.
@Dm9982
"rogues are all about making it as far as you can without dying, then taking some form of currency with you at death - coins, keys, etc - to unlock permanent upgrades and findables for future runs, inching your way towards the end."
Rogues are literally all about the opposite of that. If it's a roguelike, nothing transfers over except your (hopefully) improved knowledge of how to play the game. Dead is dead and nothing is ever the same again.
Greek Gods weren't black
@brunojenso Depends what you count the score as indicating. To me you should look it as how much does the reviewer recommend it. So a 10/10 doesn't indicate a perfect game per se(as you say thats impossible) but one that has the reviewers highest recommendation.
@elpardo1984 Agreed! – that's a very nice way of interpreting the score.
@durr , please, go read some history aside from your school curriculum if don't want to sound racist. There were black rulers in Greece the same as there were black emperors in Rome. I'm not saying that there should be a black character everywhere, but here they are not out of place.
I picked this up last night and it’s incredible. I like it even more than Dead Cells, and I really liked that too. The writing, story, and artwork is top notch all around.
I love that the bosses remember your fights and slightly mock you cause you’re back for another round. It makes finally beating them much more satisfying.
I saw some complaints about it being 720p docked. Honestly, I really don’t see much of a downgrade, cause the line work and art style do well at hiding it. The text is still very legible too.
Pick this up, seriously, it’s worth every penny.
I've been really enjoying this on PC but didn't wanna restart my game on the Switch. Guess I'll have to grab it when the cross-play is enabled.
@Dm9982 "on every death"
Oh, it's 1 of those games? Thanks for the info.
I'm more of a "I just died in The WItcher 3 so I'm loading the previous autosave" kind of gamer. I thought this was more of a Gauntlet, Diablo type game. I have no use of dieing.
Thanks, saved me a purchase.
Eh, I'll probably buy this later. I'm neck-deep in the preorders list of mine and I'm currently playing through 3D All Stars.
@shaneoh which rogues are you talking about?? Dead Cells, Gungeon, Rogue Legacy, Streets or Rogue, Hades, Fury Unleashed, etc all have something that does carry over at death -> a currency used to spend on buying some sort of perma upgrade or unlockable drop, to be used on successive runs.
Maybe I could have phrased it better to include they’re also about improving yourself each run, and learning enemy patterns.
Sorry, I gotta nitpick for just a sec and this isn't directed at anyone. Hades doesn't run hell. He runs the afterlife, which is composed of places for really good people, one for us average folk, and one for really awful people.
@rjejr np! Sorry you won’t get to enjoy it, cause it is an awesome game. But I understand rogues aren’t for everyone, just like I don’t like shooters (except for Borderlands).
Do know that unlike every other game I’ve played, there literally is no “sting of death” in this one. You actually look forward to dying as you’ll get more convos unlocked with the denizens of Tartarus - Hades, Nyx, Achilles, etc.... and you can pet Cerberus. 🤣
@Dm9982 "and you can pet Cerberus."
In 2020 gaming dog petting is really all that matters.
I am going to tell my son about this one, he's much more into these types of games than I am. Maybe he can enjoy it and go a full day without asking me if there was any Silksong news. Though I think he'd settle for some SSBU season pass news as well.
great great game. i would like to keep playing 3D all stars but i can’t. i must play hades! love it!
@BongoBongo123 i really disliked bastion too. Like I have no clue where the love comes from. One of the most bland and boring games imo. I was all in on this game looking at the trailer until I read its the same creators as bastion. My severe dislike for bastion tainted my expectations of this. With all that said, this reviewed way too well to pass it up so down the road I might look at it.
On a boring business trip... Until I downloaded and played this. Now, I may never leave.
@NintendoByNature Bastion didn't hook me either. I can't even stop thinking about Hades.
@Bret so its that good huh?
@TossedLlama The music is, as with all their games, excellent. Also, based on what I saw in their AMA yesterday, they have no plans right now for a physical copy.
@BongoBongo123 That's a shame because Hades is light years better than all their other titles. Bastion bored me so I didn't get very far, Transistor was a cool concept and I loved the setting , but the combat never clicked so again, I didn't get very far. But I've been hooked on Hades for a few days now and it absolutely is worth picking up.
One of the best games ever. Seriously. This is a genuine contender for Game of the Year. It's that rare thing, a genuinely perfect game.
Hades also makes me feel what Ancient Romans would be like with their home decor if they were around today which is cool.
@CTmatic Not even close.
@DanTee That's good to know. I bounced off these two games the same way you did (wanted to love it but gameplay just wasn't interesting enough - played maybe 2 hours of each), and was wondering if Hades would be different or not.
OMG OMG OMG the gameplay in this game is soooo amazing !!!!
I love it
After watching trailer or gameplay i was thinking - well this game can be cool ..
But after playing 1 hour i know this is not cool game ...
this is amazing game and one of the best i played in my whole life
@Lionyone ave !
@Zeldafan79 Giving a game a 10/10 doesn't mean it's perfect (for me at least). It means that the game is good enough to overcome its issues, and that its pros are so good, its cons don't matter.
@the_beaver Probably not. The story is very enjoyable, but if you don't like the roguelike gameplay loop, you probably won't enjoy it that much.
Yeah, a 10...but roguelike means immediately a pass for me.
@Henmii This game is pretty great. I hate rouge-likes, but this one is different. I can't help but come back to it since the story keeps unfolding each and every attempt. I thought that the cosmetic additions were just that, but no, they too play a part. This game was very well done, and I'm glad I decided to take a leap of faith on it.
@Ness_Main I don't know about that. I thought the same since I detest these types of games, but the story and all the different things the game allows you to is simply awesome. I watched a few different non-spoiler gameplays to help me decide. Glad I gave it a shot.
One of the best games ever !!
Picked this up last week. Spent about 10 hours as a casual gamer playing and having to restart after each death. This is definitely NOT a 10/10, in my opinion. As a top-down isometric action dungeon crawler with reasonable gameplay and unique art style, I wouldn only give this a 7/10 at the most. Anything over this feels like it is just sponsored or biased. Hades has a godmode, but I am trying to avoid using that. Overall the monotony after hours of death makes it feel quite dated. The gameplay and mechanics seem to reduce the replayability each round, meaning the fun factor is steadily decreasing by about every 15 minutes because of this. Eventually it feels like you will just get bored of this and its approach to gameplay. Just put it down and not really care about playing again after to 1500th death.
Yeah, it's a phenomenal game. I love how fast and frenetic the combat is. I find myself just dashing around like a mad man. Really gorgeous art direction too. That being said, I made it all the way to what is presumably the final boss, thought I had him beat, then of course he had a second health bar. I was then thoroughly trounced in spite of having the max amount of death defiances going in. I kinda lost my will to play after that, but I'm sure I'll revisit soon.
@bigbankhank claiming anyone giving a review score of above 7 may be biased/sponsored seems questionable. If I were a reviewer, I probably give it a 10/10 because of how it excels in various areas such as combat, price-point, and voice acting to name a few. Given many agree that it is a phenomenal game, it may just be that this style of game is not for you. And thats fine.
this is GOTY for me hands down.
I don't need it
I don't need it
I certainly do not need it
I NEED IT!!!!!!!!
@Friendly So you swore off Roguelikes because you couldn't beat a game on Extra Hard difficulty?
I mean 0 Blood Cells is normal difficulty. Not everyone is supposed to be able to beat a game like that on Extreme. I know I don't have the patience for it but it took 40 hours just to get a good enough loadout and skill level to beat it on normal.
Seems weird to expect to be able to beat a game on Extreme difficulty.
@guerilladust no, that’s not the complete reason. I mainly swore it off because it’s the same over and over and over again. And at a point I did not progress anymore at all, for 15 hours straight.
Wasted hours in my opinion. I prefer games where I at least find a few korok seeds or something within those 15 hours.
For a completionist like me, not being able to finish a game on the hardest difficulty is.... difficult to deal with . I always try to 100% every game I play on the hardest difficulty. But roguelikes at a point feel like you’re doing the same over and over and over again. And the developers ramped up the difficulty a lot compared to... not-roguelikes. And that’s hard for me to deal with
I never 100% games. But it looks so insanely fun that I actually might. Every chamber is different (kinda like dungeons) and the interactions are funny. The voice acting is so good. The gods looks super cool. This is just an overall great game. The random chamber and heats make the game super replayable. Which means I'm going to be playing this thing whenever I can. I don't think there are any cons to this game. If I were to be super picky I would say I wish you could zoom in more but that's just a small peeve. At least it isn't like the og FF7 where you had to squint to even get an idea of where cloud was. There are some frame rate drops. Most notably when you select a weapon that has the 20% darkness boost and sometimes during chambers but other than that it's a great game
Looks good. Too bad it‘s another roguelike with, as a consequence, boring generic (literally) levels. I kind of just don‘t like playing with random number generators.
I am happy that Xbox players are gonna get to enjoy Hades now
10 is overrated for this game. People talk up the story but the game design of a journal tracking you need to talk to each character 50 more times to advance a tiny piece of that character is an awful chore. All the encounters feel samey and repeating over and over sucked any enjoyment. I have realized Supergiant’s games aren’t for me and won’t be buying whatever they come out with regardless of the reviews.
I just got it on sale for half off! Been on my wishlist so thought I’d bite the bullet. Can’t wait!
Since I saw that the devs are making a sequel to the game, I decided to take a look at the original, as I'd never even heard of the game before - and wow - this game seems like an absolute gem. Between the 10/10 review and the nearly universal praise in the comments section, I'm sold. I can't wait to see what all of the hype is about!
As an unrelated aside, I feel like I need to address something I'd read regarding @monterxz 's response to @durr 's remark about there being "no black greek gods":
While I agree that durr's comment sounded pretty racist, your suggestion that he should "go back to school" came across as unintentionally ironic, given the fact that there were no black Roman or Greek rulers or emperors - or at least none that were ever recoded. Yes, Roman Emperor Septimus Severus (if that was who you were referring to) was born in Africa, there is no evidence that he was black. What few descriptions of his appearance there are simply state that he had a tan appearance at best.
Maybe you ought to consider returning to school yourself?
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