Hades Review

Supergiant Games can’t seem to miss. Starting with Bastion in 2011, the tight-knit group has strung together a series of games that have earned them a lot of praise and have resulted in the almost Naughty Dog-level expectation that whatever they make is worth playing. If there’s one thing you can expect in their games, it’s narrative value in multiple playthroughs. It stands to reason that for their most recent game in Hades, they’d strike out on an adventure to make an engrossing rogue-lite experience.

Hades follows the story of Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he does his best to do what you’re not supposed to be able to do – escape the Underworld. Zagreus has his eyes set on Olympus, and despite his very disapproving father, is willing to tear apart the domain he’s called home if it means he can be free of it. Zag is feeling a bit rebellious, it seems, and for good reason, as you’ll find out. Onwards and upwards then, as we hack and slash our way through Hades’ hordes and henchmen, climbing toward the surface passing Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx. No small task even for a demigod, but thankfully young Zagreus isn’t entirely alone.

The cast list of Hades is a deep one, and you’ll be coming across many names anyone with a passing knowledge of Greek Mythology would have heard of before. Most of these characters are on Zagreus’ side, as they understand his plight and see no harm in his actions. More than that, many of them are willing to help him attain his goals, including Hades’ wife Nyx, who above all is hopeful for her son. That’s not all, however, as the crew from Mount Olympus is also willing to help their relative join their never-ending party. They can barely sense him through Nyx’s obfuscation of the underworld but can communicate with him and send him aid when the opportunity arises. Poor Hades is on an island all by himself, it seems.

Off you go, then, first through Tartarus before continuing, with the first of several eventually available weapons in your hands being Zagreus’ trusty sword. From the get-go, you’ll be presented with your first boon – that aforementioned aid from your Olympian friends. Like just about everything you’ll encounter in Hades, the boons you will be presented with are randomized and specific to the god or demi-god providing them. You might be inflicting weakness with your attacks thanks to Aphrodite, or dashing a couple of extra times thanks to Hermes, but every run will be different, and your selections will largely be determined by what you think will work best in each run. Furthermore, your weapon of choice will also change what many of the boons will provide, so it’s nearly impossible to experience the same run twice. Choose your boons, clear out those rooms, and climb as far as you can is the name of the game. You’ll be matching might with some of the more potent warriors under Hades’ employment along the way, and unless you’re some sort of demigod yourself, you will inevitably bite the dust more than a few times while attempting to reach the mortal realm at the surface.

As this is a roguelite and not a roguelike, your death is rarely ever in vain. Each run through the Underworld will net you experience points to be used to level passive bonuses at your handy dandy oversized bedroom mirror, as well as other currencies and items to help make your future runs a bit easier. For example, you can collect gems to pay Hades’ contractors to install safe zones randomly throughout the various realms of the Underworld. You can also collect keys that allow you to unlock other weapons to use, or further upgrade tiers at that unnaturally large mirror. Nectar and ambrosia you pick up can also be of use as you gift them to the various characters you come across, unlocking keepsakes that also provide passive benefits to aid you in your attempted ascensions. Just knowing that you’re always getting something out of a run is a great relief from knowing you have to dive right back in again, but some of the real magic to be experienced in Hades is its ability to make every run feel just different enough to keep it feeling fresh.

I don’t mean in the general sense that a randomized dungeon system like this provides by default, but more because Supergiant did that thing again where they’re immeasurably good at weaving character development and story progression into gameplay. Each time you venture into the Underworld, your interactions with the Olympians, and your enemies, evolve with your experience. Cheeky interactions between boon selections and the choices you make at various points bring a remarkably organic feeling story and character progression that you’re unlikely to expect from a game in this genre let alone actually find an equal to in any other. This kind of emergent storytelling, as gut-wrenching as it is to use that kind of buzzword, is what I have come to expect from Supergiant, and Hades is in my opinion their best effort yet in this regard. It’s arguably an intangible skill that they have as a team, it’s certainly their signature trait at this point, and it’s on full display here.

Making this all the better is the continued stellar writing and voice acting. There is some level of genius in using Greek Mythology to build a roguelite around in the kind of way that it almost seems too obvious, yet it wasn’t done before. There are no wasted lines to be found here, and the attention to detail is immense. I can’t stress enough how impressive the cohesion of story, character, and gameplay is that you get here. Every character has a remarkable amount of personality and equally remarkable is that despite the vast number of characters on tap, they all feel unique and purposeful. Whether you’re getting roasted by Hypnos, turned into scorched earth by Megaera, lovingly guided by Nyx, or tempted by Aphrodite, you’ll be hard-pressed not to be impressed with just how well they’re all crafted and delivered. Supergiant has brought back many of the voice talent they’ve used in the past, nearly all delivering multiple character performances and nailing every single one. There’s not a weak link in the bunch, in all honesty. This then makes the astronomical number of voiced lines Hades has even more a pleasure to listen to and it’d be almost sacrilege to skip any of its dialogue.

If you’ve played any of Supergiant’s games before you’ll also know that they have some of the best art direction and soundtracks of any developer big or small today. Hades may be their greatest achievement in art direction to date as giving visual personality to the many gods and demigods you’ll encounter is a monumental task, and they couldn’t have done much better in this regard. The world is just as well put together and the entire visual package is a treat that’s got Supergiant’s fingerprints all over it. If you were wondering whether Hades would be yet another soundtrack you might want on vinyl, wonder no more because just like all of their games before, Supergiant has crafted another vinyl-worthy production. From jaw-dropping vocal tracks to rocking battle anthems, Hades gives you what you need, when you need it.

What of the actual gameplay, though? There must be something to complain about. It can’t all be amazing, surely? Sorry, but there’s not much to complain about here either. The action is hectic, there’s often a million things happening on screen at any given time, but the controls are tight and hold up well in such a way that you’re rarely left high and dry because of them. One of the few things I could perhaps say is that with the bow and other ranged weapons, trying to juggle aiming and movement with the same analog stick without occasionally dashing or shooting in the wrong direction can be a challenge. Also of minor note are a couple of enemy attacks that have…questionable hitboxes that can be frustrating to try and figure out. Besides that, the combat is frantic and fun with a great assortment of weapons that are likely to ensure you have at least one that you really gel with. There’s also a substantial amount of combat variability here outside of just the random generation of rooms, as new enemies will start to crop up as you progress further in the story and not just further up the Underworld’s ladder.

Supergiant Games has carefully and masterfully carved out their lane and they stay in it and crush it every time with Hades being no different. The world of Hades is remarkable, and every aspect of it connects and flows in a gameplay loop that is all but without flaw. It’s a challenging game but also fair and paced so well that your skill level grows with it seamlessly. If it does turn out to be too difficult it even offers a dynamic difficulty “god mode” that adapts to your struggle until it finds a level of difficulty that still allows you to progress. They’ve even managed to squeeze in the two most important additions that every game must have – a fishing mini-game and the ability to pet a dog. In all seriousness, Hades is a real achievement. It successfully marries the myriad talents Supergiant has cultivated over the last decade and change and exemplifies everything the roguelite genre should be moving forward. If you like roguelites, you should be playing Hades. If you haven’t dipped your toes in the genre before, Hades is also the perfect entry point that sets the bar awfully damn high for those that follow it.