'Nobody gets out of my domain, whether alive or dead..'
Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler made by Supergiant Games, the same folk behind Bastion, Transistor and Pyre, right off the bat you know this developer in particular has tonne of experience and talent under their belt and they've spared no expense or pulled any punches in their latest title. Seventy hours of playtime with exactly fifty full-runs of the game made I feel like I can finally make a post or review in confidence, with every run and line of perfectly voiced dialogue (of which there are over 17,000) I'm discovering new parts of the game to enjoy and that's something that still persists even after I feel like I've got more than my money's worth.
What sets Hades apart from other games in the genre is without a doubt the setting and the storytelling. Set in Greek Mythology each and every Chthonic or Olympian God is wonderfully portrayed and voiced by an exceptional cast, you will come into contact with them often and every single character has thousands of interactions with you. The game world feels so incredibly alive, everyone will remember each moment you spend with them, commenting constantly on your arsenal, your progress in runs past or present and more. Conversations feel meaningful, and in a game where you are immortal and death is but a trip back down the River Styx to the House of Lord Hades himself, you have a chance to become very intimate and friendly with even the bosses and enemies put up against you.
Gathering a constant supply of gems, blood and darkness as you venture through a sprawling Underworld, every run gives you the chance to permanently upgrade your character, your arsenal, your weapons and their move-sets in a way that suits your playstyle. The amount of customisation is genuinely insane, you have twenty-four different upgrade paths for Zagreus, changing his starting health, damage, etc. There is also six companions to choose from if you bond with them strongly enough during your travels. As for your killing tools, there are currently six different weapons from bows to swords to shields each with four completely different movesets and abilities you can individually upgrade and expand, when inside of a run over -sixty- different upgrades for those weapons to choose from as you collect Daedalus Hammers, massively changing how you use them in a fight. Oh, there are also twenty-four different trinkets and keepsakes, getting to pick one at the start of each floor each changing the way you play and the divine blessings you'll receive.
Difficulty is also completely and utterly configurable, change it to your hearts content and you'll be rewarded for beating the game at progressively higher and higher levels with a set of bounties existing for every single variation, this feature is unlocked at the start of each run once you've beaten the game as it normally lays which is already difficult enough sometimes. These options let you modify a long, long list of variables, turning on things like changing bosses movesets, abilities and appearance to giving the enemies faster attacks and speed, combine that with the rest this game offers and you will never be able to put it down, replayability is infinite.
If that wasn't enough, you can even go as far as completely customising your own bedroom, the lounge and halls of the House of Hades, spending your gemstones on decorating it's walls, it's furniture and every chamber inside of it with lush tapestry, rugs, fireplaces, playable instruments and music.
In the rogue-like market, so heavily saturated by other titles, Hades dominates with it's attention to detail, breathtaking art-style, engaging gameplay and storytelling that leaves you constantly coming back for more, hacking and slashing at everything that stands in the way between you and freedom from your oppressive father, the God of Death himself. It's a game you can get genuinely invested in, and since it's just gone on sale it's even more of a reason to pick it up straight away.
The game has been in early access since the very end of 2018, major updates being pushed every couple months with a road-map followed to the exact letter, even in this state whats on offer is absolutely incredible and one of the best titles on the steam storefront. With the release of the biggest update yet only a few days ago and a version 1.0 expected to drop by the end of the year, Hades is a game everyone should have in their libraries.
My only advice is to bring a controller to the game, playing with keyboard can get a little messy.
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