When I decided to buy Hades I was initially worried the game wouldn't live up to the insane hype around it. Fast forward a week of binge-playing and 52 hours of play time later (To get the credits, add another 15 to get the epilogue) and I can 100% without a doubt confirm this game deserves absolutely every bit of praise it gets. I have enjoyed multiple games in the roguelite genre prior to Hades, but nothing ever truly blew me away the way this game did.
Gameplay: I would describe Hades as the kind of game that is 'Easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master'. You might think at first that on the surface the game mechanics are simple, you have your typical hack n slash 'light attack', 'heavy attack', 'dodge/dash' etc, but you'd be very wrong because the sheer amount of depth in the gameplay is just mind-blowing and really makes the game insanely addictive. Even 50+ hours into the game you'll still be learning new strategies and combinations for the myriad god boons and various weapons you have at your disposal, this level of depth truly keeps every single run fresh and enjoyable. That's to say nothing of the other activities you can do like various side-quests and sub-plots for other characters, collecting materials to cosmetically enhance your hub-base and unlock permanent upgrades for Zagreus to make your subsequent runs a little less difficult, hell you can even fish! The fact you have to beat the game 10 times to get the credits and ending might have bothered me more if not for the fact that there's so much to do in Hades that I was fully kept enthralled for all 50+ hours I've put into the game at the time of this review.
Story and characters: Someone might describe the story of Hades as an angsty teenager rebelling against his father and while that isn't entirely wrong, it can also be viewed as the sheer determination and stubbornness of one man, journeying to hell and back (multiple times) to repair his dysfunctional and fractured family. It's honestly not a super 'deep' story, but the way it is executed and the characters being so vibrant and unique really brought it to life. Speaking of the characters, I truly adored them all. Zagreus is a fantastic protagonist full of so much wit and charm, every single one of the Olympian gods have their own distinct personalities that are true to their myths, from the flirty and seductive Aphrodite to the awkward and shy Artemis or the boastful, arrogant Zeus etc they all were portrayed fantastically. I also have to mention how much I loved the incorporation of various Greek myths like Orpheus and Eurydice or Achilles or Theseus and the bull of Minos, it was a nice touch to the mythological theme.
Voice acting: I was absolutely blown away by the voice acting in this game for a small team of voice actors I'd never heard of prior to this game they did a stellar job that sounded just as professional as any triple A game, they really captured the essence of that style of speech you'd read in a classic Greek epic such as The Odyssey. I also want to make note of the sheer amount of voice lines in this game. In my entire 50+ hour play time I didn't run across a single repeated line of dialogue and that really impressed the hell out of me.
Artwork: Supergiant games have always had fantastic artwork in their games, but Hades seriously has some of the best, most detailed and beautifully stylized art I've seen in a long time, all the character designs are so colorful and vibrant. There's not a single character I didn't think looked amazingly designed.
Music: Hades has just as much to offer musically as it does in every other aspect. Every single track of the OST perfectly captures the mood of the game. An excellent blend of modern music like heavy and intense electric guitars and classical music like flutes, harps and all the other stuff you'd expect to hear in a game about Greek mythology.
Whether it's the sheer amount of depth in the gameplay, the well crafted narrative, the amazing characters and voice acting, the masterfully composed OST or the beautiful and detailed art, Hades honestly has everything you could ever want in a game and I don't have a single complaint. This game truly is a masterpiece deserving of universal acclaim and I can't recommend it enough to literally anyone because this is the kind of game that proves gaming is just as much of an art-form as any other style of media.
Gameplay: I would describe Hades as the kind of game that is 'Easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master'. You might think at first that on the surface the game mechanics are simple, you have your typical hack n slash 'light attack', 'heavy attack', 'dodge/dash' etc, but you'd be very wrong because the sheer amount of depth in the gameplay is just mind-blowing and really makes the game insanely addictive. Even 50+ hours into the game you'll still be learning new strategies and combinations for the myriad god boons and various weapons you have at your disposal, this level of depth truly keeps every single run fresh and enjoyable. That's to say nothing of the other activities you can do like various side-quests and sub-plots for other characters, collecting materials to cosmetically enhance your hub-base and unlock permanent upgrades for Zagreus to make your subsequent runs a little less difficult, hell you can even fish! The fact you have to beat the game 10 times to get the credits and ending might have bothered me more if not for the fact that there's so much to do in Hades that I was fully kept enthralled for all 50+ hours I've put into the game at the time of this review.
Story and characters: Someone might describe the story of Hades as an angsty teenager rebelling against his father and while that isn't entirely wrong, it can also be viewed as the sheer determination and stubbornness of one man, journeying to hell and back (multiple times) to repair his dysfunctional and fractured family. It's honestly not a super 'deep' story, but the way it is executed and the characters being so vibrant and unique really brought it to life. Speaking of the characters, I truly adored them all. Zagreus is a fantastic protagonist full of so much wit and charm, every single one of the Olympian gods have their own distinct personalities that are true to their myths, from the flirty and seductive Aphrodite to the awkward and shy Artemis or the boastful, arrogant Zeus etc they all were portrayed fantastically. I also have to mention how much I loved the incorporation of various Greek myths like Orpheus and Eurydice or Achilles or Theseus and the bull of Minos, it was a nice touch to the mythological theme.
Voice acting: I was absolutely blown away by the voice acting in this game for a small team of voice actors I'd never heard of prior to this game they did a stellar job that sounded just as professional as any triple A game, they really captured the essence of that style of speech you'd read in a classic Greek epic such as The Odyssey. I also want to make note of the sheer amount of voice lines in this game. In my entire 50+ hour play time I didn't run across a single repeated line of dialogue and that really impressed the hell out of me.
Artwork: Supergiant games have always had fantastic artwork in their games, but Hades seriously has some of the best, most detailed and beautifully stylized art I've seen in a long time, all the character designs are so colorful and vibrant. There's not a single character I didn't think looked amazingly designed.
Music: Hades has just as much to offer musically as it does in every other aspect. Every single track of the OST perfectly captures the mood of the game. An excellent blend of modern music like heavy and intense electric guitars and classical music like flutes, harps and all the other stuff you'd expect to hear in a game about Greek mythology.
Whether it's the sheer amount of depth in the gameplay, the well crafted narrative, the amazing characters and voice acting, the masterfully composed OST or the beautiful and detailed art, Hades honestly has everything you could ever want in a game and I don't have a single complaint. This game truly is a masterpiece deserving of universal acclaim and I can't recommend it enough to literally anyone because this is the kind of game that proves gaming is just as much of an art-form as any other style of media.