Hades wants to be two games at once. It wants to be a fun roguelite and it wants to tell a narrative over the course of multiple runs. I'm actually a fan of this idea. Prior to this game, I only had Dead Cells as a reference for what roguelites entail and that game, as fun as it was, certainly lacked a captivating story. Hades definitely commits to its goal, but it falls short of its potential for me to consider it a masterpiece.
Even though I love Greek mythology (the game's voice acting and portraits of the gods are amazing), I thought the story didn't have enough forward momentum. There were many runs where I was eager to see what characters like Achilles, Orpheus, and Nyx had to say upon my return to Hades' domain, only to find them absent or having nothing interesting to say. This was disappointing, as I didn't feel the story progressed much. There are about two or three story revelations regarding Zagreus and Hades prior to the completion of your first run, and you will likely see them all before your 20th run. However, it took me about 40 attempts to finish my first run. Why? Because the last two bosses are poorly balanced. They each have an excessive amount of health and don't change up their attacks enough to warrant that much health. I could not beat them without investing in Death Defiance, which essentially gives you extra lives. This is particularly frustrating because you have to beat these bosses every time you want to complete a run. It certainly doesn't help that these fights often get too visually busy with so many colorful splashes and particle effects. This is also a problem in every zone of the game from Asphodel onwards (that's 3 out of 4 areas!) and it seems to get worse the further you get into a run.
I don't understand how other people didn't encounter these issues when I managed to complete my first run of Dead Cells, a much harder game, only three days after starting it. Hades is said to be a roguelite for people who hate roguelites, which implies the game is more accessible. Indeed, there is a god mode that increases Zagreus's defenses with each failed run for those that don't care much for the gameplay. I didn't play on god mode and yet it feels like the game was designed with it in mind. If that was the case, they should have made it more clear.
How about the game's true ending? The game requires ten completed runs to unlock it. The ending is fine. I didn't care much for the story by the time it happened (the track that plays during the credits was spectacular though). I really hate how the game funnels every player into increasing the heat level only one unit at a time. You technically can increase it beyond the current threshold, but you won't get any more rewards for doing so. This, along with the slow-paced story, is why I lost interest in Hades. Intentional or not, the post-game is full of padding.
I know this review has been really negative, but just know that I say all of this because Supergiant Games has stumbled across something special with their procedural narrative idea. I don't want them to make the same mistakes in Hades II. I believe they can deliver if fans are willing to look at this game with a critical eye while the sequel is in early access.
Even though I love Greek mythology (the game's voice acting and portraits of the gods are amazing), I thought the story didn't have enough forward momentum. There were many runs where I was eager to see what characters like Achilles, Orpheus, and Nyx had to say upon my return to Hades' domain, only to find them absent or having nothing interesting to say. This was disappointing, as I didn't feel the story progressed much. There are about two or three story revelations regarding Zagreus and Hades prior to the completion of your first run, and you will likely see them all before your 20th run. However, it took me about 40 attempts to finish my first run. Why? Because the last two bosses are poorly balanced. They each have an excessive amount of health and don't change up their attacks enough to warrant that much health. I could not beat them without investing in Death Defiance, which essentially gives you extra lives. This is particularly frustrating because you have to beat these bosses every time you want to complete a run. It certainly doesn't help that these fights often get too visually busy with so many colorful splashes and particle effects. This is also a problem in every zone of the game from Asphodel onwards (that's 3 out of 4 areas!) and it seems to get worse the further you get into a run.
I don't understand how other people didn't encounter these issues when I managed to complete my first run of Dead Cells, a much harder game, only three days after starting it. Hades is said to be a roguelite for people who hate roguelites, which implies the game is more accessible. Indeed, there is a god mode that increases Zagreus's defenses with each failed run for those that don't care much for the gameplay. I didn't play on god mode and yet it feels like the game was designed with it in mind. If that was the case, they should have made it more clear.
How about the game's true ending? The game requires ten completed runs to unlock it. The ending is fine. I didn't care much for the story by the time it happened (the track that plays during the credits was spectacular though). I really hate how the game funnels every player into increasing the heat level only one unit at a time. You technically can increase it beyond the current threshold, but you won't get any more rewards for doing so. This, along with the slow-paced story, is why I lost interest in Hades. Intentional or not, the post-game is full of padding.
I know this review has been really negative, but just know that I say all of this because Supergiant Games has stumbled across something special with their procedural narrative idea. I don't want them to make the same mistakes in Hades II. I believe they can deliver if fans are willing to look at this game with a critical eye while the sequel is in early access.