Unlike a lot of fans of this game, I really don't think this is the perfect game. Not even the perfect Rogue-like/Rogue-lite.

I will, however, proudly say that this is one hell of an example of non-linear storytelling as well as near flawless example of gameplay and story integration. A fair few bigger budget games (even many of the smaller ones) tend to have issues with gameplay-story segregation (often through cutscenes).

You play as Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, attempting to escape the underworld for an (at the start of the game) unknown reason. Upon failure (where or whenever that might be), Zag finds himself emerging from a pool of blood, right at the feet of his father among the rest of the dead, revived due to how immortality works for Cthonic gods. There, you talk to the variety of characters, including the big man himself, and very quickly learn about how cross many of them are about your abrupt departure and continued attempts. Within these cycles of escape, progress, death, and rebirth, little by little you learn more and more of the story, from the perspective of Zagreus as well as the conversations of the others, all of whom have quite a bit to say on your efforts. However, these aren't the only characters you end up interacting with.

From your first attempt in the beginning of the game all the way up to the last time you put it down, Zagreus will come across a variety of inhabitants in the underworld, as well as messages and gifts from Olympian gods that wish to see Zagreus upon learning of his existence. Every conversation, boon, weapon, item, action, and even your failures fuels the story itself as your relationships between the Prince and everyone he contacts in one way or another change. All of this is wrapped up in exceptionally clever dry humor, sarcasm, and meta-humor that hasn't been witnessed in some time which serves to emphasize the quality of the writing involved and the very charming cast of characters.

If anything, such a dynamic design to story telling, dictated 75% by the player's behavior, is kind of what makes this game such a blast to play.

But, talking to folks really isn't the main bread and butter. Really, it's more or less the reward you get for running through the various levels of the underworld.

No, the main core of the gameplay is the Diablo-esque Hack'n'Slash slaughterfest through the various legions under the command of Hades himself, as his "security forces" attempt to impede your escape attempts. The combat is built strongly enough, with satisfying melee and magic that gets some variety from the boons you gain from the gods that message you. With five weapons to chose from, each with three further unlockable forms, keepsakes that have passive buffs or summoning properties, and the variety of augmentations that can be made from the various gifts sent by the Gods, it's clear there is quite a bit of choice involved.

However, I can't help but feel that, despite such a variety, running through the four floors of the underworld can end up getting a bit repetitive, despite each floor having a random set of rooms with their own layouts, traps, and enemy sets and the random chance of encountering non-hostile denizens of the floor you're currently exploring. It doesn't help that the five weapons, despite alternative forms and the boons that augment their use, can also get slightly samey after a while, especially once you've found your preferred weapon and god-boon combos.

Again, it's REALLY solidly built and is VERY fun, but it slowly feels like there something missing the more you keep playing, even after unlocking the "Pact of Punishment", which changes the difficulty of future runs in a variety of ways (something I actually really like. A method to alter future playthroughs/NG+ is always a good thing).

This is a excellent game to play, especially in short sessions, and is easily the kind of game you could play for years on and off for the amount of story and side-story content it has. However, once again, I don't think it's the absolute best. The very repetitive and cyclical nature of the game flow could end up potentially become boring for the average player, especially since you run through the same four environmental floors with a very strict set of bosses with only minor difference between them and their strategies thanks to "The Pact".

Hades is worth at least one full runthrough (as in, one successful escape). From there, it's up to the individual on whether or not they'd like to go the distance.