Writing this Hades review is very much a case of better late than never. Developer Supergiant Games released this action-RPG in 2020, but I started playing it before that, back when it was in Early Access on the Epic Games Store.
Back in those halcyon days, when I was EIC at Gamereactor UK, I passed on the review to a colleague as I was too busy at the time. This tragic error in judgement meant that it wasn’t until after I had moved into a behind-the-scenes role at Network N Media, and I could play anything I wanted that I finally began to immerse myself in the Greek Underworld and everything it has to offer.
By the time that I’d finished the main story, I had come to the conclusion that I had just finished playing my favourite game of the last decade. Nothing that has crossed my path since then has managed to dissuade me from that notion.
I love Hades because, for my money, it’s the ultimate expression of the roguelite gameplay loop. Death is not an easily explained phenomenon but by placing their game in the Greek underworld, Supergiant wrapped their game in a setting that perfectly facilitates the try and die again gameplay that typifies the roguelike space.
What is Hades about, then?
Playing as Zagreus, the prince of the underworld, it’s up to the player to escape from your father’s domain. Yep, your dad is Hades, and he is not at all interested in listening to your problems or about your attempted flights from home.
Hades wants you back to work and getting on with the administration of the undead world that you call home. That’s why he’s more than happy to taunt you every time you die during your attempts to leave home, but at least there is a wonderful selection of characters other than Hades to talk to.
I’m not going to tell you anything more about the story, other than the fact that your extended family from Mount Olympus – Zeus, Athena, Ares, and Poseidon to name but four – help you out by offering you various boons and abilities to aid your escape to the surface. These abilities form the basis of your abilities during each run, and finding interesting synergies between them is the game.
In Zag’s bedroom there is a collection of weapons that he can pick from for each run. Hades offers extraordinary gameplay diversity thanks to this roster of swords and whatnot. Each one has multiple variants to unlock, and every new weapon type will require a fundamental rethink of your entire strategy for each run.
Hades: weapons and combat styles
Rather than simply dropping a description of the combat and how it works, I’ll talk about the six main weapon types and how they affect combat – that should give you a thorough overview of the different combat styles that Hades supports. As a well-rounded action-RPG, Hades doesn’t do anything truly revelatory, but it does do a lot of different things, and it does all of them very well indeed.
Stygius, Blade Of The Underworld – This is your starting weapon and one that all players will be familiar with. Later on in the game you’ll be able to unlock the Excalibur variant, which reveals Stygius’ true crowd controlling potential as it drops a circle that slows enemies. It’s not sexy because it’s your starting pick, but don’t underestimate its sharpened blade.
Varatha, The Eternal Spear – Now we’re talking! Varatha has much more range when compared to Stygius, and it was with Varatha that I first completed the campaign. Thus this pointy spear of pain retains a place in my cold, cold heart. It’s fast, effective at dealing with groups of low-level enemies, and has a good area of attack to boot.
Exagryph, The Adamant Rail – Of course every story in Ancient Greece has an automatic gun with which to let rip on the denizens of the underworld. We’ll allow Supergiant this one superfluous addition because not only is it really effective once you’ve levelled it up a bit, it’s also a whole bunch of fun.
Coronacht, The Heart-Seeking Bow – As a fan of the bow in the real world, I’ll nearly always pick them when offered the chance in-game. Coronacht remains one of my go-to weapon picks in Hades because not only is it excellent at ranged combat as one would expect, but it also has an excellent ability that turns your shots into homing arrows. Eros would be proud.
Aegis, The Shield Of Chaos – The shield is probably my least favourite of the weapons in Hades, and it’s absolutely the one I forced myself to learn because I’m a completionist. At least Aegis revealed itself to be more nuanced and interesting upon closer inspection, and I love the frisby-style attacks. Definitely one for advanced players.
The Twin Fists Of Malphon – Have I been saving the best for last? Quite possibly. This pair of metallic claws require Zagreus to fight on the front foot, but oh my gosh they’re effective at dealing damage quickly. If all you want to do is get stuck in and let rip, this is the way.
Hades characters and the game’s mythology
Zagreus will meet a range of interesting mythological characters throughout his adventure, and credit to Supergiant Games, as the studio made sure that the characters are all true to their origins, but they still managed to make the whole thing feel very personable.
Playing through Hades will teach you a tremendous amount about Greek mythology, and as someone with a pre-existing interest, I wasn’t disappointed with the depiction of the story and its godly characters.
It helps that Aphrodite, Athena and everyone else is visualised via wonderful graphics. Hades looks like a cartoon come to life, not just in terms of the fast and fluid gameplay, but also in the interactions between battles. Once again, Supergiant has delivered excellence, with high quality writing and brilliant performances from the cast.
A Hades review in 2024?
Anyone familiar with the developer’s work will also not be surprised to hear that the audio is also top quality stuff. I think the soundtrack is great and there are some genuinely lovely melodies in there. In fact, there is artistry in every single detail in this game, and with secrets hidden all over the place, I’m all too aware of the things that I’ve still yet to achieve in the game.
The final thing I want to praise is how Supergiant made the story so relatable. There are so many interesting character quirks to observe and explore over the course of your many attempts. Zag will help mend relationships, reunite old friends, and much more, and the way that everything is presented is done with accessibility in mind. There’s even an easy mode which completely takes the sting out of the challenge, letting you explore the game with much less friction.
As I reflect on the game and the impact that Hades has had on me personally, I can’t find a single reasonable thing to complain about. In many ways, I think you could say that it’s the game that has had the most profound impact on what I’m trying to do here at Rogueliker, as it got me back into gaming after I’d completely lost interest in the hobby. That makes it even more special for me personally, and that’s why I’m writing a review about a game that left Early Access in 2020.
As you can probably imagine having read that, I’m rather looking forward to playing the sequel when it hits Early Access later this year. Here’s everything I know about the Hades II release date.
