Hades Review (PS5)

Roguelites are almost an insult for many roguelike fans, but the procedurally generated levels that gives you infinite chances to retry and be better after each fatal failure has its own allure. Supergiant Games proved this with Hades, a game that follows the success stories of Bastion and Transistor. Is with worth escaping from hell, or should you just give up from the start?

Being a fan of Supergiant Games, it meant that Hades had my attention since it was announced, even though roguelite games can test my patience and dedication to videogames. Launched last year , the game did not disappoint and proved again that the developers are masters of their craft and that they can reimagine the Greek mythology in a fashion that engages even the modern audiences.

As such you will have to help the son of Hades to escape the Underworld, first just to change he scenery, but after trying and failing again and again he will discover also a deeper motivation. It is an interesting twist that will keep you sending back to the depths of House of Hades in order to make you escape again and again until you unravel the whole story. Not each attempt will be successful, but each of them will offer new insights, new dialogues and new details that will eventually make you see the big picture.

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Unlike Star Renegades, a game with a lot of potential and full of good ideas, but not so brilliant with the details and other aspects, Hades feels like a game that has been polished to the extreme. Beyond the great story, the gameplay is balanced to the point, that you will not feel frustration after failing, but a continuous drive to try again and again.

The combat system tries to embrace different playstyles and offers something for everyone. The different abilities of the weapons combined with the godly boons received from your distant relatives living on Mount Olympus result in a plethora of possibilities that surpass even Slay the Spire.

The developers paced the entire game brilliantly up to the point that even after 50 runs you will find new details about the story and new reasons to keep going at it. Even the bickering between the gods and the apparently small details has a precise purpose, that you may realise only later when you gain access to new locations, customization options or new items. Zagreus’ trip is a reward in itself, each escape attempt feeling fresh and different, no matter how many times you have tried it already.

Getting to know the different gods, unlocking new skills and abilities for your weapons, taking on daunting new challenges there is always a reason to going back to the depths of hell and trying again. The art style is unique and spotless, just as it was in Bastion or Transistor, but this time it shows a certain maturity and attention to details that elevates Hades above those titles. The isometric perspective combined with the excellent level design means that you will never have to fight the camera, only your opponents.        

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Just as the levels, the combat system also manages to constantly surprise you. Even when you think you know the behaviour of different opponents, the levels throwing different combinations of them at you can still overwhelm you. Especially in the tight, smaller levels, where the limited space is further reduced by traps or the hazardous environment. You always have to been on your toes, because the game will throw a curve ball at you in the very moment that you think you have things figured out.   

As a result, the game has a lot of replay value, and if you want to finish every challenge and discover every details you are looking at a total game time of well over 100 hours. At the same time, it is a game that can be picked up anytime, make a run or a few, put it down again and come back when you feel the urge to give it another go.

Hades was one the best games of 2020, and the current gen versions only improve the experience. No matter if you own a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, Hades is the very same brilliant game, but now presented in 4K resolution with 60 fps. The performance holds solid no matter in which area of the game are you hacking the undead or how many of them are on the screen. Supergiant Games did an equally amazing job technically as they did with the game itself.

My only complaint is that the developers chose to ignore the special features of the DualSense controller. The haptic feedback could have helped further differentiate the weapons and give another layer of engagement.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion