AAA video games are fun and all, and it's great when they live up to the hype placed on them, but it's always nice to have a game that comes seemingly out of nowhere and surprises you. That was precisely what happened with "Hades," the fourth game from indie developer Supergiant Games. I was familiar with Supergiant for their success with their previous games "Bastion," "Transistor" and "Pyre," but I hadn't played any of them (and still haven't). "Hades" was all over my radar, though, as it was one of 2020's biggest Game of the Year contenders, and a title that was beloved across the board. Thanks to its appearance on Xbox Game Pass, I was finally able to give it a whirl and see the hype for myself. After sinking plenty of hours into it, I rarely wanted to put the controller down.
"Hades" was a major surprise for me: as someone that's usually not into roguelike games, this managed to take a lot of unique twists on the roguelike formula to remain interesting for the entire duration of the game. I thought it was interesting how the story of the game was spread out and how it managed to move forward even if you didn't complete a run. The characters also felt extremely fleshed out and memorable, and Supergiant Games did a fantastic job with it. The art design is also stellar, as it just bursts at the seams with rich bold colors and impeccable details. The gameplay is also extremely addicting; I feel like for a roguelike to be interesting, it needs to have a fantastic gameplay loop, and that's where "Hades" succeeds. Even when you fight multiple of the same enemies, the combat is extremely enticing and challenging without being overly punishing, and the game takes great measures to be accessible for newcomers to the genre. The controls are smooth, the breadth of weapons and upgrades makes for some fantastic options for builds, and there's a lot of postgame content that makes "Hades" worth returning to even after several runs.
While I don't have any particular "negatives" with the game, I will point out the big thing that may turn some away: this is a roguelike, which means the game revolves around going through cycles and fighting similar enemies repeatedly. Thus, while the game does do a good job of working around that, it may be a bit difficult for some to properly get into it. I suggest giving it a try, but don't feel guilty if it's not your kind of game.
Overall, "Hades" is a special kind of game that really nails it in all aspects. It says a lot when you can get me, a gamer that isn't into roguelikes, to enjoy something like this, but "Hades" took my attention and never let me go. I can definitely say there's still plenty left for me to explore in the game, and I look forward to seeing all of that unfold. In the meantime, if you haven't gotten a chance to experience this for yourself, give it a shot. Supergiant Games really has something special.
Final rating: 10 out of 10 "Fantastic"