Review: Hades: The greatest roguelike available for the Switch
Everyone is having fun with Hades. At least that's how it feels at the moment. It's turned into one of those "games of the moment" from which you can never really get out—not that you would want to, anyhow. It's also a tough-as-nails roguelike, which isn't something that usually garners this much admiration and attention. However, Supergiant's most recent film has succeeded in blowing its genre wide open to all comers with an exuberant union of reactive narrative, scorching action, and quarreling gods.
Hades tells the story of Zagreus, the prince of the underworld, as he makes his heroic endeavor to rise to the surface, set deep inside one of the most amiable video game portrayals of hell.Hades, his father, isn't too happy with his son's persistent disobedience and decides to put a number of barriers in his path. Your mission as Zagreus is to go through Tartarus, Asphodel, and other places while fending off a variety of opponent hues and certain bosses that seem impenetrable at first.
Outside of its constantly changing chambers and interactions, Hades' realm endures, and after each run, Zagreus is compelled to return home. His father, who is always angry, and a few of the more amiable denizens of the underworld, such as mentor Achilles and lethal dog Cerberus, may be found there. Knowing that your friends are waiting for you to hear from them on your most recent conversation always makes dying in Hades a little more bearable. The fact that they sometimes even remark on significant incidents from your last run adds to the overall sense of aliveness in this country of the dead.
Take a look at some gameplay:
You'll often stumble across brief notes from your extended family on Mount Olympus while out in the field. They provide him what are effectively transient improvements that are only good for the duration of your current run since they would rather see old Hades end up and confront Zagreus face to face. As they're called, boons have the power to drastically change your play style in unexpected ways.
Hades always encouraged me to try new things even though I was a risk-averse player at first and preferred ranged weaponry over melee. Now, I am aware that Hades' toolkit may not always include precise classifications like "ranged" and "melee." One of the best fighting systems of 2020, regardless of genre, is made possible by the fact that each weapon is almost customizable enough to support its own game. Yes, boons have a lot of advantages in terms of gameplay, but you should definitely look for them if you want to shoot the crap with Zagreus' Olympian family.
The immortality of the gods in the game is deeply ingrained in their personas. Freed from the material demands and pressures of a limited life, they seem to spend their endless days bickering and being remarkably small-minded. These all-powerful creatures have gracefully grown older into a group of weird old men who care more about looking effortlessly hot than exacting fiery justice. It's a pleasure to spend any time with them since they are having so much fun with it all.
Hades has a unique narrative style that is magically dynamic. Furthermore, I'm certain that I haven't even scratched the surface of what it has to offer narratively and mechanically after more than 30 hours of play. Just when each element seems like it could become boring, Supergiant deftly exposes a fresh move or astutely bolsters the game's strong points. The sheer amount of drip-fed systems and money sorts may almost be overwhelming, but Hades' endearing cast and personality put whatever worries I may have to the back of my mind.