This review contains SPOILERS! Click to expand.
Hades is a fantastic rogue-lite that's made for all types of players, even if you don't like these types of games. SuperGiant has made dying, an integral aspect of the genre, part of the narrative itself, giving you something to look forward to even if you fail. You play as Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to make his way out of the underworld to get away from his autocratic
Hades is a fantastic rogue-lite that's made for all types of players, even if you don't like these types of games. SuperGiant has made dying, an integral aspect of the genre, part of the narrative itself, giving you something to look forward to even if you fail. You play as Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to make his way out of the underworld to get away from his autocratic father. In between each run you're able to mingle with characters like Hypnos, Achilles, and even Hades himself, who all have various input depending on how well you're progressing. There's also permanent upgrades you can spend resources on like being able to heal bits of your health before every encounter, or a death defiance that revives you when you're defeated.
The little bits of narrative that you get between each run is a really neat way to give a failed run something more meaningful other than simply going back at it. Although the story is super good, the combat is the real star of the show. It's an isometric brawler that can vary depending on what weapon you're using and what upgrades you obtain on each run. Throughout your many escapes you are randomly aided by other Olympic Gods like Poseidon, Athena, or Ares, who give you boons that give you various abilities. There's an enormous pool of powers that had me discovering new, exciting combos hours after I had already finished a run for the first time. Some of my favourites include a blade rift that damages enemies whenever you dash, or a crystal that shoots homing lasers at enemies when you drop it on the ground.
I originally thought that I would probably end up sticking with a few abilities that I liked the best, but I ended up really liking most of them. Some of the weapons take some time getting used to, but I ended up liking them all—it's a combat system with insane diversity. The story and combat are the main draws here but there are other parts of Hades are should be commended too. I really love the super sharp hand-drawn art style, and the rocking soundtrack had me humming some of the best tunes hours after putting the game down. And while some of the voice work is a little inconsistent and the frame rate can buckle a bit on the Switch, you really have to dig deep to find faults with Hades because it's a tremendously well-made video game. Play it.