Rating 9/10
This week, I played the mobile version of Hades, which was released by Netflix just this year, on my iPad.
For those who don’t know, Hades is an rougelike action game released in 2020 by Supergiant Games. The player controls Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he has to fight his way through various monsters to escape the Underworld. Interestingly enough, the company heavily relied on feedback from fans while developing the game, hence their 2018 early access release! I thought that was super cool, I feel like most companies don’t usually do that. As a side note, I didn’t know what rougelike meant before Hades and I realize now that I quite enjoy dungeon crawler games. It reminds me of playing Pokémon Dungeon as a kid.
Anyways, I enjoyed this game immensely, everything from the storytelling and gameplay to the art style and music / soundtrack blew me away. I would honestly pause for a second when new Olympians were introduced to admire their character design and voice acting. As someone who loves Greek mythology, I also loved learning about the characters and the lore between them all.
[cover art w/ main character, Zagreus]
The sets were also gorgeous and the art truly brought the story to life.
[pretty graphics]
Regarding gameplay, in the beginning, I was very confused as there wasn’t a tutorial that I could find, so I was essentially hacking away at the enemies and button mashing frantically. I kind of got the hang of it after the first couple of deaths, and also picked up on the game mechanics — keepsakes, boons, currency, weapons, and so forth. There were a lot of features in this game that I didn’t expect, but overall made playing much more enjoyable and less repetitive. There was even a House Contractor to buy decorations for your room + other upgrades! I also enjoyed walking around to chat with the characters at the House of Hades.
[House Contractor shop]
Initially, I was very worried that I was playing the game wrong when I kept dying over and over again. However, in googling the reviews, I found that this is a universal experience and almost a natural rite of passage for the game. I didn’t feel super angry when I would die and return to the House of Hades. If anything, I was really eager to keep going to earn coins and buy better weapons and augments. However, I do wonder how many times I need to do so to complete a stage….
[a screen I saw many times….]
Regardless, I enjoyed (slowly) making progress throughout the dungeons, and would play Hades again to see it out fully. I wonder if the experience of playing on mobile vs PC differs drastically. I do felt that the controls to attack were a bit clunky and hard to execute (attacking and dashing at the same time), so next time, I would be interested in playing on a different platform to see which one I like better. I will definitely start playing more rougelike games!
Great review, Tracy! I completely agree with your thoughts on Hades’ unique approach to development and its stunning art style. The lack of a tutorial was a bit daunting at first, but I found that the trial-and-error aspect added to the game’s charm and sense of accomplishment. The character designs and voice acting truly bring Greek mythology to life, making each encounter memorable. I’m curious to try the mobile version now, though I might stick to PC for those smoother controls. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Tracy,
I agree that Hades has a lot to offer in terms of both storytelling and gameplay. The many concurrency and elements that Hades has was a little overwhelming at first especially with out the tutorial, but I agree that you pick it up after awhile. I think the death loop makes sense with the Hades theme and I really enjoy everything that you get to unlock. I get a little sad when I have good boons and die, but it truly is just apart of the game!