Hades - Nintendo Switch

What I I bought. Also the game is phenomenal.

Hades is, quite simply, one of the best games I have ever played. The action is quick and responsive, and the writing punchy and full of humor. Hades is a roguelike (or rogue-LITE, for purists)—which, for the uninitiated, means roughly that each playthrough features randomly generated levels, and that each time through you only get one shot: die, and that's it. As this subcategory of games has evolved, a feature of persistent player growth has started to be introduced, where some (but not all) parts of your character growth are carried over to the next session, so that in each attempt you can get a little farther, a little farther, a little farther...Hades is all about this iterative, incremental growth, so much so that the entire story is built around it. You play as Zagreus, the rebellious son of Hades, who wants nothing more than to escape the underworld and make it to the world above. The problem is that the underworld is designed to be inescapable, and it does a pretty good job of thwarting Zagreus's attempt to reach the surface. But Zagreus is both stubborn and immortal: every time he's 'killed', he emerges from a pool back home in the depths of the underworld, with nothing wounded but his pride.And here in the palace, the story unfolds a bit more with each visit: you'll learn about Zagreus's motivations, his troubled relationship with his father, and about the others present who want to help or hinder his attempts. Zagreus is also aided by the Olympian pantheon, who've heard of his plight and offer little boons of aid, while various others await within the various levels of the underground to help Zagreus along or to get in his way. Every interaction, every conversation, fills in a little more of the story, and the amount of unique dialogue is staggering: 100 hours in and I've rarely heard a repeat line.As you discover more of the story, you'll also unlock more weapons, more upgrades, and more customization features that help make each attempted escape feel exciting and unique.Zagreus controls beautifully, zipping across the battlefield with a satisfying fluidity few games can match. Make no mistake, however: as is befitting a roguelike, Hades is brutally difficult—but here, too, the developers have devised a brilliant solution to accessibility: In among the options is a 'God Mode' setting, which, when activated, serves to make Zagreus slightly more resilient with each successive defeat. The feature can be toggled off and on at will, and, when deactivated, remembers your accrued damage reduction for when it is needed again. Using the feature adds a little 'God Mode' badge next to your completion time but otherwise changes absolutely nothing about the play experience or story.And what a story: the developers paid close, close attention to the Greek Mythological source material. While I admit to being more amateur mythographer than a professional, my interest in the subject borders on obsession—I have read on mythology and Ancient Greece extensively since childhood and have even written and taught on the subject. While, like any retelling, Hades takes some liberties with its source material (if variations on a longstanding and varied mythological tradition with no authoritative 'source' can be said to be 'liberties' rather than 'different interpretations'), but the references and nods to mythology are widespread and sometimes surprisingly esoteric. It is clear that the developers hold a deep love and reverence for their source material and that they did their homework: just wait until you see their playful explanation for the Orphic Mysteries. Characters are well-rounded and complex, and you'll come to care deeply about the families, friendships, and even romances (both Zag's and others') that come to light as the story unfolds. Apart from the conspicuous omission of one major member of the Pantheon, most everyone you'd expect to have an interest in the unfolding drama in the underworld (and some you wouldn't) are present and accounted for, and characterized brilliantly. I had lamented for years that there was no game that really captured the Greek Myths the way I wanted to experience them. In the past year or so a few stellar answers to this need have surfaced, and Hades is among the absolute best.Finally, it's worth mentioning that both the artwork and the music for this game are phenomenal: and that matters for this release, because it comes bundled with both a lovely little 32-page art book showcasing most of the cast and a download code for the complete soundtrack.In short, this game is stellar: every step of each attempted escape from the underworld is an absolute joy. And once Zagreus reaches the surface—well, you'll just have go make the journey for yourself and see. You won't be disappointed.

This is the best roguelite ever made. Period. Dead Cells and Blasphemous were my two favs. Not anymore. The amount of lore you find on each playthrough alone makes this game a cut above the other two.The gameplay is where it really shines. It does take multiple playthroughs and You Will Die because that’s the point of these games in general. But I can’t stress how much fun it actually is and how many options you have for making yourself a completely unstoppable force by the end of your runs. You pick your weapon , it’s variation (if you’ve gotten them yet) then off you go to slowly pickup upgrades with each new chamber. That’s a really quick explanation. Combat is frantic! Enemies spawn everywhere and in waves on most chambers. Controls are tighter than any other game like this. Solid responses because this is a fast paced dungeon crawler style rogue lite and you need to be quick on your feet and with your attacks to survive (until you setup something for slower play like with the sheild or bow, which you don’t necessarily have to be slow with anyways if you have the right boons). Picking boons , there are some better suited for certain weapons or upgrades you’ve acquired but all upgrades have their use just have to get a feel for what play style you want.I love the characters. All the gods, bosses and other npcs have a personality. It helps that all the voice over work was put in with real effort here. You can tell that this game was made with a lot of love which Supergiant is pretty known for. They tell great tales but IMO this is the best gameplay they’ve released too. It’s their best game to date and even though they don’t do sequels I really hope they do for this game. It’s their magnum opus. The story is great and gets better over time. I truly felt immersed with my family of gods and primordial characters.Seriously , play it but don’t expect a one to two turn basis on how the game is played. Give it a few runs. Switch version is still great I play mostly in handheld mode and haven’t had any issues. This is my favorite game on my Switch and I already bought the digital on PS4 just to have it. If you like games like Blasphemous, Dead Cells, even Soulsbornes then give this a chance. It’s a 10/10 experience.