We are taking a break from our retrospectives to focus on a gem most of ya'll have probably played.
We're gonna talk about Supergiant's masterpiece, and IMHO, the best rogue-like of all time. A GOTY and a Hugo award winner (yes! they are doing games now! why? capitalism! 😡 (I'm actually super glad a more prestigious organization is doing game awards, lord knows we haven't had a legitimate award yet, like ever!)) 🙂
But I digress (what else is new?) let's take a look at this bad boy.
And Zagreus is one baaaaaad boooooy. 😂
If you haven't heard of Supergiant you've been missing out. The best indie developer out there, and honestly it's pretty unanimous. They have yet to produce a dud, and I would argue each game has been better than the last. With Hades being the prime example. 😤
Supergiant has always been good, but in late 2018, they decided to do something they've never tried before. They released the game in Early Access 😮 - as an Epic Game Store exclusive to boot 😱! Needless to say, fans were mad. Not as mad as they would have been with other developers, because remember: Supergiant has an actual, factual, contractual (❓) track record.
All worries were soon laid to rest. Supergiant continued to deliver on update after update. Until the game finally released in late 2020 to universal acclaim.
Acclaim has only risen since. This game rocks. 😁
Rogue-likes (I know most are technically rogue-lites, but who care? besides, we don't have time for semantics) are a dime in a dozen nowadays. Most are good games, I love the genre and have had fun with A LOT of rogue-likes. 🙂
So trust me when I say - Hades is the best rogue-like ever made. And honestly, it's not even close. 😤
The concept of linking the story with the procedural rogue-like gameplay is a stroke of genius. Because of their nature, the stories in these games almost always suffer. But Supergiant's solution not only works, but it uses the genre to its advantage. Something no other successful rogue-likes have managed to achieve.
The fact that death is an active part of the narrative, and that characters constantly respond to you about it, is the $#!@ 🤐. It gives the game this feeling of progress that no other game in the genre has instilled in me - and as I've said, I've played nearly all of them.
All of its pieces coalesce together to form this truly ascended experience that feels like the natural evolution of the genre. There's no higher praise I could give it. 🖖
It is❗️
No, I'm not crazy! You crazy! Hear me out... 👇
You can start each run with: one of six weapons - each weapon has 4 variations; one keepsake - a flat buff; and the pact of punishment - a flat choosable debuff that only gets worse as you progress.
And that's all before you start your run. This would be like your starter deck before you start drafting. If you've played something like Dominion or Slay the Spire you know what I mean.
Each run presents you with procedural rooms which you can see before entering. Some rooms grant run benefits such as flat increases in hp or gold that is lost upon death. Other rooms grant darkness or gems which are resources to be spent between runs. These rooms do not contribute to our Deckbuilding analogy, however, so we're moving on!
Then you start building your deck: you choose one of three available boons - these boons are categorized between 9 pools (Gods), and each modifies the way you play; you may also choose to sacrifice some HP to chose one of three chaos boons - these are challenge boons that give you a buff if you last e number survive said number of rooms with said debuff.
Seeding is also important (and i don't have time to describe what seeding is in detail, google it fool!). If you start picking up every boon you see, your possible boon pool will become diluted. It is important to be smart about which boons you choose to choose 🤓. Once you've played the game enough, you'll understand that fewer diversity in boons, means a more streamlined build. Which in turn means easier bosses and so on.
Hades is unique in this among rogue-likes. It allows the player to create builds (decks) that you test on the fly. It's so satisfying. But ti requires you enjoy the gameplay loop, and that you enjoy learning the ins and outs of the game. 💪
But since we mentioned that gameplay loop...
I meannn the best rogue-like aught to have the best loops right? Seeing as how loops are ingrained in the genre's DNA. You think that sounds silly? well, you right. But a little silly sauce never hurt no one. 😁
So, the gameplay loop consists of you clearing rooms and getting rewards. Until you die and get sent back to the hub world (The House of Hades). But that's just the top-down view. 👐
The moment-to-moment gameplay is filled with heart-pounding, break-neck action that requires both skill and reflexes to master 😵. It's far from an easy game, so much so that Supergiant actually introduces an easy mode in their game, which they never do btw (they also introduced a hard mode but that wasn't the point I was making).
Each weapon has a normal attack which usually has a same prompt combo. A special attack which you can spam. And a projectile that you can throw at enemies but has limited use. Each of these aspects can be enhanced/modified by the boons you pick. Oh, and there's also your dash and your dash attack. Did I mention this game was sick yet? 🤢
No? Well let's rectify that! ✍️
Anyone familiar with Supergiant will know that their presentation is A++ at the worst of times 😍. Their art and sound teams have remained since Bastion (their first game). And the same level of quality has remained, if not exceeded with experience.
So the art is GORGEOUS. I still remember when the game came out everyone thirsting for every character. The environments, character models, and effects all looks stunning. 🤠
The music? Pheeeew. Let em tell you about this guy Daniel Korb and his amazing soundtracks. Dude has been killing it in every game, and I guarantee you will be humming his tunes for weeks on end if you play any game he's composed. 🎵
An example from Hades:
And the story? I would argue its Supergiant's best story to date. And that's saying something seeing as how both Transistor and Pyre had awesome stories as well. Plus, they created a compelling narrative in the genre that is notorious for having no narrative. 💯
If that's not an endorsement I don't know what is. 🤷♂
- So, Mr. Critic. Will you actually criticize anything?
No. 😝 I do what I want! But seriously, if you asked me this a year before its release, then sure. i would have nitpicks. But because of Supergiant's stellar use of the Early Access model, they've managed to iron out all the kinks. 🔨
I'm serious, I think this game is perfect. That doesn't mean you are 100% set to enjoy it. Taste is still a real thing people! It might simply not be for you. And that's fine.
But if you've enjoyed a rogue-like in the past, in any shape or form, then you owe it to yourself to give this game a good ol' colleague try.
And if you are disappointed, I want you to come back and tell em why. Cause I was really struggling to find something to nitpick in this title. 😌
Maybe that's why I didn't. 😂
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
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Have a great start to your week everyone! 🙌