Hades

⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Guys this game almost ruined my life. I honestly can't remember being this addicted to a game in years. Stardew comes close, but this felt more unhealthy cuz it's lots of flashing lights and killing things. In the middle of summer I'd abandon all else to play this game. Watching the NBA finals, the best time of year for a basketball fan, I'd be waiting for halftime so I could quickly get in a run. This game is incredible.

It really starts and ends with the gameplay and reward loop. The story was fine, the music was fine, the art was fine. They were all probably pretty good, but I mostly ignored them, skipping through dialogue like an insane child so I could get back to bright lights and blood splatter. Narrative and characters are usually what I like come to video games for, so I think it speaks volumes that I would literally just spam buttons to get through it all.

So the premise of the game is that you are the son of Hades, and your goal is to fight your way through the underworld to become free. Every time you die you start over, though you retain some benefits to make the next run easier. Each run takes about 30-40 minutes which is just enough time to justify trying again, but so much time that you can blink and lose five hours. The rewards are just significant enough to make you feel like you'll get over a certain hump next time, but subtle enough where it still feels like your skill development is the real key. It felt awesome to beat it after about 30 tries, and felt even more badass to run off 5 straight wins to get the secret ending (which you get after 10 total wins).

This game is incredible. It's polished, smart, and supremely satisfying. The way you build up your character each run makes every time out feel unique and strategized and there is a high level of mastery to explore. You don't have to play it like a crazy person like me, but I will warn that the gameplay loop lends itself to this irresistible temptation. If you are reading this and think this kind of game is not for you, I'm saying you are probably wrong about that. This isn't my kind of game, yet is likely my favorite game from 2021. In the words of Dunkey, this is one hell of a game AHAHAHAHA!!!