Hades

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I have been playing this game for a while now, and even though I will keep playing on and off now is probably a good time to write a review. I have loved games of this style in the past, like Crypt of the Necrodancer and Enter the Gungeon, but I love them more for their creativity and infinite replayability more than the game mechanics. This game has that, and isn't as crushingly hard as those. I improved every run, so the sense of satisfaction is always there, which keeps you coming back.

Even now, after beating the game a couple months ago, every time I play I am rewarding with a unique run that has surprises and rewards. The final version of each weapon in particular are incredible challenges, forcing you to change the way you have played the whole time and stretch yourself. A pretty great accomplishment, and an amazing progression from the last game I played from the same studio, Bastion.

Another bonus points for being based around Greek mythology. I can't say I am super knowledgable, but stories around Greek gods are always great, and I loved how it fleshed out certain characters for me.

A fun game, although I would dock it some points for how repetitive it can feel at times. Even when pursuing different boons and trying to create runs I have never had before, it can turn into button mashing real quick. But that is only true until the final boss, which is challenging every time, especially in the end game content when you can up the difficulty for more rewards. That system has been a real delight when coming back to the game, and it will keep me coming back.