Game Discussion of the Week: Hades

I am recommending everyone in the Pub play this game. I am not into this genre, but a friend bought me the physical copy for the Switch. I loved it from the beginning, and it was my summer of 2021 game that I continuously went back to. I didn't think I would love it so much. It won game of the year for a reason. The music, the storyline, the combat, and the replay value is all there.

Zagreus, the son of Hades, wants to visit his real mother on the surface of the Earth as a form of rebellion against his father. The gods can't stand Hades, and the hate is not lost on him. He forbids Zagreus from leaving (He tells him that it is impossible.), so Zagreus jumps out of his second-floor bedroom window to start the quest to get to the surface. On the way, the minions of Hades do everything they can to stop him. Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx are the levels of Hell that you have to work your way up, and there are boss battles on the way. The levels are randomly generated, so your path is never the same. There are some guys that help you on the journey, and the gods grant you powers to spite Hades.

As you die, which you will, you will be transported back to the House of Hades by the river Styx, to be taunted by your father. That is just the beginning of it, though, because you aren't damned forever in the house, because you are the son of a god. So, you make friendships and relationships within the house of Hades that alter your future play throughs. Some of the characters are instructed by Zeus to fight Zagreus during your escape attempts, but they are not allowed to fight inside the house. Many of them actually like you, but they're damned to do their damn job. It really makes the storyline quite interesting. As you get rewards that you can keep after dying, you can share some things with them to level up your friendships. Things get even more interesting from there.



You also get access to the weapons used to kill the Titans to change things up. (They even matter in the storyline.) Combat never seems to go stale, so you never feel like another run through takes away from the relationship building. As a matter of fact, you need to attempt to escape to continue the story lines. When you do, just don't think that you can continue a storyline as you play, because there is quite a bit of randomization. It will happen, just on the game's time. (It isn't annoying, I promise you that.)

The art style is fantastic.  The artists put a lot of thought into this, and they did a great job of using the ancient Greek mythological characters in designs that feel ancient, yet modern.  The levels of hell (and your enemies) do feel entirely different, but they all have a sense of dread...with a bit of hope.  After clearing out a room, I often found myself staring at the screen to ensure that I didn't miss any of the beautiful artwork.  Now combine that with the insanely good music design, and you have an amazing experience.  The music goes from the ancient Greek, to mysterious, to heavy metal, to funky.  I don't know why it works, but it definitely does.  

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll finish up here.  This is a fantastic game. It blew me away, because I wasn't expecting that.  It is available on every modern platform out there, and if you haven't played it, I highly recommend it. 

It's in my wishlist, but I haven't been playing much in a while. Looks great though, and my friends regard it highly.

Although I'm a bit shocked that no one has played the game here, I'm bumping the thread, since it is 40% off right now.