Recently, there’s been a game that’s been causing a big splash in the online gaming community. That game is none other than “Hades,” a new rogue-like dungeon crawler game where you play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, the Greek God of the dead. The game’s main plot is fairly simple: Zagreus intends to escape the underworld, and his father is refusing to allow that to happen.
However, despite the fairly basic premise, the execution of it is masterful. Initially, I was wary of dropping the money on the game, as I’m not the best at video games in a general sense. I tend to gravitate towards more relaxed titles, or titles that don’t require direct action when it comes to fighting (think “Fire Emblem’s” turn-based gameplay instead of “Overwatch’s” first-person shooter-style), so dropping the money to download “Hades” was a shot in the dark for me.
I’m just going to say this outright—I’m so glad that I bought the game.
The first thing that catches the player’s eye when they boot up the game (I got it on my switch!) is the stunning art style. I cannot overstate how beautiful the game is visually. The color choice of the building interiors is astonishing and adds to the mythical feel without taking attention away from the character models.
The character designs, as well, are absolutely gorgeous. Zagreus, the player character, is absolute eye candy. Initially, he looks as if he’d he incredibly high energy and has an intense personality, but his calm and smooth voice acting actually meshes perfectly with his design overall. He’s relaxed and kind to the other denizens of the underworld and is almost stupidly persistent in his goal to escape the underworld and reach the other Olympic Gods.
Another thing that sets the game apart is the fighting style. Like I said before, I’m not the best at fighting in games. I struggle with hitting things correctly, and I have a nasty habit of dying seventeen times in a row at the same boss before giving up. But Hades manages to create an incredibly easy fighting style that’s both enjoyable to play and challenging enough that it gives the player something to work for. I admit to button-smashing my way through the levels, and honestly, it’s worked! If you want to take a more nuanced approach, then the game definitely allows that, but I just barrel through the levels while spamming Zagreus’s attacks.
Even dying is fun in the game. I’ve laughed more than once when I’ve died at a particularly stupid mistake, and that’s because I’m excited to wake back up in Zagreus’s room and try again.
Overall, I’d say that the “Hades” game is a resounding success for me personally. I’ve poured so many hours into the game, and I haven’t even had it for a week yet! I would definitely recommend it if anyone is looking for something else to invest time into!