Seeing all the high praise and the good ratings this game had recieved I looked forward to play it.
I got hooked the very first run and played 3-4 hours before I had to quit.

You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades trying to escape from the Underworld and get to Mount Olympus.
Each run you fight your way through different rooms, floors and get aided by the Olympians with boons to help you escape.
These powerups can change a variety of things.
You have three commands in this hack and slash type of rougelike: attack, dash and special.
There is also the ability to get aided by the gods which is sort of like an "Ultimate" or using Cathonic Companions.
The first being given by boons or from a special "Keepsake" while the latter is unlocked later.
The mechanics and the progression system was designed mostly the way I like it with these type of games.
While the runs don't change much, the upgrades you buy after the runs help you to get further and further towards the goal of the game; to escape from The Underworld.

The difficulty isn't too hard or too easy and really comes down to how you decide to play it.
It took me exactly 20 tries to make my first successful escape with the run taking roughly 45 minutes to complete.
Going for fast runs you can make it around 20-30 minutes depending on RNG.
I figured that I wanted to make the most out of the runs so I always picked the weapon which currently gave me bonus darkness gains.
This was an exciting way to play as it made me learn to play each of the different weapons, ranged or melee and not just picked the one I felt was the easiest.

The game has the option to play "God" or "Hell Mode" in addition to the normal mode.
God mode is a smart thing by the devs to give struggling players a better time with the game.
Unlike what the name suggests you don't get an auto-win. From what I get you start with 20% dmg reduction which increasing each time you lose?
I never tried it but I think that it's a genius move by the devs.
This way casual players have a better chance to fully experience the game aswell.
With the game giving you significant power ups to use by grinding darkness it greatly reduces the difficulty if one choses to use these benefits.
There are a few different weapons both melee or ranged that you can unlock and use, offering different approaches to beating the game.
Boons can affect how these weapons behave to some extent offering synergies that can be good or bad.
Further there are "aspects" altering weapons a bit with the hidden ones of each category more drastically changing the weapons.
They have done a good job in offering some variation to keep up replayability and make things easier or more challenging.

Another aspect to difficulty; The "Pact of Punishment".
Its unlocked on a normal save by beating the game once.
Here the game really shines for hardcore Roguelike players or for those who really like a challenge.
Even harder with Hell Mode.
Heat level is increased by selecting modifiers that ups the overall difficulty of the game.
To gain more resources directly you have to increase the heat level when completing a new run.
This is tracked seperately for each weapon meaning that if you beat heat level 1 with the sword you can increase to level 2 and get more rewards with the sword.
All weapons will give rewards once without heat level and then after each increase when beating the game repeatedly.
This means that you can't grind resources by constantly rebattling the first boss etc. The rewards already awarded will instead be replaced by darkness.
A logical design choice since you want darkness to get stronger and beat the game when its harder.
With that said most modifiers aren't that bad and if you play with each weapon it will take quite some time till the difficulty increase really makes a big difference.
This of course depends on the modifiers you pick.

Hades has good story writing and a massive amount of dialogue.
The art work and concept with the gods and all is very well done.
Music is pretty good aswell.
Level design and the floors work well too.
Progression is mostly done correctly so I will call it a pro.
Most of the grinding aspects are also well designed.

The very first thing I disliked about Hades was the dialogues not making sense.
Some times when you speak to Npcs they say things that seem misplaced.
For instance when I beat the game the first time none of the characters practically congratulated me.
On my third win I got what I would expect the first time.
Being told how I finally managed to successfully escape.
This is just one example, there have been quite a few instances.
Like in another case I was told to tell a character about something when I speak to that character the next time again.
So I do it and no progress happens at all.
Two runs later i get the response I would have expected the first time.

While the heat system is interesting it is also a grind wall.
You are basically just making it harder without any benefit if you beat the game with a higher heat level than necessary.
What would have been more rewarding is getting all rewards after defeating the final boss making the challenge worthwhile.
Eventhough I swapped weapons to the one with "darkness boost" each time I shortly after my first win managed to beat the game 26 times in a row.
It felt like an unnecessary grind that could have been better.
The problem with Hades is that you are expected to beat/lose the game a lot.
In regards to content I feel like it doesn't have enough replayability for this to work like for some other roguelikes.
The enemies and amount of floors and bosses aren't that numerous so it becomes somewhat boring when you have done the same thing 20 plus times.

Cathonic companions are cool and all but are rather similar in what they do even though I like that they match well with what they do compared to the character that gives them.
While strong they become available rather late which I dislike to some extent.

The Keepsakes are quite numerous and have a very nice progression system which makes them a bit lackluster as you can only equip one at a time.
Balance would be affected, but in my opinion the Keepsakes should have tiers/categories or some way to make it possible to run more than one at the same time.

The prophecies are good guide in direction but not enough.
I see how it makes sense being prophecies but it would be nice to see what can be done or hints at how to do it.
In the later part of the game I felt like I made no progression at all and my wins felt quite hollow.
Meanwhile I had these prophecies that taunted me that I could't do.
Sure there are guides, but in-game info would be good to avoid spoilers and get better defined goals to go for.

Hades is a very good game and balances some of the most critical aspects of the genres it consists of.
The difficulty has been designed well, the replayability is enough to get good value for money and offers most things you would hope to find in this game.
Hack and slash further makes it an easy game to get into and not need to overthink or feel that frustrated.
If you go for true completion the grind required to get there offers a lot of replayability to those who like to spend time and don't mind the grind.
Getting 100% achievements isn't that hard given the usual challenge of the genre and will last around 100 hours depending on skill level and efficiency.
It is a 9/10 game for me and is worth the full asking price.
*Review lenght reduced as usual...

//ECE//

[h1]Hades[/h1] [h1]Intro[/h1] Seeing all the high praise and the good ratings this game had recieved I looked forward to play it. I got hooked the very first run and played 3-4 hours before I had to quit. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades trying to escape from the Underworld and get to Mount Olympus. Each run you fight your way through different rooms, floors and get aided by the Olympians with boons to help you escape. These powerups can change a variety of things. You have three commands in this hack and slash type of rougelike: attack, dash and special. There is also the ability to get aided by the gods which is sort of like an "Ultimate" or using Cathonic Companions. The first being given by boons or from a special "Keepsake" while the latter is unlocked later. The mechanics and the progression system was designed mostly the way I like it with these type of games. While the runs don't change much, the upgrades you buy after the runs help you to get further and further towards the goal of the game; to escape from The Underworld. The difficulty isn't too hard or too easy and really comes down to how you decide to play it. It took me exactly 20 tries to make my first successful escape with the run taking roughly 45 minutes to complete. Going for fast runs you can make it around 20-30 minutes depending on RNG. I figured that I wanted to make the most out of the runs so I always picked the weapon which currently gave me bonus darkness gains. This was an exciting way to play as it made me learn to play each of the different weapons, ranged or melee and not just picked the one I felt was the easiest. [h1]The Good[/h1] The game has the option to play "God" or "Hell Mode" in addition to the normal mode. God mode is a smart thing by the devs to give struggling players a better time with the game. Unlike what the name suggests you don't get an auto-win. From what I get you start with 20% dmg reduction which increasing each time you lose? I never tried it but I think that it's a genius move by the devs. This way casual players have a better chance to fully experience the game aswell. With the game giving you significant power ups to use by grinding darkness it greatly reduces the difficulty if one choses to use these benefits. There are a few different weapons both melee or ranged that you can unlock and use, offering different approaches to beating the game. Boons can affect how these weapons behave to some extent offering synergies that can be good or bad. Further there are "aspects" altering weapons a bit with the hidden ones of each category more drastically changing the weapons. They have done a good job in offering some variation to keep up replayability and make things easier or more challenging. Another aspect to difficulty; The "Pact of Punishment". Its unlocked on a normal save by beating the game once. Here the game really shines for hardcore Roguelike players or for those who really like a challenge. Even harder with Hell Mode. Heat level is increased by selecting modifiers that ups the overall difficulty of the game. To gain more resources directly you have to increase the heat level when completing a new run. This is tracked seperately for each weapon meaning that if you beat heat level 1 with the sword you can increase to level 2 and get more rewards with the sword. All weapons will give rewards once without heat level and then after each increase when beating the game repeatedly. This means that you can't grind resources by constantly rebattling the first boss etc. The rewards already awarded will instead be replaced by darkness. A logical design choice since you want darkness to get stronger and beat the game when its harder. With that said most modifiers aren't that bad and if you play with each weapon it will take quite some time till the difficulty increase really makes a big difference. This of course depends on the modifiers you pick. Hades has good story writing and a massive amount of dialogue. The art work and concept with the gods and all is very well done. Music is pretty good aswell. Level design and the floors work well too. Progression is mostly done correctly so I will call it a pro. Most of the grinding aspects are also well designed. [h1]The Bad[/h1] The very first thing I disliked about Hades was the dialogues not making sense. Some times when you speak to Npcs they say things that seem misplaced. For instance when I beat the game the first time none of the characters practically congratulated me. On my third win I got what I would expect the first time. Being told how I finally managed to successfully escape. This is just one example, there have been quite a few instances. Like in another case I was told to tell a character about something when I speak to that character the next time again. So I do it and no progress happens at all. Two runs later i get the response I would have expected the first time. While the heat system is interesting it is also a grind wall. You are basically just making it harder without any benefit if you beat the game with a higher heat level than necessary. What would have been more rewarding is getting all rewards after defeating the final boss making the challenge worthwhile. Eventhough I swapped weapons to the one with "darkness boost" each time I shortly after my first win managed to beat the game 26 times in a row. It felt like an unnecessary grind that could have been better. The problem with Hades is that you are expected to beat/lose the game a lot. In regards to content I feel like it doesn't have enough replayability for this to work like for some other roguelikes. The enemies and amount of floors and bosses aren't that numerous so it becomes somewhat boring when you have done the same thing 20 plus times. Cathonic companions are cool and all but are rather similar in what they do even though I like that they match well with what they do compared to the character that gives them. While strong they become available rather late which I dislike to some extent. The Keepsakes are quite numerous and have a very nice progression system which makes them a bit lackluster as you can only equip one at a time. Balance would be affected, but in my opinion the Keepsakes should have tiers/categories or some way to make it possible to run more than one at the same time. The prophecies are good guide in direction but not enough. I see how it makes sense being prophecies but it would be nice to see what can be done or hints at how to do it. In the later part of the game I felt like I made no progression at all and my wins felt quite hollow. Meanwhile I had these prophecies that taunted me that I could't do. Sure there are guides, but in-game info would be good to avoid spoilers and get better defined goals to go for. [h1]The Conlusion[/h1] Hades is a very good game and balances some of the most critical aspects of the genres it consists of. The difficulty has been designed well, the replayability is enough to get good value for money and offers most things you would hope to find in this game. Hack and slash further makes it an easy game to get into and not need to overthink or feel that frustrated. If you go for true completion the grind required to get there offers a lot of replayability to those who like to spend time and don't mind the grind. Getting 100% achievements isn't that hard given the usual challenge of the genre and will last around 100 hours depending on skill level and efficiency. It is a 9/10 game for me and is worth the full asking price. *Review lenght reduced as usual... //ECE//