Hades Nintendo Switch Review

"In the name of Hades! Olympus! I accept this message."

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Overview

Hades is a vibrant and exciting roguelike action experience that focuses on hack and slash gameplay set in isometric, randomly generated dungeons of the Greek-envisioned Underworld. It falls in line with what I call the Supergiant Vibe - a story-rich, melancholy atmosphere that is narrated by an omnipresent character who both feeds the story and provides an existential sense of foreboding, as if something or someone is always watching you. You play as Zagreus, a rebellious teenage prince attempting to escape the confines of the Underworld. He hopes to meet his extended family, the Olympians, and discover the mysteries that surround his upbringing, all at the behest of Lord of the Underworld, Hades, who also, just so happens to be, your father.

The premise is simple, enter the Underworld, kill some enemies, die and go again, but the experience goes far beyond that. Each run is an attempt to better yourself, learning the enemies, rooms, areas, boons, collectibles and secrets all to provide a better fighting chance against Hades’ dreaded forces that seek to keep you in your place. Hades is a masterclass in progression. It has an astonishing number of collectibles such as weapons, power-ups and cosmetics, and detailed and truly interesting codex entries. Most importantly, however, its incredible story, dialogue and characters react to your gameplay and progress, causing the game to feel rich, adaptive and responsive. Despite sometimes lacking a depth of synergy and strategy that is found in other titles in the genre, each run will be a unique and surprising experience, and provides you with a sense of accomplishment, as your efforts always amount to something gained. If you are looking for a game with high replayability, to pick up every so often, or devote hours upon hours of dedicated gaming to, Hades will provide, and on a portable device such as the Nintendo Switch, it will provide well. Rewarding and engaging, Hades cements its place highly among an exhaustive list of roguelikes, in what I would argue is one of Supergiant’s most well-crafted and exciting games yet.

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Hack, Slash, Ascend

Hades revolves around hack and slashing waves of enemies with different weapons and power-ups, a welcome experience in a rogue-like that makes no run feel the same. In each chamber you must clear the floor before given either a choice of paths to take. The paths indicate what your reward for clearing the next room will be, so thinking ahead of time is key: would a boon, a powerful gift from an Olympian be more beneficial long-term despite having low health? Or would choosing a path of Charon’s Obol, the dungeon’s currency, be better, hoping you may soon be able to purchase some health? The Underworld is difficult, and each time you die, you are learning more and more about the enemies, characters, rooms and areas, so it never feels like a wasted venture. More than anything, the game is fun, and really feeds into making the player feel close to an Olympian’s Godly powers. The action elements of the game are grounded in multiple weapon types, the Infernal Arms, all of which feel varied and unique. The player is equipped with a regular and special attack, as well as cast and call actions which change depending on the traits you invest into them. My favourite weapon so far has been Coronacht, the Heart-Seeking Bow once wielded by Mistress Hera, which decimates single targets with strong blasts or provides breathing room with its volley special. Other weapons such as Aegis, the Shield of Chaos, and Malphon, the Twin Fists, see you getting up close and personal, relying on quick movements and huge sustained damage to prevail. After making progress and gaining collectible currencies throughout multiple runs, these weapons can be augmented through the Mirror of Night’s direct permanent upgrades, discoverable keepsakes, boons gifted by Olympians to help Zagreus or items provided as rewards for clearing rooms. The variety is astounding and makes for unique runs that will suit different playstyles.

It should be noted that the action system is bolstered by quality controls options as the key bindings are completely remappable on Nintendo Switch and aim assist is optional – for those seeking an easier experience, God-Mode is also available which allows players more interested in the story to focus less on challenging combat. Becoming stronger and more knowledgeable is intrinsic to Hades, but luckily this does not necessarily decrease the difficulty level. Because of the nature of Hades’ progression system, enemies and Bosses adapt to your level and the challenge is still felt, especially in later rooms where traps make moving around the diversifying enemies become a fast-paced game of dodgeball. Some weapon types are much more effective in taking on a variety of enemies and dishing out enough reasonable damage to take on later bosses that have oodles of hp, but of course there are trade-offs to all weapons types.

Although progression is rewarding and the gameplay loop is competently explored, an element of surprise and satisfaction is noticeably missing in comparison to something like Slay the Spire, a deck-building roguelike. Although it is difficult to fully compare the two, the common elements of random encounters and pickups do not provide for satisfying self-made synergies in Hades, and as a result, it lacks that gratification which can be so intrinsic to games that require replayability. Because of its simplicity, the gameplay can also feel like it lacks depth. Once you have mastered a weapon type and the key dodging mechanic, the game does not necessarily rely on your ability to formulate different strategies through its randomly generated encounters, rooms and drops. It feels less exciting to know that I could blaze through a run without hoping for great drops or creating interesting strategies to carry me through. The reward of the game is tied more to its sense of progression than the hack and slash gameplay.

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Progression: Hades, Olympians and the Underworld

Hades is set in the Olympian Underworld, a horrifying place of death where no one escapes, those who attempt it are met with swift return to the House of Hades. You play as the young Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, as you attempt to reach the heavens and unite with your distant Olympian family. The story becomes deeply intriguing as the relationships between Zagreus and the incredible cast of characters develops and reveals a deeper story of discovering Zagreus’ upbringing. One of the best parts of Hades is how random story moments will occur upon returning to the main hub, the House of Hades. You may occasionally return to find a cutscene that divulges new story or an exchange between two characters that expands Zagreus’ relationships. Because of the randomness of these narrative driven moments, playing the game does not feel impeded by immense story focus and the game’s pacing does not feel halted by embarking on runs, the gameplay and narrative are complementary in this way.

As you provide gifts and continue to talk to a diverse and compelling set of characters, it becomes apparent just how much work went into creating huge amounts of interesting and compelling dialogue, as each exchange is a new conversation that seems to react to your previous escape attempt. After hours of gameplay, I’ve only come across two lines of dialogue that have been repeated, and one of these was because I spoke to the same character twice without embarking on a new run. The result is that character encounters and exchanges do not feel simulated - character development is organic and responsive to player action and exemplifies Hades’ core feature, progression. As you progress, the various areas of the House of Hades can be improved aesthetically and functionally through collectibles such as keys, diamonds or crystals that are found on your runs. Some improvements are not only cosmetic but also functional, such as requisitioning new rooms that can become available in the dungeons, further helping you on your quest. Hades’ greatest asset is its ability to serve progression in a manner that feels natural through your endless runs. Especially exciting is when you find special fruits that can be given to various characters. When this happens, not only do they have new conversations that provide you with a reward, but it also increases their fondness for you, revealing more information in their codex and providing you with a deeper insight into their mythological lore. Opening new codex entries is a reward in itself, as the expansive lore is a genuinely interesting take on the much-loved topic of Greek mythology.

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A Beautiful Underworld and a Melancholic Atmosphere

In keeping with other Supergiant games, Hades continues two noticeable elements, the isometric view and the omnipresent narrator. Unlike Transistor, the narrator is not an in-game character, but there are times where Zagreus will respond to his quips, making for quirky and unforgettable moments. The isometric view has always lent to the atmosphere of Supergiant’s games and Hades is no exception. The camera’s angle provides an opportunity for players to visualise the action space well, and although it may feel constricting at times, this lends to the challenge of memorising space and quick-thinking in high danger situations. It also beautifully displays the diverse environments which range from ghoul-ridden halls to lava-flowing underground chambers.

The character and combat animations are fluid and the environments are beautifully hand drawn. The two-dimensional character drawings next to dialogue boxes are meticulously detailed and seem almost dynamic in their poses, representing the Gods and Underworld beings in all their opulence. Their dynamics are bolstered by the incredible voice acting across an almost all British cast, immersing the player further into a world where the characters are central to the experience. I’ll never get tired of hearing Zagreus repeatedly say “mate” in an unapologetically English voice that is both hilarious and bizarre. Character interactions are also made more personable through a noticeable absence of music from many dialogue exchanges, this helps feel more focused on narrative progression. The sound design falls short of other titles from the company such as Pyre and Transistor, which heavily emphasised melancholic soundscapes to fit their dramatic and sombre tones, though Hades’ music does have its merits. The music from many sections of the game helps to reflect the depressing and eerie atmosphere of the Underworld. Hades combines strong rhythmic elements with stringed melodies and blasts of horns to create a soundtrack that has a pulsing and lively bazaar feel, fitting for propelling the action and embodying the epic quest of fighting Underworld beings to claim your right in the Heavens of Greek Mythology.

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Final Thoughts

Hades nails its Olympian hack and slash vision and truly immerses you in an Underworld that is out to get you. The interesting story and whimsical characters are set in a wonderfully rich world of Greek mythology with exciting and fun action gameplay that does not require hours of dedication to master. Taking action/hack and slash mechanics from Supergiant’s previous games and merging them into a roguelike was exactly the right direction to take their conventional gameplay loop.

Hades is not perfection, and does sometimes lack depth of strategy. It feels as though the combat and upgrade system may not be able to provide real satisfaction in the way that other roguelikes may be able to. However, Hades is a masterclass in progression and should serve as an example for all roguelikes to follow suit with. The game does not ask you to learn complex mechanics but rewards your ability and playtime with upgrades, lore and narrative and character progression that feels natural and organic. If you have wanted to get involved with Supergiant Games’ titles, or are hoping to hop into the ever-expanding world of roguelikes, Hades is a great entry point for any player, and is a rich, rewarding and engaging experience that is one of Supergiant Games’ best yet...

The Olympians await!