Hades
Greek mythology has always been my thing. Growing up playing Masters of Olympus on my PC pretty much constantly, I developed a decent knowledge and keen interest in Greek Gods, and found myself always diving into books and other sources of information to find out as much as I could. Something about it always piques my interest, and I’m a sucker for games and movies with that flair. Supergiant Games’ Hades is no different - as soon as I saw it, I was in love. Being on Steam Early Access since late 2018, it was one of those games that I hoped would eventually see a console release, and thankfully - it has finally come to Switch so I could get stuck in!
You play as Zagreus - the son of Hades and Prince of the Underworld. Sick of being under his father’s rule, Zagreus makes his attempt to escape the Underworld and reach Mount Olympus. Receiving gifts in the form of powers and upgrades from the other Olympians, you must fight your way through the four biomes of the Underworld; Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium and the Temple of Styx, to make it out and be on your way to Olympus, and freedom.
During development of Supergiant’s last game, Pyre, they wanted to work on a procedural narrative but found that it didn’t work with the ideas they had for the game, so the plan was shelved with the intention of working on it elsewhere. Hades’ rogue-like manner allowed for them to utilise this plan, expanding upon the story across multiple runs. This makes for a very compelling reason to continue, and the addictive nature of just one more run as I’ve said countless times before, is a driving force for success when the storytelling it is paired with is so fantastic. With each death, Zagreus must start over in his attempt to escape, retaining any alliances with Gods he has made and items he has unlocked. This allows for future runs to have a higher chance of success, both in terms of familiarising yourself with the dungeons and having improved items and upgrades. Receiving gifts from Gods can increase your relationship positively with them, whilst negatively affecting it with other Gods, which makes for a very interesting playthrough. As a fan of Greek mythology, I had a lot of fun digging deeper into the lore and the characters of each God and how they are presented.
Done in an absolutely gorgeous art-style, everything is beautifully detailed, from characters to monsters to the environments. Each of the biomes has their own distinct style, with the final area - The Temple of Styx - looking and playing different to the others. Here you must work your way through five different rooms in search of a Satyr Sack to distract Cerberus, in order to enable your attack on Hades. The soundtrack throughout is tremendous, scored by Darren Korb - who, if you don’t know, has also done all of Supergiant’s previous game soundtracks - has a very familiar yet weirdly unique sound. The progression from tamer tracks to more heavy-duty ones as you progress really amps you up for a battle. It’s available to listen to in full on Spotify - and you 100% should, as it really is that good.
The controls feel tight and well balanced, with each successful hit feeling extremely satisfying. The final hit of each room goes into slow motion for maximum effect, and no matter how many rooms you work through - this never gets old. Combat flows beautifully, and enemies feel worthwhile when you take them on. Hades runs at 60fps, and whether you play in handheld or in docked mode, it still feels just as great. The only gripe we had with handheld mode was the stupid Joycon drift having an impact at times, but this is solely the console’s issue, and not the game. Seeing the story unfold as you progress is fantastic, and I love the growth of your relationship with various Gods and Goddesses.
There’s tonnes of replayability to be had in Hades - heck, we’re going back for regular runs in between everything else we’re currently playing. And being on Nintendo Switch allows for the portability aspect that the PC version couldn’t take advantage of. Being able to takes Hades to work is ideal, as I can easily get a few runs in on my tea break, and get others hooked on its beauty in the process. It’s definitely a game I can see myself coming back to for a long time, and one that will continue to keep me on my toes.
In the end, we decided to give Hades the Collecting Asylum rating of 9.5/10.
Have you played Hades yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Supergiant Games for the Hades Nintendo Switch review code!
