Genre: Roguelike
Year: 2020
Developed by: Supergiant Games
Published by: Supergiant Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, macOS, XBOX One, XBOX Series X/S, iOS
#27
Feeling Like: Thank you for coming! I’ll see you in hell!
There’s a reason Supergiant picked Hades to be the first game they made a sequel for.
It won everything in 2020, and that was a standout year.
Everybody who has tried Hades loves Hades. It is obscenely good, the culmination of Supergiant’s wizardry, blood, sweat and tears over a decade of making video games. Noclip did an outstanding documentary regarding the process of creating something like this. Coming from somebody who works for a game studio, I’ll have to echo what I saw on this feature – making video games is hard. Making something as good as Hades is nigh impossible.
Hades also won my own Game of the Year for 2020. What I said still applies.
It’s been a very long time where I found something that occupied my every waking thought. A game that completely enraptured me from beginning to end. I should’ve seen this coming; Supergiant has had representation on my Top 10s every time since I started back at Snackbar Games and this is their magnum opus. This is even better than Pyre, and I absolutely loved Pyre. It’s a Roguelike or Roguelite that feels more like a Beat ‘Em Up and a Hack n’ Slash that stars Ancient Greek Gods. As the son of Hades, Zagreus, you’re trying to escape the underworld. Your father and his maze will ensure you will fail, but not for long.
I’m having a tricky time fully explaining, so I’ll go ahead and say it is nearly a perfect video game.
The art style is superb, everything is stylish and sexy. The gameplay loop is beyond addictive, the choice of weapons and variety of boons ensure no two runs will ever feel the same. The personalities and voice acting of the cast are professional, charming and hilarious. The design of them calling back to your results of previous runs and poking fun at you makes everything feel connected. I’ve never been this excited to keep playing a Roguelike for story purposes, and I doubt I ever will again.
The controls are flawless. I never felt like a death was cheap, or unfair. Every room was a new playground of death and destruction, and the inevitable carrot on a stick was never very far away. It takes so little time to master the controls and I found myself experimenting with weapons and builds and items, trying to find one that suited me. It only took a few runs to realize that this wasn’t a game that painted you into a corner. EVERY weapon and EVERY upgrade can be useful, particularly if it syncs well with your previous choices.
All my friends I recommended this to took to it immediately. The forgivingly short runs, and the ability to save mid-run, meant those with few recreation hours still managed to sink their teeth into it. Eric’s constant updates on how much further he got, which boss he died on and which weapon build he recently got only enticed me to go back and play another few runs. Even after 35 hours, I want to run into Uncle Poseidon, merry as always and wanting to help me with a new cast. Or be tempted by Dionysus with parties and wine and poison effects. Or partnering with Ares to deal more damage, or accepting Athena’s help to avoid enemy projectiles. And then, you’re back at home again regardless if you won or not.
It’s brilliant. There’s a reason it’s on a million Top Ten lists this year, and I’m sorry to disappoint if you were looking for something more original, but I can’t help it. Every aspect of Hades works in tandem with each other. Beyond that, Supergiant shows real clout when they make a game like this and still treat their workers with dignity and upend competitor offerings with a fraction of the budget. I don’t usually factor the price of a product in my rankings, but the mere concept that a game that costs less than $30 Canadian should be humiliating to massive studios that charge $79.99 for their “AAA” experiences.
Supergiant deserves a standing ovation. Take a bow. Hades is my game of the year.
Much like a run in Hades, this entry will be short (and hopefully sweet). I can’t wait for Hades 2, or whatever form it takes. Even if it’s more of the same, or slightly different, I drank the Supergiant kool-aid a long time ago. I’m a card carrying cult member of theirs. Surely they can’t top Hades with a sequel…right? Dare I dream?
Going through the audiobook of Circe is another reminder of how rich Greek mythology is. Every human trait is on display, whether it’s anger, jealousy, fear, triumph, hatred, or love. They’re all represented by accompanying gods or heroes. There’s no room for subtlety, and everyone is fascinating. Supergiant could not have picked a better mythos to build their magnum opus around. I’m in awe.
The 500 