Hades
Developer: Supergiant Games | Publisher: Supergiant Games
Hades is a fast-paced action roguelike with sharp combat, strong writing, and meaningful build variety set in the underworld of Greek mythology.
RECOMMENDED | BREAKDOWN BELOW
Developed and published by Supergiant Games, Hades is a fast-paced action roguelike set in the underworld of Greek mythology. Players take control of Zagreus, the rebellious son of Hades, as he repeatedly fights his way out of the Underworld in search of answers beyond his father’s domain. Through evolving relationships, powerful boons, and repeated escape attempts, the game blends story progression with build-driven combat in a structure designed around failure, experimentation, and eventual mastery.
Gameplay Experience: 20/25
Combat feels fast, responsive, and easy to understand, making each run approachable even for players who do not usually enjoy roguelikes. Different weapons and boons create meaningful variety, and when a build comes together properly, the power spikes can be extremely satisfying. At its best, Hades delivers a strong sense of momentum as players learn enemy patterns, refine their build orders, and begin shaping runs more intentionally. The game also does a good job of teaching through failure, allowing players to improve naturally through repetition. Where the experience loses some strength is in progression over time. Once the core game is understood, the structure of each run changes very little, and repetition becomes more noticeable. The result is an enjoyable and well-balanced combat system, even if long-term progression begins to feel less rewarding.
Presentation & Immersion: 19/25
Hades presents its world with a level of style and confidence that immediately stands out. Drawing from Greek mythology, the game builds a cohesive underworld filled with strong character design, expressive animation, and striking hand-painted environments. The writing is consistently sharp, and the large cast of characters helps repeated runs feel more rewarding by gradually revealing new conversations and relationship dynamics. Voice acting is especially strong, with distinct performances that give each god, ally, and rival a clear identity. Music and sound design also do a great deal of work in supporting the game’s atmosphere, whether during quieter story moments or more intense combat encounters. While the structure still feels more like a contained setting than a broad world to explore, the overall presentation is polished enough to give the experience lasting personality and charm.
Design & Technical: 19/25
From a design standpoint, the game is carefully structured around experimentation, failure, and gradual improvement. Weapon variety, keepsakes, boons, and upgrades all work together to create a flexible system that rewards players for learning how different pieces interact. Runs can feel wildly different when a build comes together properly, and that sense of synergy is one of the game’s greatest strengths. At the same time, Hades does show some friction once the player moves deeper into the game. Progression feels strongest early on, but can lose momentum in the midgame when unlocks slow down and repetition becomes more noticeable. The interface is mostly clear and functional, though certain menus can feel a bit clunky or cluttered by modern standards. Technically, however, the game performs extremely well, with stable performance and no meaningful issues experienced.
The Skinny About Hades
Final Considerations: 24/25
Hades (Steam Link) stands as one of the strongest examples of how to make a roguelike approachable without stripping away the genre’s identity. The combat is satisfying, the build variety is meaningful, and the presentation is polished enough to keep repeated runs engaging far longer than they otherwise might be. Just as importantly, it succeeds where many other roguelikes fail by making early progress feel fair rather than punishing, allowing players to learn through repetition instead of feeling shut out from the start. At the same time, the game is still built around repeating the same core loop, and that repetition becomes harder to ignore once the systems are fully understood. Even so, the quality of the writing, combat, and overall design makes it easy to pick up and play. It may not hold every player forever, but it is absolutely worth your time. Recommended.
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