Narrative games and rouge like dungeon crawlers do not seem to have much in common at first glance. One genre is all about exploration of deeper themes while the other is about all out nonstop action. But Supergiant Games managed to do something interesting and combine the genres in a brilliant way when it comes to Hades. Hades sees you play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, in his quest to escape the underworld. The game plays out as a dungeon crawler with more weapons to find and more abilities to unlock as you try to make your way to the end, die and start over. What sets Hades apart from the rest is how the game has a very deep narrative, well developed characters and excellent side quests.
Hades slowly eases you into the story, and gradually reveals more information as you go along. The game encourages you to build connections with various characters, either in the House of Hades that acts as the starting point, or the various Greek gods who will lend you aid over time. This aid will come in the form of various bonuses and powers, such as new abilities for your weapons, new defensive options, or the ability to call on the gods for aid when you build up enough meter. As you continue on, you will find new secrets, such as new routes to take, new gods to interact with, and ways to unlock permanent upgrades. All of this is woven into the story and leaves the player satisfied.
But how is the gameplay? Well, it is very addictive. Those who have played games like Dead Cells will feel right at home here, as the game throws you into various randomly generated rooms with enemies to fight and a reward at the end of each room. These include nectar, which is used for building relationships with characters, gems for renovating the House of Hades, keys to unlock new weapons, and darkness to act as currency for upgrades once back at the House of Hades. The various weapons are interesting to use, and there is one for most playstyles. Hades has that elusive X factor that most games seek, as its gameplay is able to convince you to just keep playing no matter what.
Hades also makes use of its story to explain why the game would keep going after reaching the end, and it does so in a brilliant way that I will not spoil. Suffice it to say, I was very surprised by my experience and came away from the game extremely satisfied and feeling my purchase was justified after only a few hours. With excellent music, a great art style and a mix of witty dialogue and fast paced action, Hades has something for everyone. The difficulty is just right, and there are even options to work your way up to a more powerful easy mode, that again makes sense storyline wise. Supergiant games pulled off something incredible here and I cannot say enough good things about this. My only criticism is that some of the narrative side quests drag on quite a bit, and the randomized layout of the areas does mean you may have to do several playthrough to continue the story of just one particular side quest, in case you do not hit a needed room.
Still, the overall experience is amazing and I have no problem giving Hades my highest recommendation.