Not only are conversations and side stories actively engaging - attempting to reunite Achilles with his life-long partner, Patroclus, or Orpheus with his long-lost muse Euridice, are genuinely moving and hearken back to the kind of melodrama the ancient Greeks were so good at - there are also gameplay benefits! Advancing these relationships far enough grants you persistent keepsakes and companions, which are both invaluable tools in aiding Zag's quest to run away from home. Investing in Zag’s relationships with each character paves the way for interesting backstory reveals, world-building, new sidequests, or even items to assist on your future escape attempts. Even his boulder (affectionately known as Bouldy) sports a carved smile that reacts in silence upon interaction. For instance, instead of painting Sisyphus as a tragic character, he's an optimist who you encounter on a break while the gods aren’t watching. Each personality feels like an authentic reinterpretation of a classic Greek myth, and they’re all a joy to behold.
HADES STEAM SIMULATOR
It turns out that adding a dash of dating simulator mechanics to a rogue-lite was the secret sauce in making good use of a large cast of interesting characters. “But the heart and soul of Hades, outside of its combat, lies in Zag’s interaction with various deities and mythic figures from Greek myth, like Achilles, Orpheus, and more. His sympathetic coming-of-age story brought me in, but I fell in love with his tongue-in-cheek musings on the world around him and snarky back-and-forth with the disembodied voice of the Narrator.
Zag is a rebellious heartthrob trying to find his place in the world between Hades and Mount Olympus. So you’re going to be spending a lot of time getting to know everyone - and it’s time very well spent. Almost inevitably, though, the forces of Hades will overwhelm you eventually, and every death sends Zag back home to start over from scratch, save for persistent currencies and progress in relationships with the wonderful cast of characters who inhabit the Underworld, from lord Hades himself all the way down. As with each one of Zag's moves, using it well involves a delicate balance between risk and reward.
The jewel embeds itself into a target, disqualifying you from firing another cast until you kill the enemy and retrieve your ammunition, so shooting it at the biggest, meanest enemy in the room isn’t always the best idea. “The final mechanic in Zag’s moveset is the cast: a skill-shot based projectile that fires a red jewel into an enemy for a quick burst of damage. Later you’ll unlock a bashing shield, a spear, and more, and each plays significantly differently, creating one of many layers of replayability for Hades. Prefer to peck at foes from a safe distance? Then channel your inner Artemis and use the bow. Want to get in the thick of it and wreck some demons? Then consider the straightforward Stygian Blade. Each of these Infernal Arms is geared to complement a certain playstyle. Fortunately, Zag is a skilled warrior capable of wielding six different weapons, each with four different variants. But what if that Herculean climb uphill was actually awesome combat against a randomized variety of enemies as you fight your way out of Hell, with a wide range of godly powers that grow and combine in interesting ways as you progress? And what if, instead of going back to zero, you got a little stronger each time with some help from a colorful cast of allies and enemies who remember each of your attempts? That’s Hades’ premise, and the Greek mythology-themed rogue-lite that developer Supergiant has built around it makes going to Hell a joy.The journey of Zagreus, son of Hades, through the labyrinthine Underworld toward the freedom of the mortal realm unfolds from an isometric perspective as you take on hordes of colorfully animated undead that fill the screen with danger in every randomly ordered room you pass through. Each time he’d push it up, it would roll back down again and he’d have to start anew. In the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus, a poor soul is doomed to forever push a boulder uphill without rest.
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