In a fit of pure coincidence, I planned to write out a review of Hades, Game of the Year contender, on the very day The Game Awards happened. As expected, The Last of Us 2 took the grand prize, as well as (in my opinion, inexplicably) Best Narrative and Best Game Direction. Having spent time with a few other GOTY nominees, I find TLOU2 wanting comparatively, but that’s why I’m not one of the judges of The Game Awards’ committee, I suppose.

While I would normally write a big rant about what I consider a silly decision, I’ve no intention of fighting against the toxic tsunami that is TLOU‘s fandom by committing such crimes as ‘having an opinion about the narrative’ or ‘preferring the first game.’ Instead, I’d like to focus on a fun positive: Supergiant Games’ GOTY nominee Hades, the game that I’ve been spending most of my waking hours with over the past week.

In the interest of fairness, I claim no objectivity in this review. Supergiant Games is my favorite company making games right now. I really liked Bastion, absolutely adored Transistor, and somehow haven’t played Pyre yet, despite being a big enough Supergiant fan that a friend grabbed me promotional materials for it at a convention. Even if I didn’t pay attention during the game’s early access period, I knew I’d be interested in Hades. After blatantly ignoring a friend’s recommendation for a couple of months, I picked up the Switch version and dove in. Allow me to indulge in a long essay about why the game is fantastic. Spoilers lie ahead; consider yourself warned.

Story

In Hades, you play as Zagreus, the son of the titular lord of the Underworld. Zagreus is in a state of rebellion. He doesn’t like being in the Underworld, and with the help of his confidants, mythological hero Achilles and God of Darkness Nyx, plans to climb through and escape to his extended family on Mount Olympus. Through repeated attempts and failures, Zagreus becomes interested in the lives and afterlives of the people he’s surrounded by, from friends like doomed musician Orpheus to his own mother, Persphone, on the surface.

I like every single character in Hades, even the intentionally annoying ones like Hypnos. Every character is voiced well and has a very human feel, which is impressive given the deific status of much of the game’s population. The Olympians are all amicable, with only a few mentions of how awful they can truly be in the mythology. Many of them are obviously trying to curry favor with their newly discovered contemporary; if many of the Olympian gods share one trait, it’s vanity. This happy veneer separates them from their Chthonic counterparts in an interesting way. Nyx, Hades, and Thanatos might not be the most amicable people, but they don’t have to play games. What you see is what you get. The only Olympian not bothering with the act is Demeter, which is probably why she’s my favorite, eternal winter she’s inflicting on humanity aside.

Graphics

Supergiant art director Jen Zee and the art team knock it out of the park once again. The stylized Greek Underworld is amazing, and I found myself occasionally stopping to look at small details in rooms when I entered a new area. Enemies and locations are interesting, from the Brimstones in Tartarus to the butterfly-shooting Soul Collectors in the idyllic Elysian Fields. Zagreus’ design is great, and little things like his heterochromia and ability to bleed red blood provide interesting hints to aspects of his character that aren’t fully explained for multiple runs. Hades is large and imposing, an excellent Angry Dad to be eventually conquered. The Olympians are color-coded in a way that makes sense and provides gameplay clarity when deciding whose favor you’d prefer. Actually, I find the visual clarity of the game incredible in general. Roguelikes can be visually confusing at times — my go-to complaint about The Binding of Isaac, a game I’ve fully completed, is figuring out which creep effects are mine and which are enemies’ — but Hades manages to avoid that really well. I always know where I am, what abilities are mine, what those abilities are doing, and what’s left to deal with. Even in chaotic situations, I was able to understand everything that was going on.

Gameplay

Hades is a roguelike. If you like The Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon, or Dead Cells, you’re probably going to enjoy Hades. The game expects you to lose, and actually rewards you when you do by giving you a little bit more of the narrative. Of course, success and escape are the eventual goal, but Hades isn’t incredibly worried with how long it takes you to get there. If you find the gameplay challenging or frustrating, the options feature a “God Mode,” which toughens Zagreus up and allows for easier progression. I didn’t need any of the features that make the game more accessible, but I’m very pleased that they’re in there. Like a lot of Supergiant’s work, it’s the little things that make a huge difference.

In early runs, it’s just you and your one-handed sword, Stygius. During runs, you collect keys and Darkness, which unlock new weapons and power-ups, respectively. Each new weapon (or rather, Infernal Arm) provides a new way to play, whether with Aegis’ offensive shield play or Exagryph somehow being a mythological automatic rifle with grenade launcher attachment. Personally, I’ve found the most success on Coronacht, the Heart-Seeking Bow, and Misphon, a fast-attacking fist weapon. Regardless of preference, every weapon feels good and has plenty of viable build potential, especially once their alternate Aspects come into play and change their playstyles even more. Speaking of viability, I’ve had very few builds that seemed actively bad. Hades seems to flatten the power curve a little bit compared to other roguelikes, trading ridiculous high rolls and devastating low rolls for a bunch of Boons that just feel good to use. On top of that, I’ve had builds that stomp on multiple targets, but have limited success versus bosses, and vice versa. Sometimes, I find myself taking a Boon I know will be less than helpful in Tartarus because I know it’ll pay off in Elysium or the Temple of Styx. The balance feels great, and if I’m looking for a challenge, it’s very easy to turn up the heat with the optional Pact of Punishment difficulty modifiers.

Overall, I really enjoy Hades. I’m still neck-deep in it, trying to clear the list of Minor Fated Prophecies and finish remodeling the Lounge. The characters, enemies, and locations haven’t gotten old at all, and I’m still finding new synergies and combos to exploit. I’m in the process of befriending everyone, including Sisyphus’ boulder, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, I can make their Underworld experience just a little bit better. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go climb the Underworld again, hoping to make it to the top so, if nothing else, I can catch a trout for the Head Chef shade.