I first picked up a new video game called Hades back at the end of August when I came across an advertisement online and the first thing that caught my eye was the animated, pastel colored landscape I saw on the live game play screen shots. I have always been a huge fan of the Borderlands franchise which also has a similar visual coloring aesthetic although that is the only thing those two games have in common but it was enough for me to become initially curious about Hades. Almost a full four months later since I started playing the game, I have become very fond of this title which has been a pleasant surprise for me which is why I have decided to make Hades the very first video game review on Musik Mirage.
Hades was produced by Supergiant Games which is mostly an independent game company which is where we seem to get most of the original game ideas in this day and age but most people won’t know many of the titles that Supergiant has developed in the past but one other game some might know is Bastion. If I had to compare Hades to another video game it would be hard but I would have to say Diablo with its top down, aerial point of view. The game play can be considered a hack and slash oriented system with added spells and special moves depending on which weapon your player has equip at the time. One of the most unique aspects of the game has to be the playing format as the player is forced to fight through four different levels with each having numerous chambers with one boss to finish each area before moving on to the next.
The game’s story line might seem a bit shallow on the surface but Hades manages to slowly develop an interesting story that centers around the main character Zagreus who is the son of Lord Hades the god of the underworld, while he tries to make his way to the surface. Some players that have knowledge of Grecian lore will certainly pick up on a lot of familiar mythical characters that show up during the game such as Zeus, Posiden and Aphrodite to name a few. Another detail about this game that I found special was the way the game slowly progresses the development of the character as you will be able to gather collectables during your runs to add permanent upgrades to Zagreus but since the game operates on escape attempts you will also find temporary upgrades during the course of your runs that you will lose at the time of your death which sends you back to the beginning.
Anyone playing this game will quickly get use to dying and starting back over at the beginning but to be honest I very rarely if ever felt frustrated when my player died because I always knew I could make improvements with the new collectables I obtained during the run which will help me get further on my next try. The game rewards players with slow but noticeable progression as you gradually make it to a new chamber with every passing escape attempt until you finally make it to the the surface of the underworld. Of course I won’t give any spoilers about what lies in wait on the surface once you finally get there but I must say the story makes it all worth while. This game really reminds me of a highly entertaining, arcade like experience as the levels you traverse and enemies stay the same but even with well over 200 escape attempts I feel very little game fatigue.
Hades is a game that people can pick up and play and still have fun even after many hours of game play. It’s no wonder Hades has accumulated many awards and accolades since its release and I know I speak for millions of fans out there when I say I can’t wait for the sequel to be announced. The game was initially released on PC and Nintendo Switch back in the fall of 2020 but the title was finally ported over to Xbox One and the Sony Play Station last August which is when I first found out about it. I would legitimately give this game 5 out of 5 stars but I fear I might sound like a shill on our very first video game review on Musik Mirage so I will fairly give it a final score of 4.5 stars out of 5. If your looking to check out Hades on social media you can follow Supergiant games @supergiantgames for future updates on new games.
Article Written By Kyle McNeil(@MusikMirage)
