There are developers out there who achieve amazing results each time they crank something out of the digital forge. I think part of this is having confidence in your vision and but also possessing that special something that makes your game stand out from the crowd. The first game I played from Supergiant Games was Bastion, a title that instantly draws you into its world with sharp narrative and an intriguing story. Since that game Supergiant has released Transistor and Pyre, which have also been received well by critics and gamers alike.

Hades is the latest project from Supergiant Games and was announced at the 2018 Gaming awards. In a new move, Hades has actually been released in an early access format which surprised a few people, but I trust these developers enough to support this decision. What did surprise me more was their decision to make Hades an exclusive title on the new Epic store: in fact, it was one of the first third-party games to take the leap. Supergiant said that they didn’t have the resources to support multiple platforms and they liked what Epic were doing in regard to supporting content creators. I think the way Epic has behaved since this announcement has somewhat jaded my opinion of the store, but that’s a conversation for another time.

Dining in Hell

You play the game as Zagreus, a Prince of the underworld who is trapped under the watchful gaze of his father Hades. The ultimate goal is to leave the realm and join the gods of Olympus. You start the game within the chambers of Hades himself, who sits upon his throne, mocking you each time your return unsuccessful in your endeavour. Around this area, there are also plenty of other characters to engage with, Nyx the goddess of night for example or Achilles the legendary warrior. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Bastion was how the narrator would comment on what you were actually doing in the game. This could be smashing walls with your hammer, falling off a platform or facing a particularly difficult creature. The dialogue in Hades is more driven through the many characters you find back at your father's sanctum.

These conversations are vibrant, relevant and interesting. Not least because they often relate to something you have done in the main game. After fighting your sister Fury for the first time, each subsequent time you reach her you have a different exchange of banter before fighting. On returning to the chambers your conversations will reflect how you did against her, even down to which weapon you had chosen to use for that particular run. I think many other developers could take note here and see how if a conversation cares about you and your actions, players will be far more engaged. You can also impart gifts (that you find in the main game world) onto characters and these will unlock equipment for you to use if you so wish. As you make your way through the chamber you will come across Zagreus’s bedroom which can display various trophy’s from your exploits but also is home to a magical mirror. Here you can unlock and then upgrade various boons which will aid you in your many attempts to ascend to the heavens.

Blood Sport

So let us get to the meat and potatoes of the game. Once you leave the protection of your fathers chamber you are immediately thrust into combat. Before you disembark you will have to choose a weapon set, which will provide you with a main and special attack. On top of this, you also have a magical ranged attack which will home in on enemies in its path. These magical attacks leave a mark on enemies and only when you kill them do you get the magical tokens back. In each room you enter will have numerous waves of enemies to best as well as various environmental traps to keep an eye on.

The weapons all offer a good range of styles: the spear, for example, lets you poke enemies at range and also do a devastating sweep attack. I have personally found the shield invaluable due to its ability to block incoming damage, as well as a powerful charge attack. You can also send your shield ricocheting around enemies, like a demonic Captain America. The enemies of the game are both varied and challenging, even from the first few rooms. I would say most gamers will be able to get through the first area with no problems. However, once you reach Fury for the first boss fight things hit turbo and it took many attempts to best her barrage of attacks. Combat is fast, fluid and a whole lot of fun. However be warned, this is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, although this could change once there are more areas added.

Gift of the Gods

The exit (or exits) to the next room will show what kind of reward is waiting in the next chamber and so you will have a degree of choice, depending on what you're looking for. These can be keys, dark power for increasing your ability effects or even gifts from your beloved relatives in the heavens above. Each of these gods will give you a choice of three effects, which will be themed around the type of god they are and can fundamentally change how a weapon attacks. So Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, will offer you nature-based attacks and you can probably guess what kind of boons Zeus will impart on you. These improvements can turn a simple attack into a devastating room killer which you will need for the tougher encounters ahead. These godly gifts also come with rarity based on colour, so getting rare and legendary powers will always give you a distinct advantage.

Of course, this being a roguelike, when you die (and you will) Zagreus will emerge from the bloody rejuvenation pool back at fathers palace to start all over again. Upon death, you will lose all the powers you have gained but items like keys, coins and dark power will be retained so that you can increase your chances for the next run.

Pretty in Red

Supergiant Games have always had a flair for stylish visuals and in Hades we see them up the bar in this department. This game looks gorgeous and you can see the artists have had lots of fun with this hellish setting. Little things like how Zagreus‘s feet leave tiny burn marks on the floor show the attention to detail here. The characters are also well animated with their own distinct designs but it’s the environments that take the award. Playing Hades is like watching a Pixar film from an isometric viewpoint. Tiny plumes of smoke rise from burning candles, translucent ghosts mill around the chambers and the hands of damned souls reach up from the abyss.

Conclusion

Hades has only been in early access a short time and so you should not expect a finished game at this stage. At the time of writing, you will get two chapters (or areas) for your investment and each one can be beaten in around an hour. It is the aforementioned difficulty curve that may prevent you from seeing the last boss any time soon. In fact, you cannot actually escape hell yet because the rest of the game has not been finished. I love how this is handled and how they actually work the games unfinished state into the dialogue: classy.

Obviously jumping onto early access games come with some huge caveats and I only believe people should when they fully understand that it is always a risk and also what early access actually means. With Hades, the quality control is so high the content we do get actually feels finished. Supergiant Games are a fantastic developer and have earned high regard with gamers through producing unique and polished titles. There is an update due out in a few days and so this preview will be updated accordingly, but for now, I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on Hades