Hades (PS5) – Review

I have never really been a fan of the rogue-like genre of games. However, upon seeing the renowned praise Hades received when it released for Nintendo Switch and PC, my interest was peaked. That being said, I waited for a Playstation release, mainly due to trophies being a huge factor in me maintaining my interest in a game like this that will constantly reset. Regardless, I picked up Hades for Playstation 5 in August and here is what I thought of one of 2020’s most critically acclaimed games.

Story –

If I speak truly, I never really showed an interest in the story of Hades. I found myself always listening in on the dialogue options, but constantly zoning out after a while. This is understandable though, as I think in most games of this nature, story is never really the first point to move toward.

However, it is quite disappointing that a story to become infatuated with wasn’t spawned out of Greek mythology, as I think that is a field that a lot of creativity can spawn from. I just personally never really took any interest in the story premise of escaping your father’s torment in an attempt to reunite the Greek Gods as a family.

Characters –

Despite the story not really doing much for me, the characters were always well portrayed. They are light-hearted, cracking jokes with Zagreus. There is very in-depth index’s dedicated to every character, weapon, item and location in the game, ever growing with more information on each aspect. On top of that, each character does a good job in portraying their relationships to each-other in the ‘reality’ of Greek mythology.

Voice-Acting –

Although characters are well portrayed, I have to admit, Greek mythology and voice acting must be a match made in hell (no pun intended). In the last twelve months, I have now witnessed three Greek mythological horror shows when it comes to voice acting. Those being, Blood of Zeus on Netflix, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and now Hades. That isn’t to say there isn’t some good performances, but truly I do not know what it is about Greek mythology and annoying voices.

I think it must come down to the English-ness of the lines. There is nothing that makes my skin crawl more than hearing Zagreus address everyone as ‘mate’, whilst a lot of the other characters seem to just sound like similar versions of each other. The voice acting in this game and in Greek mythology-themed forms of media just do not seem to do it for me whatsoever. They give off the same effect as when playing Final Fantasy. That being, enjoying the game, only to have the moment ruined by the generic ‘anime sounds’. Greek mythological media seems to be the anime sounds of the West.

Rogue-Like –

I already said to begin with that these genre of games are not my cup of tea. I find them tedious and repetitive, never really feeling motivation to slog through the repetition. However, that being said, Hades is an outlier in some ways. Hades provided me with a game-play loop that was ever-changing enough to keep me coming back through the varying sets you can run through each escape attempt.

As well as this, the combat and general game-play is something of major importance to me in these games. Similarly to what I said in my review of Returnal, its biggest achievement was the fluidity and freshness of its gameplay. Hades has this also, and is arguably much better than Returnal in this area. Hades provides enough of a mix and differentiation between escapes that every re-try is just as intense as the last, which is accomplished mainly through the variety of temporary upgrades and boons that can be mixed and matched.

One thing that a lot of rogue-like games ignore, for me, is the importance of permanent upgrades. That ability to constantly feel like your progression is not left purely down to your playing performance in comparison to the last time is massive for me. Hades sorts this issue I have with games like Returnal through the use of the mirror in Zagreus’ room. This allows for permanent upgrades to provide clear progression going into each escape attempt for the player. It can provide something to save up toward, something that you know will definitely give you an extra edge once you achieve it. Permanent upgrades create sub-goals to work toward separate from the main goal of escaping.

Music –

Hades has a very distinct and stylised track fitted to the locations and scenarios of the game, however, on a personal note, I never really found any of the tracks throughout the game to be that memorable or adrenaline inducing. This isn’t to say there was a lack of care in terms of musical output, there obviously was, but just on a personal level nothing really connected with me unfortunately. I think this is just how it is with music, you either connect or you don’t.

Visuals –

As someone who was looking from the outside-in at Hades when it initially released on Switch, I was deterred. This was not because of a lack of visual quality, nor was it because of the art-style. However, it was because of the connotation I had subconsciously built up against top-down dungeon-crawlers or MMO visually styled games. Hades has this style, although more vibrantly distinct. This initially deterred me as I had not bothered to do my own research, and instead assumed purely by the style that it would be the same type of game as the likes of Diablo. In some ways, it is similar, but in almost every other way, it is different.

Away from these assumptions, Hades has a very distinct style. Areas are vibrant and uniquely stylised. All character sprites and models are crisp and excellently portrayed. For what Supergiant went for, I genuinely do not see how else this game could visually be any better.

Replay-Value –

I think one of the main aspects of a game of this genre is the replayability. Hades masters this. When playing Hades, or not playing Hades, you’ll find yourself contemplating whether or not you can fit in one more run, or adjust to a new style of play in the next run. Even if you beat a boss, you can try beat it again with a different weapon, or set-up. The fluidity of the game-play is what makes this so easy, it allows for a non-tedious flow between escape attempts.

Thus, I would argue that Hades probably has the most replay-value of any rogue-like that I have played, not that I’ve played many, but still. A combination of addictiveness, fluidity of game-play and variations in escape combinations creates a game where new ways of playing are always encouraged.

Conclusion –

Hades is a game that surprised me, as one of the best of the few rogue-like games I have played. The general combat and game-play create an addictive experience, with permanent upgrades ensuring that it never really feels up to performance, and that you will always be working towards being permanently better in the next escape attempt. However, a lack of impact in terms of the track means no area or moments in the game really made much of an impact to me. With that, often cringe-worthy voice-acting combined with a story that sort-of takes a back peddle to the general game-play, meant that I generally found it being a nuisance to be interrupted by dialogue and ‘story’.

Despite these complaints, Hades was an enjoyable and addictive game, and one that is great value for the cheap price that it currently is on PS5.

Final Score – 7/10

Returnal – Review

I wasn’t getting Returnal right up until the day before it released, when social media praise and high metacritic scores led me to believe that maybe this Rogue-Like is the one for me. I have never really been a fan of the genre, I usually find it tedious and repetitive, however, Returnal in some ways made this satisfying. With Sony recently acquiring Housemarque, lets see what I thought of the first major game that certainly made them take the next step toward purchasing Housemarque as a development studio.

Story –

The story of Returnal makes up a decent amount of the game. Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on an alien planet, is forced into trying to uncover the secrets behind the species, lore and other elements of the planet. Along with this, the incorporation of the Rogue-Like tropes being put into the story to make sense was something that I rather enjoyed, with Selene trying to discover how to break this endless cycle she has discovered herself in.

The story takes second-fiddle to the game-play, however it is decent enough to maintain the player’s interest throughout and will obviously take a lot of commitment to get through.

Rogue-Like –

Obviously if you know anything about Returnal you’ll know it is part of the Rogue-Like genre. I for one have played games in this genre before such as Enter the Gungeon and just generally found that these sorts of games are not for me. However, despite how hard Returnal sticks to the genre’s ideas, this was definitely the first time I have played a rogue-like and not found the resetting aspect to be tedious, pointless and annoying. It served a purpose, I think it also helped that it was adapted into the story to add meaning to the cycle.

Ability to Save During a Cycle –

For all the praise I stated about the genre’s tropes, I do think at times maybe Returnal sticks to the concept a little too much. The concept of having to leave your PS5 on rest-mode purely just because you have to do something can be quite annoying. Each cycle can take hours depending on how far you go and how much stuff you get in advance prepping for future biomes, it is quite ignorant in a way to think that players can commit half of their entire days to just this one game without taking a real break.

I am not saying resetting is a bad thing, far from it. However, I see little reason as for why the game resets when you turn off the console. It punishes you for having real-life commitments, not just dying in-game. There should definitely be a save system in-place for when you are in the middle of a cycle and are yet to die. For me, I think the lack of a save and quit system to the liking of which I have mentioned has almost made the game unenjoyable to play for the most part.

Stick to the Objective –

One thing I realised pretty early on is how easy it is to think that this game is just a mindless corridor fest. I found myself just going from room to room, taking out enemies, with no real idea of what I was actually trying to achieve. My best advice is to follow the main objective in the top-right of the screen. This is the ultimate guide and keeping it in mind as you go from room to room will allow you to add meaning to why you are going into these repetitive sequences and rooms. Stick to the objective.

Game-Play Elements –

The thing that keeps games like Returnal fresh amongst the constant restarting is the game-play elements. There is a variety of weaponry, each with specific alt-fire modes, all of which allow the player to eventually pick one that suits their style of play best pretty quickly into the game. Among the weaponry there is also the enhancers such as parasites, which allow the player to gain benefits but also lose something in return. Silphium resins which can be malignant and once again makes the player weigh a risk/reward scale and other general improvements such as consumables and artefacts that make the journey just that little bit easier.

Smoothness of Gun-Play and Movement –

Returnal is the first game on the PS5 to fully get the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers right. Games like Demon’s Souls and Sackboy: A Big Adventure incorporated the features, but Returnal fully commits to them. This full commitment shows its benefits as it feeds into some of the most smooth and responsive gun-play I have ever experienced. Combined with movement that is satisfactory and smooth, it creates for a fun experience that allows repeating areas to be enjoyable.

Enemies –

Returnal is a game that is about remembering patterns. Although enemies are difficult, if you can remember their movements and attack patterns, it obviously becomes easier. My first encounter with the first boss of the game, Phrike, was a complete failure. It didn’t take me long to realise that this boss was easily the easiest boss in the entire game. Enemies aren’t as daunting as games like Demon’s Souls, however they do give you that immense satisfaction upon beating them.

Visuals and Graphics –

Now this will be probably the hottest take in the review, but Returnal doesn’t look that good… yes it has its moments, but on the most part I came across some genuinely awful graphical attempts. The atmosphere is down to a tee, but when you enter an eerie house and look in the mirror only to see Selene look like she is from the PS1 era, it does take away from the illusion a bit.

Elsewhere there is just some issues such as sudden pop-in, particularly in the opening cut-scene that plays. There is also the issue with textures and blurriness of elements such as fog, which you see most noticeably during the battle against Phrike. There is also notable bugs that have been shown online once again, such as personal issues that I experienced being sudden loud and painful audio distortions that sounded like high-pitched static, and on other occasions audio intermittently cutting out for no particular reason. As I said, despite these issues the game has its beautiful moments and the atmosphere of the worlds are great, it is just not up to par for an €80 AAA title on the PS5 in my opinion.

Conclusion –

Returnal is the first Rogue-Like to genuinely maintain my interest and not burn me out instantly. The game-play is unforgiving and definitely should include a save system during a cycle, the lack of this save system makes the game incredibly tedious and hard to commit to when living with a life outside of the PS5. Visually, the game is not up to scratch in many areas, but it also has its moments. Is the game worth the €80? No. I’d say it is more of a €50 game to be honest. However, it is still a premium experience and one that highlights and utilises the PS5’s controller and features perfectly.

Final Score – 7/10