Hades: Relationships are Divinely Depicted

9CCEF793A00608A438375A5B180ED62EF17D7060 (2560×1440) Hades:

As Gods and souls receive Nectar a bar above their heads fills with hearts. Every recipient drinks five Nectars before they reveal a locked heart. To break past this barrier, Zagreus needs to perform a labor. The labor is unique to the recipient, and it is not named, not explained, and not immediately available for completion. Through dialogue Gods and mortals express their desire.

The revelation of these objectives coincide roughly with defeating the final boss ten times (I needed 41 hours, and an uncertain number of attempts). A tenth victory features the return of Persephone and a credits scene, but it isn't the end. Persephone has a final task for her son: reunion between Olympus and Hades. The plot of Hades is the game's weakest aspect. It is almost nonexistent. In summary; Mom left home. I'm going to get her back (x10). Now I'm going to throw a party with my uncles and aunts. It exists only as a skeleton, lacking flesh or organs. The characters, their visual and audio depictions, their dialogue, gifts, and connections, which are not plot, serve in its place. If the connective tissue wasn't so engaging, the story of Hades would be as insubstantial as the emperor's new clothes.

Persephone's reunion requires filling the heart bars of most of the Olympians, which requires breaking open those locks. Some are easy as a brief conversation, and you won't even realize how you completed it. But others are long, arduous, and even impossible, even if you know what you need to do. For example, at least sixty hours into Hades, I started romancing a character (not an Olympian), without even realizing it. I discovered the existence of three romance options. I was going to court only one partner, but here's the hint.... You need to woo all three to unlock the final, final ending. To romance these denizens Zag needs to unlock their hearts first. 321DD7F3832EA6E995A90233441DA7FDB9656939 (2560×1440)

Poseidon's lock requires fishing. Fishing is a tedious, unnecessary mini game which I felt compelled to complete. Stand over a ripple in the water, lava, or mystical substance, toss in the hook, and wait for a fish to take the bait. Then click quickly. The rewards are minimal; a little Darkness, a few Gemstones, and on a rare occasion, a Diamond. But to unlock Poseidon's heart, the player must catch a fish and talk to him on the same escape attempt. After unlocking the locked heart, each conversationalist has five more hearts. To fill these, the recipients desire something more substantial than Nectar; Ambrosia. Keepsakes are the reward for the first Nectar, while five specific chthonic residents reward the first gift of Ambrosia with a Companion. These super-powered spells deal immense damage to enemies, but are only available a handful of times per escape.

Hades excels at all elements, but especially at Supergiant's specialty; aesthetics. The game is rendered in their excellent hand drawn style, though it does suffer from some clutter. The backgrounds are animated, active without distracting, as the souls of Hades writhe in suffering, hands seeking to clutch Zagreus. Occasionally the perspective is uncertain. I found it difficult to judge the angle when trying to hide from Theseus' spear, or whether an enemy is standing in, or outside, the outer rim of Companion Mort. The music, composed by Darren Korb, and sung by Korb (as Orpheus) and Ashley Barrett (as Eurydice), is so fantastic I bought the album. But the soundtrack in the game is hidden behind the in game currency of Diamonds. This valuable resource is better spent on substantial upgrades. Even with 80 hours of play, unlocking music with Diamonds was not a top priority. Korb and Ashley are joined by a superb voice cast, and point perfect dialogue. It is precise and elegantly phrased, conveying characters to perfection. The dialogue is structured to constantly refer to the plot progression. The Olympian's discuss Zagreus' particular situation, such as who he has boons from, who he has talked to, how he did against the most recent boss, or his current flame. After Zagreus defeats REDACTED, they express confusion thinking he has reached the surface. These interactions are necessary for Hades to function, linking the other pieces together, like the stars create constellations. After 17 hours I hadn't experienced a single point of repeat dialogue, and even at 73 hours Hades only contains minor repeats from bosses or Hypnos (who greets Zagreus every time he returns alive to the land of the dead). Even though the game continues endlessly, the credits provide a strong scenic closing with a classically vibrant Supergiant song. C5D2875B3CFC288D092210595C7EB0D01614B270 (2560×1440) In conclusion, Hades is a phenomenal game from Supergiant Games, which isn't surprising considering their history. With fantastic dialogue performed by a superb cast, they reinvigorate Greek Mythology with their own twist, while maintaining its loyalty to classic sources. The breadth and depth of abilities available to mix and match are astonishing. The amount of quality content feels infinite. Even with 80 hours, I left much unfinished. I failed to complete the Pact of Punishment with 32 points for the final Shelly Statue, nor did I upgrade all the keepsakes to level 3, earn hearts for all the characters, or unlock all the decorations. On Steam, I'm short 4 of the 49 achievements. But I did acquire all keepsakes, free or reunite all the punished souls, beat the Pact of Punishment at 8 and 16 for the first two Skelley statues, and complete the story. If Hades has two flaws they are minor blemishes on an otherwise beatific vision. One, the combat is too fast paced, insisting on some button mashing for all but the best players. Two, the success of a run is determined partially by the luck of the draw. Sometimes gods offer meager Boons, sometimes Boons don't synergize, and sometimes Fate denies the existence of Boons. Even with these minor issues, I eagerly entered the maze of Hades, and I recommend you do too.