I barely have any game time at the moment, but when I do, I’m playing a game released way back in 2020 called Hades. It’s no secret to many how good this game is (it was game of the year everywhere basically), but for someone who is so slow nowadays to play new games, it’s been a revelation.
Hades is one of those games that reminds me of golden-era gaming on the SNES and Genesis (or the first time I played through Ninja Gaiden) and comes with all the proper updates and graphics to make the experience super-modern.
It’s a challenging game, but not overly so. Just like Zelda, it adheres to the goldilocks rule. The twist that might confuse those just starting out is that not only are you guaranteed to die during each play session, dying is actually a core game mechanic. You’ll die a lot. It sounds like it might be frustrating, but you’ll have to trust me that it’s entirely the opposite.
A sequel is coming out soon (it’s in early access, so next year before it hits consoles), but I’m at a loss as to how much better you could make this game.
If I’ve piqued your curiosity, check out the FAQ from the developer Supergiant and the game of the year review from Polygon if you need more convincing.
Comments welcome!