HADES Review for PlayStation 5

The surprise Nintendo Switch hit of 2020 released by Supergiant Games has finally branched off to consoles. That game is none other than Hades. Nominated for countless awards across the board, this rogue-like game won me over really fast. I never got around to playing this game on the Switch and a part of me is upset I waited this long, because I was just so charmed by it. Luckily, the PS5 experience is fantastic, so I can’t complain. 

You play as the dashing Zagreus, who happens to be the prince of the underworld. Unfortunately for our lead he has a bad case of daddy issues, with his father being Hades himself I suppose that’s understandable. Being the disapproving father that he is, our lead Zagreus chooses to escape the underworld and reach Mount Olympus. In the process Zagreus will come across some Greek gods, some to aid him on his journey, and others that to attempt to stop him. 

My first experience with the rogue-like genre was with this year’s Returnal. While I very much enjoyed that game, I was quite awful at it, and it was some of the most punishing (sometimes also rewarding) gaming experiences I’ve ever had. I was worried I’d have a similar difficult time with Hades. 

Fortunately, while I still kind of sucked at the game, Hades has much more forgiving mechanics. It’s true every time you die you lose everything you have on you and start at the beginning of the level. But, collecting the game’s currency and being able to spend it in-between deaths to improve yourself always stays. While I’m dying and dying, I’m also improving my stats and I actually feel like I’m progress, even if it’s during the same level I’ve played multiple times. While Returnal does things sort of similar it doesn’t feel as rewarding nor give as much of a sense of progression as Hades does. 

Another perk to playing on PS5 is, of course, the power of the PS5. The game runs at a very clean 60 frames per second and the 4K graphics are beautiful. There aren’t flashy cinematics, but the art design and how they utilize everything makes this little indie game exceptional. One thing I felt a little disappointing on the PS5 version is there wasn’t too much use of the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on the DuelSense controller. I understand this is a third-party game and it’s ported to several different consoles, so adding DuelSense features is probably not the biggest priority. Needless to say, they aren’t not there, just not used in an imaginative manner. The only time I recall the adaptive triggers being used are when I was prompted to pet Cerberus the three headed dog. 

All in all, this game is utterly exceptional. I can understand why Hades was first released on the Nintendo Switch. This gameplay style lends itself to being the perfect on-the-go experience. While I can understand for some people the Switch may still be the ideal place to play, the PS5 offers some other things that may matter more to players that the Switch cannot. At the end of the day this gets a huge recommendation from me, no matter what platform you end up playing it on… Just play it! 

9/10 

Check Out the Hades Trailer:

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Nick Navarro

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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87

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