Rate top gamesI've reached the credits and dumped more than three dozen hours into this game, so I'm considering it completed. I know there's an epilogue that I'll get to sooner rather than later, but I do want to move onto other games to some degree.
A lot has been said about this game and it's all been said before. The reactiveness of the characters is mind-blowing, the story is more a story than a narrative but fits not only the style of game but the medium of video games perfectly. It avoids the common roguelike problem where you just kinda... stop when you're done with the game by giving you specific gameplay goals and narrative justifications to continue. Tons of hashtag #content but, rather than just filling up time, they all have little sidestories and lore attached that you can actually view without reading a wiki like in Pyre and Transistor - two of the biggest failings of those games IMO.
Really this feels like the culmination of everything Supergiant has done so far, to the point where each previous game was like a "test" of how to put this all together. The ensemble cast and character portraits of Pyre, the reactive story of Pyre, the weapons and combat or Bastion, the music stems changing on the fly like Transistor, the style of lore and setting of Transistor - yeah it's not the same setting but it does the same thing where it's a unique spin of a common setting. It even continues the themes that I think Supergiant has been so good at tackling so far - using the video game medium to tell stories of cycles of pain. Zagreus is just as stubborn and withdrawn as Hades and it affects both of them. The gods constantly stab each other in the back and then pretend everything is ok at the drop of a hat, Hades and Persephone included even though they pretend to be above it. You actually get more out of the narrative from replaying it, since continued replays reinforce the narrative theme in interesting ways.
The only thing that doesn't excite me too much is the soundtrack. It's solid, but Bastion and Transistor are some of my favorites ever, even if I wasn't as keen on Transistor's gameplay as Bastion or Hades. This just kind of ends at "solid." Even the use of changing around stems on the fly was much more impressive in Transistor, both thematically and technically speaking.
A lot has been said about this game and it's all been said before. The reactiveness of the characters is mind-blowing, the story is more a story than a narrative but fits not only the style of game but the medium of video games perfectly. It avoids the common roguelike problem where you just kinda... stop when you're done with the game by giving you specific gameplay goals and narrative justifications to continue. Tons of hashtag #content but, rather than just filling up time, they all have little sidestories and lore attached that you can actually view without reading a wiki like in Pyre and Transistor - two of the biggest failings of those games IMO.
Really this feels like the culmination of everything Supergiant has done so far, to the point where each previous game was like a "test" of how to put this all together. The ensemble cast and character portraits of Pyre, the reactive story of Pyre, the weapons and combat or Bastion, the music stems changing on the fly like Transistor, the style of lore and setting of Transistor - yeah it's not the same setting but it does the same thing where it's a unique spin of a common setting. It even continues the themes that I think Supergiant has been so good at tackling so far - using the video game medium to tell stories of cycles of pain. Zagreus is just as stubborn and withdrawn as Hades and it affects both of them. The gods constantly stab each other in the back and then pretend everything is ok at the drop of a hat, Hades and Persephone included even though they pretend to be above it. You actually get more out of the narrative from replaying it, since continued replays reinforce the narrative theme in interesting ways.
The only thing that doesn't excite me too much is the soundtrack. It's solid, but Bastion and Transistor are some of my favorites ever, even if I wasn't as keen on Transistor's gameplay as Bastion or Hades. This just kind of ends at "solid." Even the use of changing around stems on the fly was much more impressive in Transistor, both thematically and technically speaking.
Other reviews28
Best game I've played since breath of the wild. The fun factor is absolutely tops, art is crazy attractive, voice acting makes the game, and even though I die 100 times I want to do just one more run. Can't recommend enough!
«Blew my mind»
«Just one more turn»
This is truly a masterpiece. You can't go wrong with that beautiful game with such a cool story and gameplay. And oh my the audio.
This is probably the most 10/10 game I ever played.
Everything is quality. Visuals, sound design, gameplay, story, characters....Everything!
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
Once you start understanding the mechanics, you're hooked. Its a nice touch to keep the player engaged with the random drops for the boons and shop items and you gotta keep tweaking to put yourself in the best position. After running through the final three or four times, I lost interest. Was very fun though.