8. Hades. 8. Hades. 25 best hack'n'slash hames of all time (2023)

October 19, 2023

8. Hades

What is Hades doing here? Such a question is perfectly justified. After all, the game belongs to the roguelike genre or popular roguelikes. However, it very often appears in hack'n'slash rankings as well. And that encouraged me to put that game on our list.

In the game, we play as Zagreus - the son of the ruler of the underworld, who at all costs wants to escape from hell. The production's strengths are humor and interaction with the characters we encounter as we traverse the land of the dead and with those in the "hub." As the action is set in a mythological world, we'll repeatedly talk to well-known Greek heroes and gods.

Unlike the classic representatives of games in which we hack and slash, combat in Hades is more arcade - the need to quickly avoid enemy attacks is fundamental. It seems that there aren't so many enemies, but they are more challenging. Of course, the mechanics of death also work differently. After our health points drop to zero, we lose much of what we managed to gain and start the game anew. You must also say goodbye to the weapon enhancements and skills found earlier. The points spent on character development, which allow you to make more and more progress on your journey through Tartarus, aren't lost.

We can choose the weapon to use in the next "run" before it starts, as weapons are unlocked as we progress. Improvements remain the biggest variable. Modifiers of how weapons and skills perform make the gameplay look different every time. After all, we never know what we'll get this time. Randomly generated locations also influence the diversity. In each of the four worlds, consisting of several locations, a boss awaits the player. After defeating all the bosses, we begin the clash with the strongest one, the titular Hades.

To conclude with some very good news: the second installment has already been announced. In Hades II, we'll take on the role of the princess of the underworld Melinoë.