Hades (2020)

Edwin Tan

Edwin Tan

— 2 min read
Hades (2020)

Score: 8 / 10
Category: Game
Platform: Xbox/ PC

One-line verdict

Brutal, addictive, and surprisingly welcoming — a roguelike that converted someone who hates Souls games.

Why I played this

This is my first game review of the year. I started playing Hades on 17 Feb 2026 after hearing endless praise about how good it is.

I also read that it had mechanics similar to Souls games — die and start over. And I’ll be honest, I really dislike Souls games. I find the difficulty excessive for the sake of difficulty.

So I went in skeptical.

Turns out, I was wrong.

Gameplay & Structure

Yes, you die. A lot.

But unlike Souls games, Hades doesn’t punish you for dying. It builds around it. Each run makes you slightly stronger. Each failure gives you new dialogue, new story bits, new progression.

That’s when I learned this genre is called roguelike.

As someone who has gamed for years, I don’t think I’ve properly experienced a roguelike before. So this was new territory for me.

I’ve clocked about 48 hours so far. I reached the final boss (I think) around my 51st run and realized… this game isn’t just about escaping once. There’s more.

And that’s the hook.

What worked

  • Extremely tight combat.
  • Weapon variety feels meaningful.
  • The boon system from Olympian gods like Poseidon and Zeus keeps every run fresh.
  • Voice acting and dialogue are surprisingly rich for a game with minimal cutscenes.
  • The story is simple but effective — Prince Zagreus wants to escape the Underworld to find his mother, while Hades tries to stop him.

It’s frustrating, yes. But it’s also insanely engaging.

The game respects your time and effort, even when you fail.

What didn’t

  • Repetition can set in if you’re not in the mood for multiple runs.
  • Difficulty spikes may still frustrate players who dislike trial-and-error design.

But unlike Souls games, this never felt unfair. It felt challenging with purpose.

What others think

Hades is widely praised as one of the best roguelikes ever made. It holds extremely high critic and audience scores, with many highlighting its addictive gameplay loop and strong writing.

For once, I fully agree with the hype.

Final thoughts

I didn’t expect to like this.

I dislike Souls-style punishment. But this isn’t that.

It’s challenging, but rewarding. Frustrating, but fair.

An easy 8 / 10 for me.

Highly recommended if you enjoy action and don’t mind dying — a lot.

Read more