Hades - by Supergiant Games (Bastion, Transistor, Pyre)

McChuck wrote:
mrwynd wrote:

Theseus and Asterius were a repeated problem for me until I started focusing on Theseus first.

I'm curious about this. It can still be a tough fight for me. I had a good streak with it then died last night after a horrible run with the sword. But I've always focused on Asterius first because Theseus's second phase while also dodging Asterius seemed like a recipe for a quick death. How do you pull it off?

I kinda wish there was a practice room where you could get in more rounds with the bosses. I feel like with most rogue-likes. Gimme a safe space to learn the boss so I don't have to lost so much time getting there and then dying.

We had a pretty lengthy discussion about this early on in this thread. I still tend to take on Theseus first because Asterius isn't that dangerous if he's not in your immediate area. But I'm very much in the minority. FWIW,

Yeah A first has always been my method. Because it's very easy to fight A and just duck behind a statue, and avoid T's first phase the whole time.

I always get A down before T. Maybe with the upgrade I could see switching it.

Now that I got my Switch lite for just myself, I will have time for this and some other great games!

I'm very tempted to buy this game, but to be honest I have never really clicked with Supergiant games. I played Bastion and enjoyed but didn't really get the love for it. Skipped Transistor based on reviews. And then I viscerally disliked Pyre. I almost never have that kind of a reaction to a game.

If I disliked Pyre would I also dislike Hades? It would seem to be right up my alley in terms of genre/systems, but I have a bit of a "fooled me once..." vibe from Supergiant games at this point.

hubbinsd wrote:

I'm very tempted to buy this game, but to be honest I have never really clicked with Supergiant games. I played Bastion and enjoyed but didn't really get the love for it. Skipped Transistor based on reviews. And then I viscerally disliked Pyre. I almost never have that kind of a reaction to a game.

If I disliked Pyre would I also dislike Hades? It would seem to be right up my alley in terms of genre/systems, but I have a bit of a "fooled me once..." vibe from Supergiant games at this point.

I was not a fan of Pyre's gameplay, but I loved Hades.
I am a big fan of this as it's quick and the feedback is pretty direct. Most of the in game systems seem easy enough to understand. You can pretty easily adjust the difficulty to what you want.

Of Supergiant's other games, I've only played Bastion. I liked it, but didn't love it, bounced off it a couple times, and eventually played it through to the end. A lot of this game's weapons feel inspired by weapons, or ideas of weapons, out of Bastion. But it is so much tighter and more responsive. When I play this game, and then think of Bastion, I think "this is how the devs always meant for Bastion to feel."

I did not enjoy Pyre, but Hades was my 2020 GOTY.

And for the record, Transistor was previously my favourite Supergiant game. Bastion I liked the style but found the combat pretty mediocre, while Pyre was worse - the style actually detracted from the game for me.

Stele wrote:

Yeah A first has always been my method. Because it's very easy to fight A and just duck behind a statue, and avoid T's first phase the whole time.

Funny; my buddy and I both play the other way around. Asterius is easy to avoid, and Theseus is a pain as long as he’s around.

hubbinsd wrote:

I'm very tempted to buy this game, but to be honest I have never really clicked with Supergiant games. I played Bastion and enjoyed but didn't really get the love for it. Skipped Transistor based on reviews. And then I viscerally disliked Pyre. I almost never have that kind of a reaction to a game.

If I disliked Pyre would I also dislike Hades? It would seem to be right up my alley in terms of genre/systems, but I have a bit of a "fooled me once..." vibe from Supergiant games at this point.

I didn't buy Pyre because I didn't like Bastion or Transistor. I didn't buy Hades earlier because of that and it turns out I love Hades.

I actively hated the gameplay of Pyre. Style and everything else was fine. My favorites are still Bastion and then Transistor. Liked their worlds and presentation the most. Hades is definitely the most refined gameplay though.
And if you like the genre, it is pretty much a must play.

hubbinsd wrote:

I'm very tempted to buy this game, but to be honest I have never really clicked with Supergiant games. I played Bastion and enjoyed but didn't really get the love for it. Skipped Transistor based on reviews. And then I viscerally disliked Pyre. I almost never have that kind of a reaction to a game.

If I disliked Pyre would I also dislike Hades? It would seem to be right up my alley in terms of genre/systems, but I have a bit of a "fooled me once..." vibe from Supergiant games at this point.

FWIW, I tried Bastion, never finished it and just didn't 'get' it. Stayed away from their other games as a result until Hades, then loved Hades to bits. I would recommend you try it. To weigh in on the Asterius/Theseus discussion, I usually go for the bull first.

I'm at 10 clears now but my clear time looks to be a lot slower than yours @mrwynd. My fastest is 36 mins and I'm usually around the 38 mark.

kergguz wrote:
hubbinsd wrote:

I'm very tempted to buy this game, but to be honest I have never really clicked with Supergiant games. I played Bastion and enjoyed but didn't really get the love for it. Skipped Transistor based on reviews. And then I viscerally disliked Pyre. I almost never have that kind of a reaction to a game.

If I disliked Pyre would I also dislike Hades? It would seem to be right up my alley in terms of genre/systems, but I have a bit of a "fooled me once..." vibe from Supergiant games at this point.

FWIW, I tried Bastion, never finished it and just didn't 'get' it. Stayed away from their other games as a result until Hades, then loved Hades to bits. I would recommend you try it. To weigh in on the Asterius/Theseus discussion, I usually go for the bull first.

I'm at 10 clears now but my clear time looks to be a lot slower than yours @mrwynd. My fastest is 36 mins and I'm usually around the 38 mark.

Thanks everyone for enabling me!

Favourite boons time.....

1. Athena's dash
2. Demeter's beams
3. Anything by Artemis <3

Poseidon’s dash
Athena’s dash
Demeter’s attack
Demeter’s beam/cast

I'm finally joining the conversation, on about my 80th odd run. The reward structure is very disarming, well long term rewards, as they make dying feel far less of a setback. I think I actively play more aggressive & just enjoy myself because of it. I die a lot though when I should probably be more conservative or tactical.

That also means I haven't beat the game in 80 attempts, getting to Hades only 2-3 times. Reading a lot of other Goodjers experiences here that number seems like a hell of a lot to not have Zagreus beat daddy.

One of the drawbacks in certain encounters is the visual noise, probably made worse by the fact that I play this on handheld mode on my Switch. Its definitely not a lot of the time but enough that it irritates. There can be just enough screen clutter with enemies, projectiles, melee attacks, traps going off etc that it can become hard to judge your position & the exact time to dash to safety.

I still think the game is a cracker though, I may even concede to Stele that this should have been no.3 or no.4 on my GOTY list & not no.6.

I think my love will only grow for the game as I put more time in though.

Have you tried God Mode, Spikeout?

Late to the party here too, but oh my goodness is this game amazing!

After binding dash to a trigger button, I greatly improved my session length and reduced thumb tension. Dash-attacking is hard work when you're old and tense!

Kronen wrote:

Late to the party here too, but oh my goodness is this game amazing!

After binding dash to a trigger button, I greatly improved my session length and reduced thumb tension. Dash-attacking is hard work when you're old and tense!

This is an excellent idea, thanks!!!!

kergguz wrote:

Have you tried God Mode, Spikeout?

My pride won't let me :p Its actually 70 runs I've done upon checking after I posted earlier. I'm not getting my ass kicked or anything its more dying at certain rooms in Elysium or the last two bosses of the game.

I made it to Hades twice tonight & both times his second phase done me in.

I feel like it took me almost as long to learn the Hades fight as it did for each individual act. There's a lot going on in that fight and it's pretty demanding.

It can really be a slog, too, if you don't have enough raw damage in your build.

I played 100% handheld, so your excuse doesn't hold up, Spike. Git gud, or check your glasses, mate.

Stele wrote:

I played 100% handheld, so your excuse doesn't hold up, Spike. Git gud, or check your glasses, mate. :D

Magnifying glass ordered from Amazon Prime, sorted :p

As the popular saying goes 76th times a charm.

IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/m81hMP9/2021011121340800-C7-D8-C4153-CC9802713604-F54-C53304-E0.jpg)

Loved the ending, such good dialogue at every turn. The stark contrast between the underworld & the final location you end up in really makes that final scene even more impactful.

In the end I absolutely dismantled Hades with that build, even in his second form he couldn't get near me.

Now the task of reuniting lost friends & lovers! There still seems so much more to dig into.

Congrats buddy.

You need 10 wins to complete the story and roll the credits. Good luck!

And then there's some epilogue after that, that I still keep meaning to go back and complete.

some?

Stele wrote:

Congrats buddy.

You need 10 wins to complete the story and roll the credits. Good luck!

And then there's some epilogue after that, that I still keep meaning to go back and complete.

Thanks Stele!

Ok cool, that shouldn't be too bad to do. I think I have Hades sussed out enough now & my builds should be strong enough going forward. I've a fair amount of the keepsakes levelled up to 3 stars, plus I've near all the abilities in the mirror maxed out.

Its good to know there's quite a lot of story stuff left.

Spikeout wrote:
Stele wrote:

Congrats buddy.

You need 10 wins to complete the story and roll the credits. Good luck!

And then there's some epilogue after that, that I still keep meaning to go back and complete.

Thanks Stele!

Ok cool, that shouldn't be too bad to do. I think I have Hades sussed out enough now & my builds should be strong enough going forward. I've a fair amount of the keepsakes levelled up to 3 stars, plus I've near all the abilities in the mirror maxed out.

Its good to know there's quite a lot of story stuff left.

Yeah there's a lot more content for you to find, make sure to keep giving out nectar/ambrosia and talk to everyone with a "!" every time you go back home.

I'm at almost 90 runs now, nearing 30 escapes. I've revised my Theseus and Asterius tactics, here's an example with the shield. I have Doom on my attack, Cold on my Special and Artemis for my Call.

You had the range of Theseus melee attack measured very well, good use of blocking with the shield too. I've gotten very accustomed to Asterius' movement & jumping attack that I can deal with him fairly comfortably. Your Artemis Call was devastating to finish Theseus off, that seemed to take a fair chunk of his health.

I was meant to ask about the bonds you forge with the God's & various characters in the House Of Hades from giving them Ambrosia. Does it effect their keepsake even further than just getting it to 3 stars?

It doesn't appear to affect their keepsakes -- haven't for me. A few of them will give you a second memento that allows you to summon aid in battle. For the rest, I think the ambrosia just advances your relationship and reveals more of the story.