Hades Review – The Highs And Lows Of Repetition

Publisher: Supergiant Games

Developer: Supergiant Games

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: PC, PlayStation 5

Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch

Developer Supergiant Games is known for creating titles with rich narratives and sophisticated themes, and one of the great triumphs of Hades is how those elements are seamlessly integrated into a roguelite structure. Through a seemingly limitless array of character interactions and plot progression, Hades seeds its storytelling over many hours of repeated runs, as you lead your character along one attempted escape from hell to the next. In addition to weapon and character upgrades, new story insights are among the most satisfying rewards. But that also means that you’ll be eager to see those plot threads resolve, and to do that, you should prepare for an especially long road.

Zagreus is the son of mighty Hades, who rules the realm of the dead with a barely controlled anger only matched by his insistence on total control. He’s the definition of an overbearing father, and Zagreus’ desire to strike out on his own feels as much like a family drama as the retelling of a familiar mythology. His quest to find a mother he’s never known brings him into contact with a who’s who of Olympus and the Greek ancient world, including Zeus, Athena, Achilles, and Medusa. The constantly shifting dynamics between these characters makes for great fun, from the sibling rivalry among the Olympians to reconnecting old flames like Orpheus and Eurydice, and I love the way story tidbits creep in both between action sequences and during them.

Each escape attempt encompasses a series of isometric arena battles, assaulting an impressive variety of enemies in throwdowns that demand precision and careful observation. The combat is fast-paced and challenging, nodding more to stylish action games like Devil May Cry than the isometric RPGs it might look like at first glance. The sense of adrenaline is always high, but there’s also a potential for encounters to devolve into frantic button mashing as you spam out every available attack to bring foes down before they can unleash their worst counters.

New weapons unlock regularly, and they can dramatically change your playstyle, from the precision of the Heart-Seeking Bow to the furious melee dominance of the Twin Fists of Malphon. The most impressive design feat is how even the same weapon inevitably feels different on each run, as god-gifted boons alter and enhance individual armaments, spells, and other abilities. As I got into the rhythm of flowing from one death into my next attempt, I was consistently excited to see how my approach might change.

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Among the many familiar names encountered, Zagreus gets to know the good-natured Sisyphus, who endlessly pushes a boulder up a hill he will never top, never complaining of his task. It’s an appropriate allegory that speaks to the broader game, which kept me engaged thanks to its slow drip of character improvement and fiction, but along a path that felt increasingly Sisyphean the longer I played. I spent dozens of hours picking away at the various plot threads and chasing upgrades. It’s enjoyable, but as the hours wear on, my interest in the same sequence of chambers wore thin. I longed for a wrap-up, even as the game demanded more escape attempts. Even after “winning,” that tease continues for hours more before a proper conclusion.

The story is stretched across too many hours of play to maintain excitement throughout, but there’s absolutely a rich bounty of content to uncover along the way. Hades is a massive game, with a wealth of additional content to appease even the most hardcore of engagement. A “god mode” offers a gradual increase in damage resistance after each death, putting victory in reach for even those with a cap on their skills. On the other hand, risk-takers looking for more rewards can eventually access a way to increase the difficulty. Alternate boss fights, new weapon aspects, hidden storylines, and plenty more invite the player to get lost in Hades’ potential. These variants and additional options provide life to the game, long after the charm of standard completion attempts begins to wear out. 

Even serious engagement doesn't ensure story completion without many hours of investment, and only the most dedicated players will see the full spread of what Hades has to offer. But Supergiant’s latest opus is a beautiful and thoughtful twist on Greek mythology, flipping these old stories on their head and transforming them into commentaries on modern relationships. High-octane action gameplay may pull you into hell for the first time, but I suspect you’ll stay to find out about this eccentric and fascinating family.

 

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Score: 8.5

Summary: Supergiant's excellent roguelike is releasing on new-gen platforms, and if you haven't played it yet, it's the perfect time to take a trip to hell.

Concept: Fight your way out of hell over and over again as the son of Hades

Graphics: Stylish and painterly touches lend the action an exaggerated, animated aesthetic

Sound: In keeping with Supergiant’s heritage, excellent voice acting and dialogue create some wonderful characters. The high-octane musical score is fun, but can wear thin after several dozen runs

Playability: Hades finds variety in its many weapons and playstyles, and each is balanced thoughtfully for a tight and challenging ride

Entertainment: A cleverly reimagined take on Greek mythology with fast and challenging combat, but seeing it through to the end is an endurance challenge

Replay: High

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The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Review – You Know These Methods, And They Still Work

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: Switch

Also on: PlayStation 4, PC

From the zany characters to outrageous courtroom theatrics, the Ace Attorney series has made a name for itself, becoming revered for its offbeat antics and heartwarming moments. Even after finishing the iconic Phoenix Wright trilogy, the franchise has found ways to keep going. Since then, we’ve had new attorneys like Apollo Justice, spin-offs starring Miles Edgeworth, and a crossover with Professor Layton. However, one of the more creative efforts to reboot the formula lies in the Great Ace Attorney series, which transports players to a different time and place: Britain’s Victorian era. Sadly, the Great Ace Attorney’s two entries never made their way Westward until now. Capcom’s The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles includes both games, dual Japanese and English audio, eight “slice of life” escapades, and a new auto-advancing story mode. I couldn’t recommend a better way to experience one of the most over-the-top stories in Ace Attorney history.

Sometimes a change of scenery makes all the difference. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles ushers players back in time to the turn of the 20th century during Japan’s Meiji Period and Britain’s Victorian, showcasing the culture and standards of both countries. Of course, Chronicles has a huge focus on both legal systems and how their courtrooms function. At this point in history, Britain is increasingly modernizing, and the Japanese are learning a great deal from their methods. However, as we all know, no system is perfect, and each case exposes some of the flaws and corruption at play. This time around, you play Phoenix Wright’s ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo, who is just discovering his passion for law. Ryunosuke heads overseas to Britain to learn more, but in true Ace Attorney fashion, everything that can go wrong does, forcing him to step into the courtroom before he’s ready.

Fans will be quick to notice that not only does Ryunosuke fall to the same bad luck as Phoenix Wright, he also uses similar mannerisms. His judicial assistant Susato Mikotoba also channels some major Maya Fey vibes in her unwavering support for Ryunosuke and fangirling over Herlock Sholmes. I enjoyed the familiar overtones in these characters, but they also feel like their own people with personal journeys. For instance, Susasto is a bit more reserved and pensive than Maya and has to hold her own in a time when women weren’t often taken seriously. Spotting the similarities and connections is fun, but you don’t need to play past games to follow The Great Ace Attorney storylines. These are brand-new stories and characters, so this collection is a fine starting point.

As a standalone story, this is one of the most outlandish plots in the Ace Attorney universe. I mean, you team up with the great detective “Herlock Sholmes,” who is just a silly man with barely half a clue about what’s going on. Even with a more comical bent, I like how the narrative doesn’t lose sight of how messy and imperfect the judicial system can be, shedding light on side deals and government interference. However, sometimes the game struggles with its dark humor, making for some uncomfortable moments, such as a character who spits up blood and one who waves a gun near his head, threatening his existence.

Outside of those few instances, the unpredictable mystery and interesting characters kept me engaged; I especially love the overly animated man who loves literature and speaks in haikus. Herlock Sholmes made me shake my head quite a bit, but there’s also something charming about his dense nature. My favorite new character is Iris, a child prodigy who is the true mastermind behind Sholmes’ famed stories. Iris is extremely perceptive and clever, but she also has an endearing innocence that reminds you she’s just a child. I immediately wanted to protect her from life’s darker truths.

 

I’m glad that Capcom released the two games in a collection because the stories are tightly connected. You get to the end of the first game and notice several hanging threads, and I enjoyed the interesting ways returning characters and events made their way into cases in the second game. Part of the magic is never knowing when, if, or how someone from a past case might find their way back into an investigation. The writing is clever and creative, but the way it’s done in The Great Ace Attorney really shines because you feel in on the joke, quickly realizing there must be a reason the same characters keep showing up.

The bulk of the gameplay revolves around defending clients in the courtroom and investigating crime scenes for evidence. It also involves a lot of dialogue to gather further information. At times, the slow pacing drags, as cases, especially later ones, often require investigating and talking to witnesses at multiple places. At the same time, the trials contain multiple testimonies that often take two to three intermissions. Each case demands a lot of your focus and patience, but once things start to unravel, they’re extremely rewarding, especially as you make connections about what really happened. My favorite moments are when I realize I have the evidence to completely end a witness and expose their lies.

The Great Ace Attorney features some new tactics to keep sleuthing and the courtroom drama more exciting. Herlock Sholmes often jumps to the wrong conclusions in his “Logic and Reasoning Spectaculars,” so you must course-correct his initial deductions about what happened. This requires investigating things more closely, like paying attention to a character’s line of sight to find a clue or seeing the object from a different angle to unearth new information. I like the thought behind this aspect and seeing new revelations come to light, but this was far too easy in the first game, so I never felt too accomplished solving them.

Summation Examination is another new feature, where you pit jury members against each other to expose their flawed thinking and sway them to your side. I like the idea of interacting with the jury and finding ways to make them support my argument, but this is another component that seems better in theory. The inconsistencies you spot are random, and I rarely feel like they make a huge difference in discovering what really happened in the case. Instead of feeling like a fun battle of the wits, these moments seem to prolong cases without having enough startling revelations.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a solid package, retaining the charm and entertainment of previous entries. It's not the series’ best, but there’s plenty to keep you entertained as you work your way through case after case. The new scenery and characters made things feel fresh, but playing another Ace Attorney game also felt a bit like coming home.

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Score: 8.25

Summary: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles delights in its over-the-top fashion and inclusion of a certain famous detective.

Concept: Reboot the Ace Attorney series using Phoenix Wright’s ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo as he pursues law at the turn of the 20th century

Graphics: The visuals have improved from their original releases, and the eccentric character designs don’t disappoint. The animated cutscenes are a highlight, so it’s a shame there are so few

Sound: Sound effects and different character themes inject life into the courtroom, but music and voice acting are used sparingly, never having a chance to shine

Playability: As a point-and-click text adventure, the controls are easy to grasp, but the real challenge comes in the courtroom, where you must use your noggin to present fitting evidence and make sound deductions

Entertainment: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles offers an entertaining package with two closely connected games that delight in their over-the-top fashion and inclusion of a certain famous detective

Replay: Moderate

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Eldest Souls Review – What A Rush

Publisher: CI Games, United Label

Developer: Fallen Flag Studio

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5

Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Let’s rip this band-aid off now: Eldest Souls is a Souls-like indie action game. Before you flee in terror screaming, “not another one of these!” you should know the game offers a nice twist by stripping away fodder enemies and shortcut-driven exploration to focus squarely on elaborate, tough-as-nails boss battles. Furthermore, Eldest Souls’ combat and progression offer smart ideas that make its challenge not only bearable but strategically gratifying. Yes, the game sports some of the sub-genre’s familiar trappings, but it succeeds in putting the “rush” in “boss rush.” 

You are a lone warrior brandishing a huge sword with a straightforward task: infiltrate a citadel imprisoning ancient gods who destroyed the world and kill every one of them. That's it. Scattered notes and the occasional NPC offer additional, sometimes exciting context for this world gone awry, but I was more concerned with getting my sword dirty than mulling over the how’s and why’s of it all. 

Eldest Souls wears its FromSoftware inspirations on its sleeve but is thankfully not as harsh. For one, you’re not collecting currency, so you don’t lose anything on dying. Stamina only dictates how often you can dodge, meaning you can swing your sword all day without consequence. Armed with a heavy broadsword, your basic attacks are deliberately slow, to the point of feeling slightly unresponsive. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it could stand to feel tighter, and it took me a while to get used to combat. 

My favorite aspect of Eldest Souls is that you don’t collect health pickups. Instead, you regain health by landing charged sword strikes. This system does an excellent job of encouraging and rewarding aggression and kept my morale from plummeting whenever I got stomped. Lose 90 percent of your health during the opening seconds of a bout? A few hard hits can patch you up as if nothing happened. I love how this mechanic emboldens me to keep bringing the fight no matter how bleak things look and led to some incredible come-from-behind victories. 

The Old Gods offer an entertaining and supremely challenging gauntlet of battles that pushed me to use every skill. Each boss is fun, even those who took a dozen attempts or so to topple. Favorites include a gravity-controlling mage and a deer god who’s much more than meets the eye. Even the final big bad had me grinning with excitement as I cut through its seemingly bottomless well of offense. Enemies are multiple-trick ponies that lob screen-filling traps, bullet-hell style projectiles, and often shift tactics or take on new forms mid-fight. Surviving their assaults can be infuriating, and I saw the Game Over screen hundreds of times. Sometimes the sheer number of attacks to look out for can feel maddening, but I always knew where I went wrong and ultimately succeeded by studying attack patterns while properly managing stamina. Instant respawns also kept me engaged, as did the option to try my luck against other foes as multiple are available to challenge at a time.

Winning the day requires a mastery of Eldest Souls’ three combat styles: Windslash, Berserk, and Counter. In layman’s terms, that’s Speed, Offense, and Defense. You can only equip one class at a time, and each has a separate skill tree of abilities and buffs, but you can switch by respec-ing skill points whenever you want at no cost. Whether I was spawning homing projectiles using Windslash or unleashing devastating parry attacks under the Counter tree, I found each class entertaining in its own way. As someone who rarely respecs in a game, Eldest Souls pushed me, with great success, to change my tactics whenever I hit a wall. Eldest Souls isn’t about figuring out which class a boss is weakest against, ala rock-paper-scissors, but rather learning which approach works best for your play style. Ability granting shards earned from bosses provide additional customization options to the deceptively deep character building.  

Between god-slaying you engage in light exploration, converse with characters such as an omnipresent bard, or oddities like a talking frozen skull. These characters usually ask you to bring them an artifact, so exploring thoroughly to find well-hidden items is important. You can completely ignore these fetch quests as they have no bearing on the critical path, but you can earn perks such as increased movement speed. It’s nothing fancy, but it does a fine job filling out the adventure without feeling like needless padding. 

Weirdly, the more Eldest Souls handed me my butt on a bloodstained platter, the more it grew on me. Hitting walls opened my eyes to the smart nuances in combat and made each mammoth confrontation even more exciting. Once the game clicked, I gleefully charged into the action, excited to add another monstrous head to my proverbial wall. A New Game + mode ups the ante on these titans and keeps you on your toes. Eldest Souls is a no-brainer if you already enjoy punishing games of this ilk, but the forgiving health system and honed-in challenge may entice newcomers to brave its dangers.  

Score: 8.25

Summary: This challenging boss rush can be maddening but its rewarding combat makes it worth the struggle.

Concept: Topple almighty gods amid a ruined world in this Souls-like boss rush

Graphics: Every area is rich with detail and sells the idea of a once-beautiful land in turmoil. Some bosses sport cool designs though a few lack imagination (for example, one is just two floating orbs)

Sound: The battle soundtrack is appropriately grandiose, which is contrasted by the somber ambiance heard roaming the overworld

Playability: Swinging your sword feels purposeful and deliberate but lacks tightness. Still, combat is a tense, entertaining dance of dodging and landing charged attacks to regain health

Entertainment: Eldest Souls’ punishing difficulty may turn off some, but this entertaining and rewarding combat system made me look forward to every titanic face-off

Replay: Moderate

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