I’m back with more on Hades II (Supergiant Games). Here is the post from yesterday. I want to start with a few of the things that bother me about the game because it’s been nagging the back of my mind. Also, I have praised the game to high heaven, so I don’t think it’ll be untoward for me to mention a few girpes.
The first is that every single boss fight has adds in it. Every. Single. One. At least of the ones I’ve fought so far. That would be four levels below and three levels above. And a specific miniboss above. I’m not a fan of the thinking behind, “How do we make this harder? Just throw in some scrubs who are sponges for damage!” I especially hate it in this game because all of the bosses (I think) also have temporary times of invincibility.
The other thing I dislike about the boss fights is that there is just too much going on. So much movement, flashing lights, and quick attacks by the enemies. I have really bad reflexes, and I know I’m just going to have to eat a certain amount of damage per run. I think they could tone it down, though, beacuse oftentimes cannot actually track the boss with everything that’s going on. Just doing a quick Google search, I’m not the only one who thinks this. It was said during Early Access, and it seems that this is one thing in which Supergiant is like other companies–way too much visual noise.
I’m already having a difficult time with the light show going on. I don’t know what I’m going to do later in the game. I’m already feeling visually battered as I fight the bosses. By the way, it’s the same on the levels, but I’m usually OP enough to shrug it off–at least for the first two levels. Except maybe the mini-bosses. They might give me some trouble.
This is the disability tax that I pay when playing video games. There are several obstacles in my way, and some days, I think about giving up on the non-cozy games. One is my age. I’m in my mid-fifties, which means my reflexes aren’t great to begin with. Then, even before my medical crisis, my reflexes were bad. As were my depth perception and twitch responses. All of these are markedly worse since my medical crisis, and I was just relieved I could play my favorite game (Dark Souls III (FromSoft)) when I got out of the hospital. Well, a few weeks after.
I accept that I will be shit at these games. Roguelike/lites, FromSoft games, soulslikes, etc. Some days, I wonder why I even play them. It is so like me to love something/someone that/who doesn’t love me back. I’ve had a long-standing debate with Ian about this. He thinks the FromSoft games are made for me because Miyazaki wants people to try somethnig difficult and succeed. I, on the other hand, believes that Miyazaki is neutral about the people playing his game and doesn’t really care if they succeed or not. (People are usually split into two camps. Either Miyazaki loves the players or hates them. I think he is indifferent to the player and the game is the important thing.)
I’ve always known that there’s a ticking clock for how long I can play these kinds of games, especially FromSoft games. It takes me twice as long as most people to beat the games, and it’s through sheer stubbornness that I don’t give up. I know that sounds like a humblebrag, and it is in some ways. In other ways, though, it’s to my detriment.
I’m already starting to feel the grind in this game. Both metaphorically and literally. Replayability is baked into the soul of a roguelike, and that’s the case with this game. I’ve done several dozen runs, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the content on offer.
I have met the big boss of the upper area (at least the first big boss after beating two other bosses on lower levels), but I’m assuming there is more after that boss? I don’t know. I have also met the big boss of below atfter three levels and those level bosses. I got the first health bar gone, but I did not celebrate. I knew it was way too easy for that to be it. And, yeah, that second phase was… something.
Look. I play FromSoft games, so I am well aware of the two (or more) stage bosses. And I have to say that for the most part, this game stays away from that particular trope. But I knew when I got to the big baddie(?) that it wouldn’t be a one-phase boss.
It didn’t make me any happier about it, though. One issue I have with both this game and the last one is how grueling it is by the time I get to the big boss. Again, this is a staple of roguelikes, I know, but the balance has always seemed a bit off for the Hades games.
Again, I have to acknowledge that it might just be me. I’m so bad at any games with tough combat. And yet, those are the games I want to play. At least action adventure games and roguelikes. Why? I don’t know. Because I’m a masochist like that.
There is a God Mode in both the Hades games. When you die, you come back taking less damage on the next run. The first time you die, you start with 20% less damage from the enemies. Each death gives you -2% damage up to 80% less damage. You can turn God Mode on and off whenever you want, and it doesn’t affect anything. Apparently, the achievements will say if you got it with God Mode on or not, but no penalty other than that.
I did not use God Mode in the first game, though I was sorely tempted. Every new boss I faced, I thought I would never beat them. And then when I was going for the plat, there was one achievement that really tested my mettle (involving the final boss), and I still think it was overdone.
I have more to say, obviously, but I’m done for the day. I’ll be back tomorrow.