Underneath my yellow skin

Tag Archives: God Mode

Hades II (Supergiant Games): one true ending, part two

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I’m still playing Hades II (Supergiant Games) with God Mode firmly toggled on. That was the best decision I made when it comes to playing this game (turning on God Mode) because otherwise, I would not be playing it any longer. I can 100% guarantee that.

Wow. Ok. I just decided to look up–oh. There are going to be spoilers past this point. As always, I’m going to try to keep them vague, but spoilers they are.

*SPOILERS*

I hate the voice of the main villain of the story. It’s supercilious, reedy, and almost twee. There is more than a hint of whine that makes me want to punch him. I was curious as to who was the voice actor, so I looked it up. Much to my surprise, it’s Logan Cunningham. He also voices the narrator (Homer) and some of the gods. He has been the narrator in every Supergiant Games game, and he has a deep, rich, sonorous voice. I could listen to him talk for hours.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found out that he also voices my least-favorite voice in the game! Well, one of my least-favorite, anyway. That shows how much range Logan Cunningham has, and I’m quite impressed.

I’m still digesting the true ending, by the way. My impulse is to say that I don’t like it, but I’m trying to give it the benefit of the doubt. While I’m doing that, though, I’m going to gripe about a few other things in the game. At the end of the last post, I was talking about a character from the first game who was in this game. I needed to do something to aid this character, and I went about it diligently. The mission was introduced very early on in the game, and I saw the true ending without being able to finish the mission. I finally gave in and Googled it a few days ago. It turns out that it wasn’t possible to do the mission until after you get the true ending.

That’s all fine and good (it wasn’t) if the reward for the mission was good enough. It wasn’t. I was able to finish the mission today, and it was such a let-down. I’m not going to describe it in any detail, but there was no reward to it–not even an emotional one. It was shockingly bad, and I wonder why it was written that way. Now, to be fair, maybe there’s more to it, but that was a lot of effort for nothing.

I will concede that all the ingredients needed for the incantations for this mission were things that you just collected on your runs, save the last ingredient for the last step of the mission. So it’s not as if I had to go out of my way to do this mission, though I did have to keep an eye out for the resources as each could only be found in one specific biome, and I left an area without gathering the resources more than once.

Speaking of gathering resources, one of the late-game incantations grants the ability to automatically gather all the resources in a room. It’s great! It got so tedious to pick different resources in a room once I was done with combat, so I’m happy to have it. Except. Why is it such a late-game incantation? I mean, I get it. It’s a reward for when you fulfill certain requirements (basically gathering one of almost every resource, or so I gather (pun not intended)), but I would have appreciated getting it much sooner.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): one true ending

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I beat Hades II (Supergiant Games) and got the true ending. I have to say that it was WILD and not what I was expecting at all. And, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I won’t be getting into the specifics, but I have to say that it’s a good way to set up what is essentially NG+. Or rather, how to let you continue doing runs and adding different difficulties to up the heat. I will say, story spoilers from here on out.

*SPOILERS*

I beat the final upward path boss four times and nothing changed. I was surprised because I thought that was what I needed to do to trigger the next bit needed. But, no. That wasn’t all I had to do. There are a few more steps to take before youu get the true ending, and even then, I was holding my breath because it seemed like that maybe it wasn’t the end.

It was a bonkers ending, and I did not expect it at all. And, I have to be honest: I thought it was a bit, ah, discordant with the game itself. That’s the best way I can put it, and I don’t mean it in negative way, per se. After I beat the boss and it was clear that there was going to be a talky ending, I carefully set down my controller–but I kept my hands lightly on it. Just in case I had to pick it up and play again.

As I watched the scene unfurl in front of me, I started to smile. Not because it made me happy, but because I could not believe what i was seeing. It was so not what the game would lead you to believe would happen, I had trouble accepting it was the actual ending. Again, I’m not saying it was a bad ending, but it was certainly unexpected.

I’ll have to sit with it to see how I truly feel. It will probably take me a few days to digest it (while trying to tidy up the loose ends. And not loose ends. There are things that were set up fairly early in the game that have not been resolved yet. And not all my relationships have been maxed out. I have had some of them strengthen since I got the ending, but I still have a way to go with some of them. Also, with at least one of them, there seems to be much he needs to do before we can be besties. And knowing what I know about this game, I’ll be the one to make sure this happens.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): God Mode, part four

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Yeah, I have more to say about Hades II (Supergiant Games), difficulty, and God Mode. This will probably be my last post about the game except for my official review (which will most likely take four or five posts. We all know that because that’s me). Here is yesterday’s post about my frustrations with game.

*SPOILERS*

I have beaten the final boss on both the upper path(twice) and the lower path again. I thought I needed to beat them five times each to get the true ending, but I’m not sure that’s how to get it (the true ending). My cauldron (where I make incantations) indicate that I need to at least beat the final boss of the bottom path five times for one incantation. I had assumed I needed to match it on the upward path because the incantation was asking for five ???, which I took to be five kills of the final boss on the upward path.

However, that requirement did not change after I beat the upward path boss, which I think it would have if beating that boss five times was the second requirement. In fact, another incantation showed up that had beating that boss four times as an ingredient (well, the reward you get for beating that boss, anyway. You need four of them) as well one of the reward you get for killing the big boss of the downward path plus the ??? . So have to beat the big boss of the downward path six times and the big boss of the upward path four times, plus you need however many of the ??? ingredient, which I honestly have no idea what that is.

For those keeping count at home, I have killed the final boss of the bottom path three times and the final boss of the upward path three times (if my count is right). That means I have to kill the boss of the upward path once more and the downward path three times more before I have to do whatever I have to do to get the true ending. Then, as the kids say, the real game begins.

I don’t mind telling you that I’m divided in my feelings about the game. All hail God Mode, though, I can tell you that much. I would not still be playing the game without it; I know that without a doubt. I have to take about 25% of the shit thrown my way because of my (I’m just going to say it for this post) disabilities which puts me at a serious disadvantage.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): God Mode, part three

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I’m going to say something controversial about Hades II (Supergiant Games), and I’m going to say it from the bottom of my heart.

*SPOILERS*

Fuck the final boss of the upward path.

Of course, massive spoilers ahead. I’ll try to keep it as vague as possible, but I need to talk about the final boss of the upward path.

I fucking hate him.

The end.

Obviously, it’s not the end of the post, but it might as well be.

Look. The final boss on the downward path is a pain in the ass, and he’s part of the reason I put on God Mode. About 35%, I must say. The other 65%, though, is the fucking final boss of the upward path.

When I first started the game, I switched between up and down every other run. Then, at some point, I focused on the downward path because at least I could get to the final boss of the fourth biome on that path. Even though I could not beat that boss. I finally did manage to eke out a win on the downward path after an extraordinary amount of time.

Then, at some point, as I was bashing my head against getting to the fourth biome on the upward path, I cracked. I had beaten the boss of the third biome once and dipped a toe in the fourth, only to be immediately killed by something. Don’t know what because I could not spot it, but that was what got me to think about trying God Mode.

I flipped it on and off  for several runs until I finally just started leaving it on. See, I was not having fun when it was off. Even when I beat the bosses with ease (on the first two floors), I was thinking about how much I needed for the later stages.

By the way, it’s astounding how different the up and down paths are. The downward path is fairly easy, at least until you get to the final boss. The upward path? So fucking hard. First floor and boss? Easy. Second floor? Easy. Second floor boss was really hard, then became easier, but never easy because of my issues (depth perception, reflexes, spatial). Third floor is hard with the boss being almost impossible for me, and the fourth floor? Let’s not even talk about it–but I will talk about that boss.

Again, I want to emphasize that I’m talking about this boss in terms of my abilities, not in terms of the hardcore fans. I’m sure they think the boss is easy and that anyone whining about it just needs to ‘git gud’.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): God Mode, part two

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I’ve been playing Hades II (Supergiant Games) on God Mode, and I’m still having mixed feelings about it. Yes, it’s allowed me to get to the top  of the upper path again (twice!), but there’s still a corner of my brain that tells me it’s cheating. Intellectually, I know it’s not. Emotionally, I am still struggling with whether to use it or not (as I use it).

Ian and I had a talk about how difficulty modes are becoming pretty common in games. I think that’s a good thing as does he. In most of those games, you can change it whenever you want, which is also a good tihng.

The bottom line is that games are supposed to be fun. And, in a single-player game, it doesn’t really matter how someone else plays a game.

Side note: I have never understood the ire some people have when there is something in a game that makes it easier. I don’t mind them saying, “You’re not having the same experience” because that’s true, but when they say in a snotty voice, ” You’re not getting the real experience” or that the player is cheating themselves, that’s when I want to kick them in the shins.

I’ve used this example several times before, but it’s stuck in my mind ever  since I saw it. Ian Higton and Aoife Wilson of Eurogamer (he’s still there; she is not) were playing Elden Ring (FromSoft) when it first released. Aoife reviewed it for Elden Ring, and then she helped Ian in his game.

Ian (other Ian as I call him) is an anomaly as he hated FromSoft games for many years, and then finally got into them. That’s not the anomaly part–this is. He will cheerfully say that he summons humans without an ounce of shame. I’m not saying he should feel ashamed; I’m saying that I have never heard a games journalist say that summoning humans is fine, let alone say they did it.

When he said this in the stream with Aoife, she said that it’s better to attempt a boss first alone to…she didn’t say get the full experience, but she skirted awfully close to it. She’s always careful to say there’s nothing wrong with summoning, but I don’t think she really thought that. At least she gave it lip service, though, in a way.

Anyway, she said he should try a boss on his own first so he’ll feel good about it. Ian said very cheerfully, “Oh, I feel just fine about it!” I could see Aoife’s shoulders drop, When she spoke again, she had a defeated tone in her voice. I don’t remember what she said, but I just smirked because Ian so thoroughly breezed by the standard that almost all hardcore From fans have, even if they don’t say it. Even if they don’t realize it. It’s that you’re supposed to beat the bosses solo. Or at least without human summons. Aoife readily said that she used spirit summons in Elden Ring.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): Shhhhhh God Mode

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I want to talk about Hades II‘s (Supergiant Games) dirty little secret–God Mode. To put it simply, in God Mode, you start by taking 20% less damage. Every time you die with God Mode on, you get an added 2% resistance to damage. This was also in the first game, but I never turned it on in that game.

Why? Pride and stubbornness. In most hardcore gaming communities, it’s considered cheating to do anything that makes the game easier. I’ve seen it ad nauseam in the FromSoft community (well, I did. I rarely visit any FromSoft forums these days), and it was quite the intro into Dark Souls when I finally had to look something up. (How to beat Kalameet.) So many ‘git guds’. So many ‘if you don’t do it the way I do it, you’re cheating/wrong’. Sooooooo many ‘I did it on the first try noob trolololololol’.

This has been a toxic part of the community, and even though I try to stay away from it, it does bleed through to the RKG forum from time to time. With Elden Ring, there was tension over the idea of using the spirit summon. From put it in the game to make it friendlier for people who have never played a FromSoft game. However, because the assumption was that the player would use a spirit summon throughout the game, they tuned the boss fights with the assumption that there would be a spirit summon in the fight.

Oh, the angst and anger in the hardcore community. The gnashing of teeth and the tearing out of hair! The rending of shirts. The wailing! I’m talking about the FromSoft community in general, not the RKG community. Even in the latter, though, there were grumblings from people who wanted Rory to do the boss fights ‘pure’. Which, fine. Have your opinion. But it felt like they were a minority, even if they were very loud.

But I digress.

My point is that any time there is a hard game, you can count on the following things to be true: 1. There will be a loud chorus of people proclaiming that noobs need to ‘git gud’ while simultaneously saying that the game isn’t that hard. 2. Anyone who doesn’t do it bare-naked with nothing leveled up is cheating/cheesing/playing it wrong. 3. If you dare use the tools in the game that make it easier, you’re not playing the game right/you’re a loser. 4. You’re not getting the true experience/you’re cheapening the experience by using those tools.

I have actively rebutted these beliefs, but they have sunk in, nonetheless. So much so that I’ve considered giving up the game rather than try God Mode. It’s ridiculous. No one but me needs to know that I’ve done it. And it’s in the game. Which means that Supergiant themselves think it’s legit. But I haven’t seen anyone stream with it on, and most games journos have the air of it’s a sin to use it. Others don’t even mention it like it doesn’t exist.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): At the Crossroads, part two

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I’m writing more about Hades II (Supergiant Games) and if I’m going to continue with it or not. Here is my post from yesterday in which I was quite frank that this was about me and not the game (mostly). I’ve been plugging away at it, but I’m just really frustrated with the big boss. I feel like there’s a trick that I’m not getting because–well, I’m not going to get into it, but there’s a tough boss fight and then there’s this. I have said before that I don’t like it when a boss can one-shot me. This boss can do that, and it’s not even close. It can do thousands of points of damage, and there is no way I am going to be able to not get hit by the boss.

This is when I start getting down on myself and doubting whether I can actually do it. “It” being beating the big boss. Yes, I have done it up to this point, but oftentimes, it’s by the skin of my teeth, and I know I’m getting closer and closer to my ceiling.

I had to cheese every boss pass the fourth one in Lies of P (Round8 Studio/NEOWIZ). Mild game mechanic spoiler for that game. Almost every boss past that one had two phases. Well, the fourth boss also had two phases, but I did not have the material needed for the cheese at when I was fighting that boss. That was such a miserable fight. I should have quit then and there, but as I have noted a time or twelve, I’m fucking stubborn.

I finished the game as I went through much of it–cheesing the hell out of the boss in the second phase. Did I feel good about it after I beat the secret last boss? No. But I did what I had to do (including changing up my entire build for that boss). By that point, I was watching videos on how to cheese each boss because there was no way I was going to do it legit. I played it on Game Pass, and when the DLC came out, the game was gone from Game Pass. There was no way I was going to buy the game and the DLC when I did not enjoy the game.

I heard the DLC was nails hard, and I was really glad I did not put myself through that. The DLC for Elden Ring (Shadow of the Erdtree) was also way harder than I wanted it to be, especially the last boss. That boss pre-nerf was ridiculous, and not in a good way. FromSoft always toes the line between really fucking hard and unfairly hard, especially with the final boss of their DLCs, and this one was way past the line. Even post-nerf, I don’t enjoy the fight.

Back to this game, though. All the bosses are bullet sponges. Except the third boss on the way down, weirdly enough. I find that boss to be fairly easy–by the way, I love that boss and how it fits into the overall picture. The boss was in the first game, but in a totally different way. That’s one thing I really love about the two games–how connected they are. I mean, of course they are because they’re about the same (broad) group of people.


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Hades II (Supergiant Games): At the Crossroads

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I’m at the crossroads in Hades II (Supergiant Games), and I don’t mean the hub world in the game. That’s called The Crossroads, and it’s where I go between each run. Several NPCs are there, and I’m now at the point where I can spruce up the area. There was a similar mechanic in the first game, and I was allll about decorating the House of Hades in that game.

In this one, however, I have barely done any decorating. Why? Because it feels more tedious in this game. I’m not sure it is, but thats’ how it feels to me. In that games, you needed Gemstones, Darkness, and Diamonds to upgrade the house (I looked it up). In this game, you need Kudos (had to look that up, too), plus varying other things such as rewards you get from beating bosses. Here’s the thing, though. You can’t earn Kudos in the game itself. You have to recycle other objects into Kudos with the Wretched Broker (main shopkeep), and you need a ridiculous amount of Kudos to add any one item.

In addition, each object you recycle gives you a different amount of Kudos. Also, if you want to use the main currency in the game, Bones, you can’t recycle them directly to Kudos. You have to buy Ashes at the rate of 15 bones to one Ash before converting Ashes into Kudos.

I’m a hoarder in games. So everything I’m growing and looting from around the regions, I am loath to part with them. Thusly, I have not done much decorating at all. In addition, I do not like the one in charge of decorating here. She’s in my tent, and she is far inferior to the maid in the first game (roughly the same kind of NPC). It’s clear that the NPC in this game is supposed to harken back to the NPC from the first game, but she misses the mark.

I’m in that part of the game where I feel like I’m not making any progress. Granted, I’m fucking around with the different aspects of the weapons, which means I’m not really trying to make it to the final bosses. But, I did make it to the topside third boss (final?) with an aspect of my least-favorite weapon, and then I died with about a tenth of the boss’s health left–at least on one health bar. Dunno if it has a second phase or not. I mean, there’s a second phase, but I don’t know if it has a second health bar. I would not be surprised if this fight did.

I don’t know if I have the fire in my belly to continue. I use so much energy and resources just to get to this boss (and the supposed final boss of the underworld), that I have nothing left when I get there. I remember feeling the same way in the first game, but the difference is me.


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