That’s something I really like about it. No complicated button combos, if I want a potion, just arrow key one direction, always the same direction for that potion, even the various attacks are very straightforward and easy to remember. It’s all so refreshing compared to the convoluted systems in so many other games.
The narration in this game is awful and I wish there was an option to just disable it.
lttp but just fyi, his boss was using voice to text, which means if you don’t say the word “period” after you want to wrap up a sentence, it just keeps translating your words - it doesn’t “hear” when you are ending a sentence, and a lot of folks don’t take the time to say “period” out loud (I do, but my wife makes fun of me whenever she’s around while I do it).
You mean the talk between Zeus and what’s-his/name? That’s the best part of the game for me.
Looks like my policy of not worrying about it was proper!
I’m a fan of the simplified gear structure, though I feel that I’m never going to get better at combat without a game controller. Except of course for Archery! No direct line of sight needed! climbing monsters need not apply!
There’s so much to do, it’s a bit overwhelming. I love discovering little out of the way areas, and at least one I accidentally solved out of order because I could see how it would be solved and I imported rolling boulders myself from nearby. Wont do that again!
Also, near Pearl Harbor, there were super high cliffs, but there were also Mario like wind floor tiles that serve to facilitate flying up to the cliff tops. THere’s a lot here.
And for the record I like the narration!!
That section was annoying. I thought I had screwed myself when I finally had the heavy boxes but then I remembered I could use Apollo’s arrow to destroy a stranded wood box, causing it to reappear at its original spot, which I could reach to get it and finish the puzzle. Ugh.
Yes, it’s the lamest attempt at humour I’ve heard a game do in a long time. If there was an award for Worst Character of the Year then I’d give it to Zeus hands down. And in this starting area they just do not shut up. It’s incessant. No idea if it gets better later.
I’m glad that others like it, but this writing is not for me. On the plus side, it does increase my appreciation for the writing in Hades even more than it already was.
They do quiet down after the starting island, which I have come to call Tutorios.
I finished the story this weekend and the ending is more epic and touching than I expected. Nothing unpredictable per se, but the reveals and set pieces are very well executed.
This game just has so much heart! For me it feels like someone found the lost Ubisoft that crafted gems like Rayman Legends.
Anyway, and I never ever say this, but I can’t wait for the DLC. I’ll be playing day one for sure.
Now that you mention it, I can see that. Definitely a plus.
The voice acting and jokes are pretty cheesy, but I’m enjoying them nonetheless. I love their decision to make Zeus a problem-causing, self-centered dummy, which is very much in keeping with (my surface understanding of) Greek mythology.
As the game goes that also goes deeper in a way that only good writing can do. ;)
Also, I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old and could not stop giggling at the constant “pearl and sea-foam” jokes during Aphrodite’s main quest.
I just began playing it, and I love that narration so much. I’ll be sad when (if) they start shutting up.
I also very much like that inconstant relation to time that makes mythology so fascinating to me.
The accents are lovely, and help me much: I often feel a strong disconnection in English speaking games when the Total War is performed by Texan legionnaries.
They won’t. Their dialog won’t be as frequent as the game goes on, but it will be there when you start to miss it. ;)
I don’t play games, as a rule, with cartoony style characters. OK, make that characters who are drawn in a cartoon style. Not a slam on such games, just my limited game time and preferences. But dammit, @tomchick, your review just influenced me to go buy this game. On my play queue as soon as I finish Ghosts of Tsushima.
Now that you’re playing cartoony games you’re qualified play Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Which is absolutely awesome, by the way.
I remembered Tom’s review when I was looking for a PS5 game to play, so I picked up the Gold Edition (which was on sale 50% off) today. After the first early going (only about an hour), I’m very much enjoying it. And wow, does it have a lot of similarities to BOTW, which I’m also playing on the Switch. It has a perfect mix of puzzle solving, map exploration, combat, and discovery so far and I’m eager to see how it progresses.
Is the season pass worth getting at 25% off? (Gold Edition is only 40% off since it’s 50% off base game and 25% off season pass)
Nevermind: I went with getting Valhalla and Fenyx base editions together and adding R6 Siege to cart (which I already own) to get another 20% off entire cart. So $86.47 CAD for 3 vs buying the Valhalla + Fenyx 2-pack alone for $94.89 CAD.