Hades (the game), an update

I recently went on a trip for a week, and before my flight, I was determined to beat the final boss in Hades. I succeeded, at which time I discovered what people meant when they said that the game really begins after that point. More story, more gameplay options, etc.

I really am terrible at this game, but not quite 100% terrible. God Mode is still on, but it only (lol, only) took until about 72% invulnerability for me to beat all the bosses. The lasers were my biggest hurdle, and now that I know their secret, that part of the final battle is practically restful.

I've made it through maybe four times now, and due to the way info is doled out, I suspect it'll take at least another six times to finish the main story and who knows how many additional times to fill up my relationship meters with everybody. I'm looking forward to it, even if the game is hard on my hands (compression gloves are my savior).

Hades (the game), revisted

I've been playing Hades a lot this past week, but on my Switch rather than on my computer. I can't decide which option is better or worse for my hands, but I've learned to put on compression gloves before even starting to play on the Switch. I seem to tense up more the deeper into the game I get.

On my PC, I was determined to avoid turning on God Mode until I'd at least managed to beat Meg. On my Switch, I turned on God Mode early, and I can't say I regret that decision. God Mode starts you off at 20% invulnerability to damage and adds 2% each time you die. From what I've read, it's capped at 80%. I am now at...70%. If I remember right, it took about 34% to beat Meg, 40% to get out of Asphodel, and at least 60% to make it out of Elysium. I have not yet beat the final boss, although I've come painfully close.

The things I'm enjoying the most: The characters and voice acting. Finding out a little more about everyone (whether you know Greek mythology or don't, there are some fun moments). Unlocking new stuff. Petting the big dog (I pet Cerberus every time the game gives me the opportunity, even though the Switch version doesn't have an achievement for that). Discovering Boons I really like.

If I could skip one realm in each run-through, it would probably be Asphodel. Although I generally prefer the enemies there to the ones in Elysium , I'm not fond of the whole "lava can hurt you" aspect.

Crossing my fingers that I'm at least decent enough to beat the final boss before I hit the God Mode cap. My goal is to make it out of the underworld sometime in the next week.

Hades game, 8 hours in

I am indeed terrible at this game. I managed to encounter Megaera for the first time about 3 or 4 hours in and have seen her several times since then, but still haven't beaten her, although I survive a little longer each time. I'm just not agile enough with keyboard and mouse (in my defense, I've learned that I have to wear braces on both hands rather than just my mouse hand in order to avoid being in pain after playing this game, and the braces do inhibit movement some). I'm thinking of a giving a controller a shot, and if that doesn't result in any noticeable improvements I may just have to accept that it's time to turn on God Mode, because the NPCs have started repeating themselves and I'd like the game to start giving me more story soon.

On the plus side, I'm still enjoying myself, even with all the dying. I suppose I could just keep going and see if collecting more Mirror upgrades helps. I just unlocked a new weapon - "Twin Fists of Malphon," which looks terrible for me since it doesn't appear to have any long-range capabilities, but I may try it anyway and just accept my certain death. So it's not like I've run out of new things to explore yet.

Hades game comments, a little further in

Yeah, I'm still nowhere near escaping - in fact, I haven't even encountered the first boss yet, and am still just basking in the glow of finally having figured out how to more effectively use one weapon (the shield) and not get killed by the Inferno-Bombers. Let's see if I can do it a second time. At the moment, I'm reserving God Mode for whenever the fighting starts to feel more frustrating, or if I run up against a noticeable wall when it comes to getting to know the NPCs in between runs.

I'm still loving the dialogue and characters, as well as collecting new items and boons and the thrill of figuring out how to do something just a little better. The developer has made the game welcoming for multiple types of gamers - God Mode is described in a way that recognizes there are lots of reasons someone might want to use it, and one of the NPCs even brings it up in a guilt-free way (this may be dialogue that only comes up if you've died a certain number of times early on in the game - what can I say, I'm terrible at this). 

I will say this, though: the Steam Discussions area can be disheartening. The game is as judgement-free as possible, so various commenters do their best to take up the slack and look down their noses at people whose runs take longer than X number of minutes, have died more than X number of times, or who can't beat whichever boss after however many tries. And of course they treat using God Mode like a mark of shame. ::sigh::