HADES

Genius in every flaming step.

- Harvey Randall

When Hades 2 released into Early Access this year, 34 hours of my life vanished before I said, "OK, if I play any more I'm going to spoil myself rotten, and the full thing won't be out for ages yet. Time to stop".

I put down my controller. My hands began to itch, and I broke out into a feverish sweat. I felt the flames of Asphodel lick at my heels - the bloody waters of the Styx filled my mouth, and a deep, thunderous voice chastised me. "You didn't finish me, boy," it rumbled like a disappointed father. Flashes of hot, topless gods raked across my vision as I toppled into an abyss of my mind's own creation. I then immediately reinstalled Hades 1, picked up my controller, and played about 40 more hours of that.

The sheer hunger Hades 2 inspired in me had me so ravenous for more of developer Supergiant's quality work that I couldn't help but tuck in. Especially since I'd never quite finished the dang thing: I'd beaten papa Hades himself, but I'd never completed the roguelike enough times to see the end of its main story, nor had I dug properly into its postgame.

Hades, in its now-finished state, gave me a singular thought: this might be one of the smartest roguelikes - nay, one of the smartest games I'd ever played. Hades feels effortlessly good, but there's enough complex machinery under the hood to make Daedalus blush.

ROGUELITE REVOLUTION

Hades is a roguelike - or more accurately, it's a roguelite. In case you're completely green to the world of keyboards and thumbsticks, that means it's a game where death sends you back to the start, as per 1980's Rogue. However, 'lite' refers to the way its persistent set of upgrades - earned with resources snagged on your runs easier and more complex.