Hades (PC and Switch)

The second boss is an all-timer - wrecked me first few times, now just really enjoy how intense it is. Think I made it to the final boss (or at least what was the final boss) once but got promptly annihilated - difficulty really ramps up after a while.

Worth taking on the optional

Finished my first complete run there (well, first complete run since the game ended before Elysium) and what a thrill it was.

To call it a perfect run would be underestimating the insanity of the boons that started flowing. Actually started off very strangely with a legendary boon in the very first corridor... only thing was it was the boon that increases the chance of a fishing spot :pac: Suffice to say plenty of fish were caught on the ascent.

First couple of chambers were just standard darkness and coin chambers - to the point when I was starting to wonder if the run would be a write-off. But I then got a hammer which transformed my special into a powerful charge attack (I was using the fists). At the same time I got a Chaos chamber which gave me a super powerful boost on the special as well... just meant it was out of action first for four encounters (which turned out to be the entirety of the first floor). Luckily then got a boon which powered up my attack and added chill as well, so it was an easy enough push through the Fury.

From there it was a straight run to the top. The RNG was extremely kind - got a whole bunch of boons that powered up every aspect of Zagreus - a laser cast, a powerful rare call etc... But it was just the special that kept on building - got to the point where special kills were healing Zagreus and got an insane legendary boon that powered up the special by 190% (!) + inflicted chill. By this stage chill was creating a bunch of random blasts as it stacked and causing lasting damage to any character inflicted. All that plus a boon that shot out a whole bunch of homing missiles when I landed any kind of damage

There was a Thanatos contest near the end that I won by something like 25 to 4 (achievement popped because of it). Pummeled my way through all the optional chambers on the last floor just because the risk was so low, even though I found the exit item in the second chamber.
, but got there with a death defy to spare. There's actually a .

But yeah, that was 45 of the most thrilling minutes of gaming I can recall. Just every system in the game coming together in perfect harmony. Can't say enough good things about the game on the whole, TBH - it's the rare rogue-lite where the act of playing is sufficient enough to justify a run. It doesn't matter if it ends early or RNG isn't in your favour - just the flow of the combat is up there with the absolute very best the medium has had to offer. Hell, it's up there with the best Nintendo games or something like Bayonetta: games that simply have been polished to perfection.

I’ve maxed out the cast mirror abilities, and still find it the least useful of the abilities. But I do like the ones that fire a laser.

I’ve finished four runs now, and find the interesting balance to be trying to find a build that’s powerful against bosses *and* normal enemies. Have had some that mow through normal ones, and then hit a wall with the Minotaur. Starting to think the abilities that push through armour, while powerful, are fairly limited when you get to the tough bosses.

Finished with a spear build yesterday that struck the perfect balance - managed to finish without any death defies used (had literally one hp left at the end :pac:) as it was great against bosses.