What does it take to make a great run-based game? Tight combat, of course. A variety of mix-and-match abilities that interact in interesting ways, certainly. Procedurally generated levels are nice. Progression and other systems that help each new run stay fun for hours and hours are definitely essential. Hades, an isometric beat-em-up from developer Supergiant Games, offers all these things even in its early access launch state, and sets its sights even higher. By blending the layered, mechanically meaningful storytelling elements of its last game, Pyre, with the addictive, almost endlessly replayable structures of games like Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells, Supergiant appears to be on its way to making a “rogue-lite” the likes of which we’ve rarely seen.
Source: IGN.com Hades Early Access Review