1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:07,079 Rogue-likes are controversial for their unconventional death system: every time you die, you lose 2 00:00:07,079 --> 00:00:12,440 a big chunk of the progress you made that run and start the level from the bottom. 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:17,120 This can build frustration in your player and may make them hate the game, so it is 4 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,090 essential to avoid that. 5 00:00:19,090 --> 00:00:24,550 It could be a difficult task to properly balance the rogue-like nature of a game, frustration 6 00:00:24,550 --> 00:00:29,010 and engagement, and while some do it better than others, Hades achieves that in a rather 7 00:00:29,010 --> 00:00:34,530 unique and far from bad method, making every attempt at getting out of the Underworld fresh 8 00:00:34,530 --> 00:00:35,850 and worthwhile. 9 00:00:35,850 --> 00:00:41,300 To find out what makes Hades so captivating and entertaining, I went on a journey by finishing 10 00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:46,140 the game, studying what others think of it and even talking to the developers themselves 11 00:00:46,140 --> 00:00:47,870 at Supergiant. 12 00:00:47,870 --> 00:00:51,158 And after all of that, here is the genius design 13 00:00:51,158 --> 00:00:54,515 that makes escaping the Underworld engaging. 14 00:00:56,734 --> 00:01:02,420 Replayability… that’s the defining characteristic of any rogue-like game. 15 00:01:02,420 --> 00:01:09,479 Originating back in the 90s, it means “the quality or fact of being suitable for or worth 16 00:01:09,479 --> 00:01:11,820 playing more than once.” 17 00:01:11,820 --> 00:01:17,081 In other terms, how many times can you play a game before it gets boring? 18 00:01:17,081 --> 00:01:23,378 And in a rogue-like, engagement can be quite literally translated to replayability. 19 00:01:23,378 --> 00:01:30,150 And although an engaging game might mean something different for you, for the sake of this video 20 00:01:30,150 --> 00:01:34,372 I will define it as one that constantly keeps you hooked. 21 00:01:34,372 --> 00:01:41,300 Consider this: once the game stops being alluring, the player loses interest and will most likely 22 00:01:41,300 --> 00:01:42,320 stop playing. 23 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:48,439 As for Hades, the developers had to create reasons for players to continue after dying 24 00:01:48,439 --> 00:01:54,540 and even after finishing the game, and they achieved that through diversity and progression 25 00:01:54,540 --> 00:01:57,915 and some other methods… but those are for another video. 26 00:01:57,915 --> 00:02:03,209 To one of my questions, Greg Kasavin, writer and designer at Supergiant Games 27 00:02:03,209 --> 00:02:09,177 explained that "replayability was a foremost goal on Hades so the multiplicative design content 28 00:02:09,177 --> 00:02:14,610 and story that adapts to player progression were key aspects we focused on" 29 00:02:14,610 --> 00:02:19,809 Before diving deeper into these matters, let me tell you about the combat system – because 30 00:02:19,809 --> 00:02:23,518 this is what the player will take part in most of the time. 31 00:02:25,689 --> 00:02:31,559 From a mechanical standpoint, we can say that Hades has been built with "fun" in mind. 32 00:02:31,559 --> 00:02:37,889 An impactful combat system, a satisfying escape mechanic, challenging enemies and various 33 00:02:37,889 --> 00:02:43,949 creative ways to kill your foes, such as using the environment to deal damage or luring enemies 34 00:02:43,949 --> 00:02:48,750 into traps, all come together and form the base gameplay loop. 35 00:02:48,750 --> 00:02:55,299 But fighting the dead and avoiding becoming one yourself can be engaging only for so long, 36 00:02:55,299 --> 00:02:59,040 so diversity was essential in a game like Hades. 37 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:04,709 Initially, your only weapon is a sword, but over time, you can choose from five other 38 00:03:04,709 --> 00:03:10,260 weapons, such as a bow, a shield or... the Exagryph, a sort of rail gun. 39 00:03:10,260 --> 00:03:16,799 The more weapons there are, the more incentives you give the player to try to escape again, 40 00:03:16,799 --> 00:03:19,219 making future runs feel new. 41 00:03:19,219 --> 00:03:24,840 Furthermore, each weapon has four of these so-called "aspects", which are upgrades and 42 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,909 changes to the initial set of weapons. 43 00:03:27,909 --> 00:03:32,969 All of these added together make twenty-four weapons in total. 44 00:03:32,969 --> 00:03:38,669 Throughout your play through, you meet characters such as gods, like Zeus or Athena, and other 45 00:03:38,669 --> 00:03:41,510 mythological figures, like Sisyphus. 46 00:03:41,510 --> 00:03:47,459 Everyone you meet in the game is, basically, a spin off from how we imagine Greek mythology 47 00:03:47,459 --> 00:03:51,213 personalities, interpreted in a humoristic and authentic way. 48 00:03:51,213 --> 00:03:53,737 Zagreus: My ransacking was a delight, thank you for asking 49 00:03:53,737 --> 00:03:56,111 Zagreus: So, I'll just be on my way, again. 50 00:03:56,229 --> 00:04:02,510 The constant, funny interactions you take part in, while usually short, hook your attention 51 00:04:02,510 --> 00:04:03,969 back into the action. 52 00:04:03,969 --> 00:04:10,569 The gameplay purpose of these characters is to aid you on your journey by offering boons 53 00:04:10,569 --> 00:04:11,799 or buffs. 54 00:04:11,799 --> 00:04:14,519 These help make each run different. 55 00:04:14,519 --> 00:04:20,759 Lastly, every level of the Underworld introduces new types of enemies, gradually harder to 56 00:04:20,759 --> 00:04:26,249 beat, which bring new challenges with them, to the point this variety is almost overwhelming 57 00:04:26,249 --> 00:04:28,169 - in a good way. 58 00:04:28,169 --> 00:04:33,539 Consider this tough guy: his shield blocks damage coming from the opposite direction. 59 00:04:33,539 --> 00:04:38,770 Naturally, you need to dash behind and stab him in the back while he's trying his best 60 00:04:38,770 --> 00:04:40,259 to turn around. 61 00:04:40,259 --> 00:04:43,690 This can be creatively approached if you use the spear. 62 00:04:43,690 --> 00:04:48,800 Instead of trying to get behind him, you can use its special to throw it, which initially 63 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,419 won't deal damage. 64 00:04:50,419 --> 00:04:53,120 But on its way back it will backstab your foe. 65 00:04:53,120 --> 00:05:00,349 And so, the 30-something types of enemies ensure you are frequently exposed to new challenges. 66 00:05:00,349 --> 00:05:05,460 You might have noticed that Hades promotes freedom of choice in most of its mechanics 67 00:05:05,460 --> 00:05:11,050 and systems: you are not restricted to using a single weapon, you get to choose which room 68 00:05:11,050 --> 00:05:13,354 you are going to face next, and you decide 69 00:05:13,354 --> 00:05:16,759 what bonus to receive from the characters you meet. 70 00:05:16,759 --> 00:05:21,819 Practically, you get to create your own path, builds, and play styles. 71 00:05:21,819 --> 00:05:27,949 I think it's safe to say that playing Hades puts you, quite literally, in the role of 72 00:05:27,949 --> 00:05:32,800 a game designer that needs to discover various ways of playing. 73 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:38,139 It's not necessarily that Hades is inherently mechanically attractive - although it is because 74 00:05:38,139 --> 00:05:42,283 of its fast-paced adrenaline-inducing style - but because you have 75 00:05:42,283 --> 00:05:44,770 so many choices over how you play. 76 00:05:44,770 --> 00:05:48,389 This is one of the elements that reinforce engagement. 77 00:05:48,389 --> 00:05:55,169 You, basically, have over 20 styles of playing based on which weapon you use, and, practically, 78 00:05:55,169 --> 00:05:58,030 infinitely many combinations of boons. 79 00:05:58,030 --> 00:06:03,127 And this is where Hades really shines as a rogue-like, in terms of replayability. 80 00:06:04,274 --> 00:06:09,550 But there is one element above killing the dead and getting through the layers of Hell 81 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:11,951 that drives the story: death 82 00:06:17,491 --> 00:06:21,138 – the intrinsic system of any rogue-like. 83 00:06:21,138 --> 00:06:27,099 Generally, in a game, death means you have to start from the last save with more experience 84 00:06:27,099 --> 00:06:28,499 than the last time. 85 00:06:28,499 --> 00:06:34,229 But in Hades, death has a dual nature: one that penalizes you for dying and forces you 86 00:06:34,229 --> 00:06:39,040 to start over and one that rewards you with story and gameplay progression. 87 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:44,639 So, to spend the goodies you got during a run to get stronger, you need to return to 88 00:06:44,639 --> 00:06:46,340 the House of Hades. 89 00:06:46,340 --> 00:06:52,039 But that is unimportant when you consider the brilliant design of being able to interact 90 00:06:52,039 --> 00:06:55,409 with a character only once per return. 91 00:06:55,409 --> 00:06:58,749 This forces you, in a sense, to die. 92 00:06:58,749 --> 00:07:05,469 That’s the genius design choice that dictates the pace of the story, hides the limited interaction 93 00:07:05,469 --> 00:07:10,880 and repeated dialogues between you and the other Gods, and eliminates frustration, knowing 94 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,419 you get to see your progress and what happens next. 95 00:07:14,419 --> 00:07:21,020 And you should die, if you want to fully experience the game and learn everything the characters 96 00:07:21,020 --> 00:07:23,658 have to say because the game has a staggering 97 00:07:23,658 --> 00:07:27,439 number of over twenty thousand lines of dialogue. 98 00:07:27,439 --> 00:07:31,539 Kasavin explains this as following: “It was 99 00:07:31,539 --> 00:07:38,060 also a commitment to our idea of giving the game a narrative context throughout a rogue-like 100 00:07:38,060 --> 00:07:39,439 experience game. 101 00:07:39,439 --> 00:07:45,360 It’s an infinitely replayable game, so ideally it should have infinite content. 102 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:50,610 But someone does have to write that stuff, and we have to stop at some point." 103 00:07:50,610 --> 00:07:53,219 But what happens when the game ends? 104 00:07:53,219 --> 00:07:57,009 Or, more exactly, when does the game end? 105 00:07:57,009 --> 00:08:02,300 It is bound that you will escape the Underworld at some point, technically achieving your 106 00:08:02,300 --> 00:08:03,300 goal. 107 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:07,379 But through a strange occurrence which I will not describe, for the sake of spoilers, you 108 00:08:07,379 --> 00:08:10,573 get to keep trying to escape again and again. 109 00:08:10,573 --> 00:08:12,118 Zagreus: All right, one more time 110 00:08:12,118 --> 00:08:17,830 But, although the developers created good reasons to play in the first place, what is 111 00:08:17,830 --> 00:08:23,389 the reason to continue, now that you're most likely familiar with its diversity and story? 112 00:08:23,389 --> 00:08:26,669 The story doesn't end when you first escape. 113 00:08:26,669 --> 00:08:32,750 You need to beat it 9 more times to learn everything there is to be learnt. 114 00:08:32,750 --> 00:08:38,169 After the first time you escape, you can also accept a Pact of Punishment and make the game 115 00:08:38,169 --> 00:08:40,260 harder through various modifiers. 116 00:08:40,260 --> 00:08:46,550 And, if those aren't enough to make one continue, the game incorporates an achievement system, 117 00:08:46,550 --> 00:08:49,200 which is far from easy to complete. 118 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:55,180 While the last two - modifiers and achievements - are nothing new nor unique, together they 119 00:08:55,180 --> 00:08:58,139 do add another layer to keeping you hooked. 120 00:08:58,139 --> 00:09:04,170 Admittedly, Hades does much more under the hood to make you keep playing, and undoubtedly 121 00:09:04,170 --> 00:09:09,620 these have their impact on engagement, but I hardly think they can compare to what I 122 00:09:09,620 --> 00:09:11,400 have talked about above. 123 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:19,029 So, this is how Hades, a game that might seem repetitive and frustrating, manages to 124 00:09:19,029 --> 00:09:22,720 keep its players engaged and always wanting more. 125 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:28,950 By combining great mechanics with freedom of choice and all sorts of obstacles, reinventing 126 00:09:28,950 --> 00:09:34,610 mythological characters in an authentic way and giving death a new meaning, Supergiant 127 00:09:34,610 --> 00:09:41,180 succeeded in making the iterative process of escaping the Underworld constantly engaging. 128 00:09:41,180 --> 00:09:46,540 You're given reasons to come back at every step of the story, having more to try out 129 00:09:46,540 --> 00:09:49,154 and more to learn about the game. 130 00:09:49,839 --> 00:09:54,200 If you want to be up to date with this new series, then subscribe and leave a like if 131 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:55,570 you enjoyed the video. 132 00:09:55,570 --> 00:10:00,490 If you want to support me, then become a patron like these kind folks, to whom I want to thank 133 00:10:00,490 --> 00:10:06,442 for making this video possible: Aviram Ifm, Bader AlQahtani, Giovanni Pena, 134 00:10:06,442 --> 00:10:10,314 Golden Glow Master, Realitätsverlust and Waifuislaifu. 135 00:10:10,314 --> 00:10:13,498 That's it for the first video in this new series. 136 00:10:13,498 --> 00:10:16,816 Thank you so much for watching, I'll catch you in the next one!