would definitely be more fun if optimized better and floaty controls are fixed

Already better than Hades 1. Hooked.

Edit: After the full release and updated patched ending, the game definitely lived uip to the predecessor. The boss fight with Scylla stands out and the conversation with the one-eyed boss of the city of Ephyra is one of the most brilliantly written. Multple soundtracks/songs are outstanding especially the one Scylla sings and the soundtrack for the city of ephyra. 10/10 again.

Decent game with good puzzles. Cute'ish story. Nice endgame song to top off the game. They could have made the game more difficult and didn't choose to.

Very repetitive even at 1 hour. Glory kills? Meh. Monsters keep sound 'whaaah' in your headphones, its annoying at best.

Gameplay is standard FPS, run and gun. You don't even need to aim bro, there is a shotgun with plenty of ammo. Infinite ammo on your pistol.

No strategy required - run and gun. Did I mention the 'whaahhh' sounds in your headphone. Story? Meh. Innovative gameplay maybe? Ofcourse not.

I would have refunded this if I was eligible.

Having played Dead Cells for 50ish hours, I think I can write a thoughtful review for Hades.

First off, both are great games. Hades feels more accessible (ahem easier) as it is easier to evade attacks from enemies - 1 degree of movement vs 2 degree of movement. Not only that almost all enemy attacks are well telegraphed with enough time given to player to evade.

The biggest sell for Hades is that it brings an interesting story to the table. The conversations and stuff to do after dying is a nice way to relax a bit after dying, getting some upgrades and going again. Beating the game but trying it again is woven excellently into the story. Voice acting is obviously superb. Random weapons aren't forced upon you, rather it is incentivized to try a specific weapon on each run. Prophecies mean you are also encouraged to try different thing for atleast one time.

Limiting weapons to 6 also meant that they are created thoughtfully and balanced though the bow (without upgrades) seems hard to use effectively. Some upgrades do feel overtly strong.

The temptation to do just one more run is much more strong here than dead cells on account of the upgrade possibilities after the run.

The difficulty and the story are 2 main reasons I think the game was designed to be beaten repeatedly. The developers could have easily made the game harder and bosses tougher. You do get the option to make the bosses tougher later in the game. I do think that grind to unlock the epilogue is a bit too much. I gave up after after beating the game 17-18 times, 50ish runs and around 50 hours.

What could have been better? Well the room based encounters break the pace at the start compared to the long levels in Dead Cells. Though you do get habitual. Sometimes on a run your attack or special would get way too strong to spam on a run. I would have rather the game reward combos where you hit attack then special etc.

With all said and done, I think Hades is the new gold standard for randomly generated game levels targeting replayability. Hades is a shining example of how to do stories in such a game.

I used to love platformers as a kid. I still do but I mean who has the time to play the same level again and again. So I like more of story-based games at this point like Ori and Hollow Knight - games where you can reach a conclusive end. Dead Cells hence did not attract me.

However, after giving it a try i found out what the hype was all about. I would give that the game is tough. It does give you multiple ways to play the game. And repeatability factor comes in. I won't repeat all the good points here, you can see any review.

I would talk about things which can be improved though. Weapons are a lot but it seems they are bit generic after 2 or 3 major types. Gameplay wise more mechanics could have been added like teleportation at will etc, invisibility to sneak around for a timed clock. Gameplay styles could have been thought about more here you have a choice between bow and shield only. The builds are there but you would only play with certain weapons. Each weapon needed to be balanced to stand its ground like characters in TF2 or Overwatch. That is what makes you standout as a game, but is an incredibly tough design problem as well.

So yeah overall I like the game, It is good to satisfy some gaming itch with a fun short run.

Edit: I have to say that there is indeed depth to the weapons with different styles possible though I stand by my original assessment that this is a missed opportunity. The passive style is too easy to stay comfortable in. Nominated for labor for love for continued updates and rebalances.

This is perhaps one of the best games of all time. If you restrict the selection to one of online multiplayer, replayability or competitiveness, then undisputedly this is the best. Only other game that stands alongside would be Team fortress 2, sadly Valve didn't decide to keep investing in that. CS:GO on the other hand would definitely live on due to eSports.

The only thing that stops you from putting in more time here is cheaters. Big problem, cant do much about it.

The gameplay is not fun. The controls are not precise. There are frame drops and stutters on my 1070, It should ideally run on a potato pc.

Mainly bought for any horror thrills, But there is only a single jump-scare. Don't waste your money.

I loved the first ori game. It was beautiful, emotional and innovative. Hollow knight being released near to it, the comparisons were inevitable, however I preferred Ori due to it being more accessible.

Coming to the the current game, the world has expanded and became more rich. It remains as beautiful as ever, however it cannot match the predecessor in terms of emotion and innovation.

The first one introduced the groundbreaking bash and escape sequences. You can't say the same about this game, It does try to introduce the bash/burrow into the sand mechanic but it is way to late in the game.

The escape sequences have become easier. Yes, in the first one they were too hard, but that also gave immense satisfaction when you completed one. This time around only the last one with the sand worm presented any considerable challenge. The rest of them pretty meh.

There is introduction of combat variety however enemies are pretty basic and stick to 1 or 2 moves. Obviously the focus of Ori games is more about platforming. However, the platforming in this game was also pretty mediocre this time around with only a couple of setups becoming challenging, and you encounter them towards the end.

The criticism here seems a lot, but it is because the first game was a piece of art with great gameplay. This is still as playable as ever but nothing that attracts attention.

If they continue like this (cashing in on the first game), the third game will not be able to succeed.

There are a lot of influences from hollow knight (imitation is the best form of flattery):
1. The cartographer: I wish they hadn't done that as it took away all the mystery.
2. NPCs: A welcome touch that made the world richer
3. Health regeneration: It made the game too easy
4. Shards: Couple with health regeneration and choosing a shard at any time made the game incredibly easy at normal difficulty with you being able to brute force even the bosses.

If you are a fan of the first play the second. Otherwise play Ori and the blind forest first and hollow knight next. Skip this one.

Halo: Reach is an excellent port. Although the game itself might be the weakest of the series.

From memory Halo 1 was more fun when it launched. Halo 3 definitely showing age.

Need to play through Halo 3 and 4.