That is not dead which can eternal respawn
What if Vampire Survivors, but Hades, with a title that recalls Lovecraft? That’s quite a pitch, and Realm Archive, a ‘group of friends making games’ has begun to deliver, releasing into Early Access version 0.6 of a game that reflects a lot of what was great about its influences.
To begin, you’re attacked by skeletons. The bony brigade totters at you from all directions, occasionally uttering things like “destroy”. It’s best not to ask how they manage to do this, being only bones, but desiccated death doesn’t seem to have affected their swordswinging abilities either.
It’s kill or be killed. They come at you in droves, swarms, sometimes singly, but you have a weapon to knock them back. Luckily there’s an auto-attack button, and a slider in the options to set how powerful you are, effectively a difficulty slider. You can play the game like a twin-stick shooter, moving with the left stick and directing your attacks with the right, or you can automate attacks, sending them in the direction of the nearest bad guy.
Soon you’ll increase in power, picking up new weapons from the ground, activating shrines, pleasing deities and otherwise levelling up to unlock new powers and spells.
Your character has a dash move, which begins the game as a useful way to avoid incoming projectiles but can be modified to deal damage itself, or leave a trail of fire or frost behind you. After the skeletons, stone enemies like angrier versions of Super Mario’s Thwomps come out of the woods, taking more hits to kill and mixing up the rhythm of attacks. Later, walls trap the protagonist in while slimes attack from all around, a power-up that causes chains to spin around him, plus the auto-attack button, proving the key to escape. An upgrade that sends large blades or sickles spinning around the screen soon becomes a favourite, but attacks at the beginning of the game are slow, and it can feel sluggish.
SOON YOU’LL INCREASE IN POWER, PICKING UP NEW
