This game really is excellent. I think it has finally dethroned Binding of Isaac as my favorite rogue-what-have-you.

Really ending up liking this game more than I expected. It does a good job doling out rewards at frequent intervals so you feel like you're making progress when you die, and there's a surprising amount of variety between all the boons and builds.

That said, once I beat the final boss about 15 hours in or so, my motivation to go back has been very low. I actually really like the scene after that and how it recontextualizes the roguelike genre into a fitting and somewhat emotional concept (battling hordes of demons over and over just to get a few moments with Mom). But now it feels like there isn't much NEW to discover and I don't really want to go through the same four areas and bosses over and over again without the pull of not knowing what's around the corner. And while the story and characters are good, they're not quite enough for me to be the sole motivator to continue running through. Even the Heat concept doesn't quite introduce enough change for my tastes (it seems like you only get the same boss materials as a reward).

Even so, it was a great time for a while and I'll fondly remember this one for all the stuff it does well.

@TriforceBun Yeah I think if the game has one real flaw, it's that the new gameplay beats drop off well before the new narrative beats do. Not that I think the gameplay novelty wears off especially fast, either! The game does a decent job of keeping each run somewhat novel for a while, with all the different boons, weapon aspects, Pacts of Punishment, and Minor Prophecies pushing you to unlock and try out new things, and adding little effects to the minor enemies, and shaking up the boss fights with tough new enhancements.

But at some point, you're inevitably playing for the next 2-3 minutes of unique dialogue and story beats, rather than the 20-30 minutes of fighting to the surface to see those story beats. That point came a lot later for me than it did for you, but I still got there.

I think the game really suffers from not having alternate paths and bosses. I'm 70 hours in and most runs play out very similarly. Sure you can make the game more challenging, but that doesn't change up the experience that drastically.

@Pokefreak911
To be fair, 70 hours in an indie game is pretty darn impressive.

@TriforceBun
Yeah but its still a small amount compared to other roguelikes I have played a lot of, like Isaac for example.

@TriforceBun

Do you know who you're speaking to!? *slap* Pokefreak is the 5000 hour Binding of Isaac King!!

70 hours is good.

Yeah, it would be nice if there were more areas, enemies, and bosses in the runs so that things were a bit more random, but what is there is enough for me. I’m very happy if I put more than 20 hours in a twenty dollar game. I’m at over 30 and not sick of it yet!

@Secret_Tunnel
Hahaha not quite 5000. I have like 1500 in the two games combined with offline and online hours counted. 70 hours is fine for an indiegame but I just wanted moar from Hades.