I think I've had enough of Hades. It's an aesthetically sound game, but I really disagree with a lot of the fundamental game design, and it's starting to wear on me.

The more I play of it, the more it just feels like they made an ARPG system, then slapped it into a roguelike framework without much regard for the distinct appeal of the individual genres.

As an ARPG, it's painfully drawn out and lacking in actual level/encounter design, taking way too long per attempt to reach boss fights -- the nuggets of content that are somewhat interesting. Even then, the "real" fights are locked behind beating the game once.

The RPG elements are marred by the heavy reliance on RNG -- forget trying to play with a specific build or swapping weapons on the fly. To make matters worse, much of the customization is locked behind the meta progression... or to be blunt, grinding.

As a roguelike, it's simply tepid. It's not hard enough for any single obstacle to take the wind out of your sails, so there are no unpredictable deaths or harrowing situations, at least not unless you devise them yourself. Where's the fun in that?

While the meta progression makes the game far more accessible, it also muddies the water of the actual play experience. It's essentially impossible to discern what a "pure" run would even look like, and the extremely heavy RNG elements do not synergize with the action gameplay.

Overall, it feels like I'm just playing an ARPG with a soporific gameplay loop and unbelievably protracted character progression. Hades is a very popular game, but I'm afraid I just don't see the appeal, having given it IMO a fair shake.

To put things in "hot take" format: If you want an ARPG, just play Felghana or Ys8. If you want a roguelike, just play Binding of Isaac or Spelunky. Hades isn't very good at being either, imo.

Also, I do like the idea of having a concrete narrative with an established protagonist in a game like this, but I find the story itself to be pretty whatever. The fourth-wall breaking gets on my nerves as well.

I'm trying to avoid being unnecessarily abrasive when I discuss games recently, hopefully this thread doesn't come across as too harsh.