(minor spoilers)

I've had this game on my radar for a long time but had never pulled the trigger as I've had mixed experiences with rouge-likes. Delicate balance between being difficult but fun vs. a head pounding exercise in redundant frustration.

But this game hits all the right notes. I'm a sucker for Greek mythology anyway, so it had an early hook into me. But everything about the game is so well done. The art style, the story, the top-notch voice acting, good doses of humor. All of it.

And the gameplay is fantastic. Every time I died in a run, I was chomping at the bit to get back out there. Experimenting with different mix of boons, talents, weapons, etc. to find just the right mix for your play style was insanely addicting.

Finally finishing a run was most satisfying gaming moment I've had in a while. I had made steady progress but really got stuck on Hades. I made mistake of relaxing thinking I had won when I finally got through his first phase and then died in seconds when he regrouped for second phase (note - it wouldn't have mattered, I was on fumes when I beat the first phase, so getting caught flat footed just meant I died a little sooner than later).

And then later I made a good run at him and had him down to his last breath. Seriously, I think I needed one more hit but he got me.

When I finally beat him I was paranoid, expecting him to come back for a round 3, which would have sucked as I was again pretty low on health by that point and wouldn't have lasted long.

So I focused on the heart seeking bow. Concentrated my build on either getting Zeus' lightning or Dionysus' drunk curse and any Artemis skills that allowed for homing / seeking projectiles.

Honestly, I'm not sure how you beat Hades with a brawling weapon. That sweep / spin move of his has a ton of range and does such heavy damage. Spent the whole encounter with him running away to create distance while chipping away.

So having finally gotten through a run, I think I'll take a break but will be back soon to try out the other weapons and work on seeing the rest of the story.

And now I can't wait to see what they do in Hades 2.