The Underworld is opening its doors yet again, as indie hit Hades makes its way to Apple devices via Netflix. The Greek mythology action roguelike will release 19 March exclusively on the streamer for iOS, with pre-registration available now.
Developed by Supergiant Games, the game first launched in 2020 to critical acclaim and positive reviews across the industry. It has since sold more than one million copies and garnered multiple accolades, making history as the first video game to win the Hugo Award literary prize.
The story follows Zagreus, son of Hades as fights his way out of well, hell, to meet his estranged mother, Persephone on the surface. As with most roguelike titles, the gameplay loop involves plenty of dying, starting over, and growing increasingly stronger, but Hades spices up each run with a clever revelation or tease of narrative beats. Adding to the flair is the presence of various Greek gods such as Aphrodite, Zeus, and Artemis, who aid in Zagreus’ escape by gifting him special abilities.
Notable features on the mobile version include 60 FPS performance, redesigned menus and interfaces, fully customisable on-screen controls, cloud saves, achievements, and offline play. Unfortunately, there aren’t any plans for an Android port, so non-Apple users will have to settle for some old-fashioned gaming while tiding over the wait for Hades II, launching in early access sometime this year.
Hades joins Oxenfree II, Kentucky Route Zero, Before Your Eyes, and Spiritfarer in expanding Netflix’s indie game library. On the AAA front, the company scored its biggest gaming launch with the addition of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy last year, although no hard numbers were given. To continue its push into the gaming sector, the service is currently working on streaming its games on TVs and PCs.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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