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Noclip, a video game documentary channel and studio, has released a video about Hades and the incredible fan sensation that has built up around it.
Supergiant Games is a veteran indie game development studio with plenty of talent and experience behind it, yet even they were shocked at how well received Hades was. Although every developer hoped that their hard work would pay off, many expressed surprise that their game was competing with AAA studio productions, even beating them multiple times.
Hades, the biggest little game there is
Hades is a game about losing and getting better. It’s a roguelike game that incorporates its roguelike nature into its overarching narrative. Every aspect of Hades feels intentionally designed, with an instantly recognizable art style and typically amazing Supergiant soundtrack.
But for Hades, gameplay is king, and there’s no shortage of gameplay to be found. The combat is fluid, the fights tense, and the character progression keeps players from getting stuck on something that’s just a bit too difficult. This makes it so players can complete fights by getting good enough, rather than dealing with the anxiety of trying to perfect through dozens of tries.
Everything about it paid off, and during their interview with Noclip, Creative Director Greg Kasavin pointed out that Hades was “The fourth highest rated game on Steam. Period.”
Supergiant takes care of their team, their team takes care of their game
In many ways, it’s hard to classify Hades as a game. Hades has a degree of polish and finesse that represents the level of professionalism and experience its developers have, yet it was made by an incredibly small team.
Despite (or perhaps because of) their small size, Supergiant employs a far more advanced development structure than many AAA studios, and reportedly has had zero turnover thanks to a refusal to make use of crunch time and a requirement that everyone take 20 days off each year, as discussed during an in interview with Kotaku.
This management strategy is likely a major reason why the team at Supergiant Games is able to produce such capable products. It allows their team to take a very realistic approach to game development and avoid working for the sake of working. Similarly, by retaining their talented team, they rarely lose time having to decode something done by a former team member.
Check out Hades on Steam or the Epic Games Store for PC, or the Nintendo Eshop for the Nintendo Switch, and watch the Noclip documentary to see the developers’ interviews.
