Reviewing the Supergiant Collection
Heavy spoilers for all games in the Supergiant collection.
Supergiant Games is one of the most beloved indie game studios right now. From Bastion to Hades, their consistent release of exceptional and innovative games won the hearts of gamers and critics alike. Now that they recently announced Hades II, I would like to take this opportunity to review all games in their collection. I've played and platinumed each game, and I'll review them in the order I've played them (not in the order of release). Think of this as an ode to the studio.
Transistor
Transistor first introduced me to Supergiant Games. It tells the story of Red as she uncovers the mystery surrounding her world and its decay. As the first game I played in their collection, I was taken aback by its seriousness in using sound as a medium for storytelling: each battle is punctuated by a background score (notably sung by Red), there is a dedicated Hum button, and each level is accompanied by a 1920s-experimental rock soundtrack. Little did I know that music will be a staple of each game in the Supergiant collection.
The combat is innovative, and it's apparent how Supergiant has a flair for combining multiple genres. In Transistor, it's a mix of real-time action and turn-based combat. You can fight enemies as if you are in a hack-and-slash game, but they can outmatch you in speed. Instead, you can switch to a Turn event where you can queue up your actions and make exciting combos. The number of skills and synergies also give way for player expression and has lore implications.
Transistor is a good introduction to the "Supergiant genre." It doesn't look old, and the combat system is intriguing enough to be played. The soundtrack is top-notch (probably the best, in my opinion) and gives a powerful connection to the player's character. After the hit success of Bastion, Transistor proves that the sophomore slump isn't real.
Rating (Almost Great): 🍚🍚🍚½ (Playtime: 19.9 hours, PC, Platinum 🏆)
Pyre
I never understood Pyre until my first Liberation Rite. Sure, it's magic basketball. I was dragging my way through the tournament, and I had a good team that leaned heavily on Jodariel, a tanky solid character. She got all the upgrades and the best items. So when I chose her for ascension, I thought: "Oh, it's probably a stat boost." As it turns out, this mechanic releases her from the prison-like setting of Pyre and permanently removes her from the rest of the game. At that moment, I knew that Pyre has something special.
Describing Pyre as a fantasy basketball game slash visual novel doesn't give it justice. I believe that the game's core mechanic is not the play-by-play action but on ascension, that is, letting characters go. I like the way Greg Kasavin (Creative Director) puts it using the analogy of American football:
The idea of having your star player carrying the team, victory after victory, and then one day the player retires, and then you bid farewell, and the player's in the hall of fame...but there's a bittersweetness there because the player's no longer there to carry your team. (Noclip - The Making of Pyre)
Ascension works because Pyre's gameplay and narrative pull you in opposing directions, causing tension. Most of your characters are prisoners of an authoritarian regime. They have families, lovers, and friends waiting for them. Yet gameplay-wise, they're skillful. I don't want to lose Jodariel because she's good at area denial, but man, she's been exiled for lord-knows-when. It's also interesting when the game subverts this mechanic. There were moments when I purposely lost to liberate someone from the opposing team. The story beats revolve around this mechanic, and Pyre demonstrates how Supergiant shows mastery over it.
It's a shame that Pyre doesn't receive the same love as other games in the collection. Nevertheless, we can trace its influence in Hades, especially the strong character writing and relationship management. Pyre allowed Supergiant to experiment, giving them new innovative ideas to bring into their future games.
Rating (Great): 🍚🍚🍚🍚 (Playtime: 38.3 hours, PC, Platinum 🏆)
Bastion
Perhaps my biggest mistake was that I played all recent games in the Supergiant collection before Bastion. In fact, I was alternating between the Early Access version of Hades and this game. This experience made me feel like Bastion's systems are archaic, yet it also made me appreciate how similar it is to Supergiant's most recent titles.
There were a lot of moments in Bastion that made me go: "Oh, so that's where it came from!" For example, several weapons in Hades were mechanically similar to Bastion's (Fang Repeater, Breaker's Bow, etc.). In addition, the ability to set the difficulty in a granular fashion has been present in all games (Limiters, Idols, Titan Stars, Heat). Lastly, the treatment and in-game acknowledgment of NG+ is always present. Bastion has set a precedent for future Supergiant games; judging from that, they got the formula right at the very start. Unfortunately, as someone who played Bastion ten years after its release, it's hard not to compare it with other Supergiant titles.
Even so, Bastion still stands on its own. Its gameplay is a straightforward hack-and-slash with good story elements sprinkled in between. The RPG weapon system is simple but has variety. In addition, there were some excellent moments in-game where the story took a turn. It is a solid action game, but not the first one I'd recommend.
Rating (Okay): 🍚🍚🍚 (Playtime: 21.5 hours, PC, Platinum 🏆)
Hades
Hades' greatest achievement is demonstrating that roguelites can tell a powerful story. Roguelites tend to focus on gameplay with a sprinkle of narrative: you don't have to care about the characters; your goal is to simply, complete a run. However, in Hades, death feels significant. You advance the story as you die. Sometimes, I start a run just to see what will happen next. Couple this with a menagerie of colorful personas from ancient Greek literature, all voiced and well-written, and you have one of the best games of all time.
The classic roguelike elements are there, too, refined to perfection. Hades' play-by-play action is nothing to be slept at. Each level is a battle gauntlet where you initiate frenetic combat against the forces of the underworld. You equip one of six Infernal Arms (and weapon aspects that drastically change its playstyle) and hack your way up three beautifully drawn levels. As your journey progresses, you'll meet some members of the Greek pantheon, granting you Boons to supplement your skills. This mechanic is where the buildcrafting aspect of Hades starts. Some boons work well with one weapon, some work better with another, and a combination of these can grant you Duo Boons, more devastating upgrades to your abilities. It is highly replayable and can net you at least a hundred hours of playtime.
Hades' story is classic greek drama. Zagreus, son of Hades, seeks to escape the Underworld to find his mother, Persephone. For each attempt, he is thwarted by the forces of Hades, creating the roguelite cycle we know. There are twists, explaining why Persephone is in the real world and why Hades keeps that status quo. It's an interesting story with a satisfying resolution. Aside from that, several characters also have their arcs. We have Achilles and Patroclus (which seems lifted straight from Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles), Sisyphus and the Boulder, and Eurydice and Orpheus. Each story, albeit familiar, is brought to life by well-acted voices and good writing. They feel alive and real, and it's rare to see that in games anymore, more so with roguelites.
Hades is the culmination of what Supergiant has learned from a decade of making games. It was able to tell a story that dovetails nicely with usual roguelite tropes, and they've done this without compromising one or the other. I'm happy to see my favorite genre get the Supergiant treatment. The next few roguelites will be compared to Hades, and it will become a new measure for the games to come.
Rating (Excellent): 🍚🍚🍚🍚🍚 (Playtime: 115.5 hours, PC, Platinum 🏆)
Final thoughts
It seems like I'm pandering when I say that Supergiant Games have their own genre, but I notice a common thread that I cannot exactly pinpoint. Perhaps they have their own style that is carried and refined for each game, generation after generation? A few mechanics come to mind: combining two seemingly-different genres, granular difficulty settings, content after NG+, etc. But there are also the mainstays, such as Jen Zee's art direction, Darren Korb's music, Logan Cunningham and Ashley Barrett's voice, and Greg Kasavin's writing. It's a mix of artistic talents that produce the games we know and love today.
What Supergiant has done, through the years, is create games and experiences that are more than the sum of their talents. This process allowed them to release games of the highest caliber. After playing through their collection, it is incredible to see how they have refined their skills across four games. Supergiant Games is just getting started. And I'm more than excited to play Hades II.
