Since its founding in 2009, independent game developer and publisher Supergiant Games (not to be confused withSupermassive Games) has cemented itself as one of the best indie studios out there.
The studio has only made five games since its founding, but that’s because each of those games is made with such a remarkable level of care that they absolutely cannot cut any corners.
Every one of the studio’s games has received, at minimum, a nomination for some manner of award, to say nothing of the multiple awards each game has actually won.
Supergiant’s Hades Has Sold Over One Million Copies
Hades has easily cleared one million copies after its release. Between sizeable early access sales and a push on launch, this is a success for Supergiant.
What exactly makes Supergiant’s games so remarkable? We won’t claim to know the recipe to its secret sauce, but in our experience, it’s a perfectly tuned intersection between fun and novel gameplay and gripping, character-filled narratives, not to mention some excellent voice work.
There are no bad Supergiant games; all five of them are certified bangers, and absolutely deserve to be experienced at least once.
As with any studio, though, Supergiant does have its ups and downs, and some of its games are a little more overtly impressive than others.
5Transistor
The Love Between A Singer And A Sword
Transistor
2014’sTransistorwas the second game Supergiant produced, building upon the foundation established by Bastion while taking things in some new directions.
The game is set in the futuristic city of Cloudbank, which is constantly shifting according to the whims of its residents. Following an attack by a mysterious force known as the Process, a singer named Red is forced to fight her way through the city with the help of a massive circuit board-like sword called the Transistor.
It’s an isometric hack ‘n slash game, with the Transistor providing you with a variety of different slashing, blasting, and movement abilities.
The twist is the “Turn()” system, which allows you to pause the action and queue up movements and actions in a rapid sequence, temporarily taking the guesswork out of combat.
Transistor has an excellent visual style, kind of a mesh of art deco and cyberpunk, and thevoice of the mystery man that comes from the swordmakes an excellent compliment to the story.
The only problems are that the Turn() system can be a little difficult to wrap your head around, and it’s a little on the short side compared to Supergiant’s other games.
Supergiant’s Very First Game
Bastionwas the first game Supergiant ever put out, the same year as the studio’s founding. It was this game that would establish a lot of the studio’s standards for presentation and worldbuilding.
Bastion places you in the role of “The Kid,” a young lad who awakens one day to find his city completely destroyed by some manner of cataclysm. His only hope is the titular Bastion, a floating safe haven that can restore the city and its residents when fully repaired.
Bastion is another isometric hack ‘n slash with a big emphasis on weaponry. The Kid can find various melee and ranged weapons in his travels, which can be swapped and upgraded to suit your playstyle.
Between levels, you stop off at the Bastion to unlock new facilities and upgrades, as well as chat up your fellow survivors to learn more about what actually happened to the city.
Bastion’s gameplay is solid, though it doesn’t do anything particularly special. What really carries the whole experience is the presentation, from theexcellent soundtrackto the silky-smooth narration provided by Logan Cunningham.
Just about everything you do, even incidental stuff like smashing a barrel or falling off a ledge, is accompanied by that wonderful voice.
Putting The Fantasy In Fantasy Football
2017’sPyreis the third game produced by Supergiant, and a big departure from the studio’s previous offerings both in gameplay and scope.
You play as a nameless Reader, dropped into the murky land of Downside for the crime of being literate. As you join a friendly band of exiles, you’re drawn into a series of rituals known as the Rites against other exile bands. Whichever band wins its way to the top of the Rites will have a chance to return to civilization.
Supergiant Games Discusses Pyre’s Multi-Character Narrative
Pyre can be summed up in three words: “literal fantasy football.” The Rites play out like a sporting event, with teams of three chucking a ball into the opposing team’s Pyre.
Each member of your team has their own unique stats and special abilities, and the fields where the Rites are held have unique gimmicks to mix things up.
There are even “seasons” of a sort, as every time you make it to the final match, the whole cycle starts over. Between Rites, you’ll travel and bond with your fellow Exiles, learning more about the setting from them.
Pyre is an exceptionally strange game, but in a good way. The initial premise may deter some, but if you let it suck you in, you’ll find not only surprisingly fun sports gameplay, but also a remarkably heartfelt story that helpedbuild foundations for the studio’s next works.
Will Probably Be Number One When It’s Done
Hades II is Supergiant’s newest game, launching in an early access state in 2024. At the time of writing, it is not yet finished, but you’d be surprised how little that matters.
Hades II takes place several years after the first game, with the entire underworld conquered by the Titan of Time, Chronos. With the royal family of the House of Hades missing in action, it’s up to Hades’ long-lost daughter Melinoe to fight her way down and slay the titan.
Like the previous game, Hades II is a roguelite, pitting you against waves of enemies in closed-off arenas and rewarding you with boons and upgrades after every encounter. The first big difference is the introduction of the Magik meter, which allows Melinoe to utilize her weapons’ special abilities and cast various forms of helpful sorcery.
Additionally, after you’ve progressed the story a bit and unlocked some upgrades, you’ll gain access to a second point of progress, heading upward to Olympus rather than down to the underworld.
The only real reason Hades II doesn’t currently hold the top spot among Supergiant’s games is that it isn’t done yet. Even so, its early-access state isalready massively feature-rich, with a degree of precise gameplay and artistic presentation comparable to or better than the first game. Once it’s finished, it will undoubtedly be Supergiant’s next magnum opus.
The Roguelite That Changed Everything
2020’sHades(technically 2018 if you count early access) is the fourth game released by Supergiant, and undoubtedly its most successful, beloved game to date. It wasDualShockers' own 2020 Game of the Year, alongside a massive list of other accolades.
In this game, you play as Zagreus, son of Hades, lord of the Greek underworld. Tired of living among the dead, Zagreus runs from his home and begins to fight his way up to the surface.
The path is dangerous, and he’ll certainly meet his end, but if he dies, he just ends up right back in the House of Hades. After all, where else is he gonna go?
Hades is a straightforward isometric roguelite at a glance. Zagreus can use a gradually-growing stable of weapons to fight his way up, and boons from the Olympians unlock new and better abilities.
You can also randomly encounter special bosses and NPCs on a run, unlock new upgrades and facilities at the House of Hades, and even impose limits on yourself to unlock more rewards.
Thanks in part to the inherently random nature of roguelites, no two Hades runs are exactly the same, with NPCs and bosses offering unique dialogue for a seemingly endless array of scenarios and situations.
It’s a game that you can never quite seem to finish, which is good, because it is incredibly difficult to put down.
10 Games To Play If You Love Hades
The indie roguelike through hell itself managed to garner quite the fanbase, but what other games are there for fans of this divine experience?
