Instant Input Response and Crisp Movement
I judge action games by the left stick and the dodge button. The second I took control of the Princess of the Underworld on Steam, I checked how quickly her dash broke out of neutral. The response is instantaneous. Her movement stops on a dime, changes direction without lingering momentum, and cancels attack recovery smoothly. There is zero input latency, and pressing a strike button registers on the exact click.
That control precision sets the tone for every room you clear. In fast isometric slashers, floaty movement kills runs. Here, you feel total authority over spacing. When an enemy telegraphs an incoming swing, your dash slip carries you through cleanly. The English voice work comes through loud and clear during battle callouts, giving you immediate audio cues alongside visual tells. At $29.99, getting control tuning this immaculate right away is a genuine treat.
The Weight and Snap of Night Weapons
Swinging the weapons of Night feels meaty. Attacks carry real impact pause on contact, letting you know the blade actually connected instead of sliding through enemy models. You can weave basic swings into special attacks without getting stuck in dead animation locks. Magick infusion layers directly over your base strikes, adding burst damage without turning the combat into a passive cooldown fest.
Hitbox alignment is also remarkably clean. If a spectral guard thrusts a spear, dodging perpendicular to the shaft lets you bypass the hurtbox by a hair. You do not catch phantom hits from invisible geometry. Every time I took damage, it was because I misjudged my distance or committed to a heavy magick charge at the wrong second, not because the game lied to me about spacing.
God Boons and Fast Tactical Adaptation
The run variety relies on boons from over a dozen Olympian gods, and they change your offensive cadence fast. Picking up blessings from Zeus or Apollo gives your standard weapon strikes extra reach and chained lightning effects. The synergy does not bog down the action with bloated menus. You pick your upgrade in seconds, get back on your feet, and sprint to the next chamber.
Facing off against the forces loyal to the Titan of Time forces you to switch tactics depending on your boon setup. A build focused on fast dash-strikes requires you to stick close to elite targets, watching for foot pivots and quick swipes. If you load up on ranged magick, you are managing room space, baiting mob attacks, and detonating spells before targets recover. It stays aggressive regardless of what you pick.
Progression at the Altar of Ashes
Between runs, you return to upgrade systems that feed directly back into combat efficiency. Gathering reagents with Tools of the Unseen and spending resources at the Altar of Ashes gives you tangible passive perks. You can unlock witchy familiars and expand your baseline survivability. If an encounter wall gives you trouble, God Mode exists as a toggle in the settings to help tune the damage resistance.
My only minor gripe is visual clutter during crowded skirmishes. When half a dozen elite units drop hazards on the floor while Apollo effects flare, tracking tiny enemy weapon windups takes extra squinting. The hitboxes remain honest under the hood, but the screen gets noisy. Still, when the dust clears and you sprint past the boss door, nothing beats the rush of timing every single dodge and strike cleanly.
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The hitboxes are tight but getting the exact boons you want feels like it's gonna take forever if you're trying to clear everything. Gonna be a massive grind for the perfectionists.
Refunded by noon.
Have you checked the control bindings yet? I remapped dodge to a shoulder button early on and it made everything click. Controller on Steam, but I'm tempted to try keyboard if the hitboxes are this forgiving.
Have you checked the control bindings yet? I remapped dodge to a shoulder button early on and it made everything click. Controller on Steam, but I'm tempted to try keyboard if the hitboxes are this forgiving.
@lanternYou're onto something with that rebind. I switched dash to a shoulder button and suddenly I could actually read the enemy tells. Feels like I woke up at 4 AM and remembered where I left my coffee. The hitboxes are fair enough that I don't get mad when I eat a projectile, I just know I messed up.
@lanternRebinding dodge to the left trigger solved my biggest complaint too. The default face-button placement works, but having dash on a shoulder keeps my thumb free for attack aiming, totally changed how I use magick mid-combo. Nice that the boon tooltips stay readable on pause too, lot of text when you're juggling multiple gods.
am i bad at this or is the RNG personally offended by me? Every run throws boons at me for weapons I'm not even holding. Anyway, the dodge feels great until I dodge into a spear. Nice review, mate.
I reckon the hitboxes are fair, but y'all are fixin to overlook the screen clutter. Half the time I can't tell if that glint is a pickup or an enemy winding up. And the font on the boon tooltips looks like it was drawn by a raccoon. Controls are tight, I'll give 'em that.
screen clutter is real rn but the dodge makes up for it. still wish the tells weren't buried under all the sparkle. 9.7 is fair, i'd go 9.5 myself.
tbh screen clutter killed my first few runs. games just felt more complete back then lol
@crumpetMate, screen clutter is just part of the spectacle nowadays. I remember when you had to read the manual to know what half the buttons did, and back then the screen was a pixelated mess anyway. This one's got tight dodges and you can actually see your weapon model, which puts it above most modern action games. Proper classic vibe that, reminds me of the good old days mate.
Did anyone else end up dodging by ear once the clutter got heavy? I started reacting to the audio more than the visuals, and it worked better than trying to follow the sparks. Anyone else feel that way or was it just my setup?
Total letdown, the screen clutter hides the only hitbox that matters.
@l33t_strpureReally solid combat loop, hope the devs keep at it. I think with a bit of practice you might find the tells are actually quite consistent even when things get busy.
dude this is the best thing ive ever seen i love the way the dash looks when you combine it with the magick effects it is so fast and shiny i am literally sweating after every boss fight
I must respectfully point out that the claim regarding fair hitboxes is entirely unhinged. I have been struck by shadows and loose ideas of weapons while standing in completely different zip codes. It is a delightful experience, however.
@Stevie Chitboxes are def fine u just need to stop mashing and actually watch the windup animation
@Stevie CSounds like you just need a better zip code.
The fast combat is cool and all, but I keep stopping to actually read the flavor text on all the items in the first couple rooms. The stuff about Melinoë's family dynamic is already pretty sad. Gives the whole run a much darker mood than the first game had.
Hades you been waiting for a game like this? I know I have. The way the story unfolds between runs is just wonderful and really adds some heart to the grind.
Refunded by noon.
Y'all are sleepin on the status effect builds. It's like finding the perfect dosage for a persistent headache.
The hitboxes are tight but getting the exact boons you want feels like it's gonna take forever if you're trying to clear everything. Gonna be a massive grind for the perfectionists.
I found the screen clutter more intrusive than the review suggests. The combat underneath is responsive, but the constant visual noise left me unable to read encounters properly. That is not a minor flaw.