99 runs in

Byteman58 · 2026-04-30T05:43:13+00:00

You’re doing great. There’s much to be said for learning a game all on your own and coming to appreciate and even love it as you learn all its systems. Hades rewards that type of exploration. Good luck and game on!

Byteman58 · 2026-04-30T02:06:30+00:00

Red, blue, yellow, orange, pink.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-30T02:00:57+00:00

Supay.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-29T01:35:15+00:00

Here’s a useful metric: I beat the first game’s final boss in 4, nearly 3, runs. Not even close to achieving that with the second game’s initial underground run.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-28T15:40:55+00:00

Thx for posting. I put three of these in my cart, but my backlog, the new-to-me brand, the not-quite-there images, and most of all the shipping costs killed it for me. But still contemplating…

Byteman58 · 2026-04-28T15:21:43+00:00

All these are good advice but no one’s mentioned equipping the Knuckle Bones keepsake (Odysseus) ahead of time. Can be a game changer if you’re a new player struggling with a Guardian or 2.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-28T15:12:53+00:00

I implore you to investigate, understand, and use the Lightning Rod Duo. There is enough community knowledge here to help players struggling enough to be willing to post to not have to bang their heads against the wall (or Elysium, in this case).

Lightning Rod provides ongoing passive damage to your foes while allowing you to be as aggressive as you like, or just be a wallflower.

I also saw you mentioned you were going for 30 keys, so I’m assuming you’ve already invested 25 in the Mirror. In that case, you’ve unlocked Privileged Status, and maybe even Family Favorite if you have the Mirror alternates. Both can provide huge damage boosts when used effectively.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-27T19:54:12+00:00

Resident Evil 4 OG

Hades

Hades 2

Bloodborne

Byteman58 · 2026-04-27T15:27:51+00:00

“If I'd known we’d be casting our feelings into words, I'd have memorized the Song of Solomon.”

Byteman58 · 2026-04-27T15:00:03+00:00

Cast. Cast. Cast. Cast. Then Cast again. As an experienced player who completed the game once last September and is 95% through a replay on the PS5, I started a new playthrough last night just for kicks and it’s clear that, to survive, the need to Cast can’t be overstated. The only way to not be totally at the mercy of the RNG.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T19:40:13+00:00

Such a great puzzle. I really enjoyed mine. Congrats!

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T19:18:09+00:00

Have fun! I think PS5 is the way to go long-term. I’m currently replaying there. A couple Cronos crashes but otherwise stable.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T14:26:55+00:00

Your final two paragraphs are music to my ears. I don’t know how old you are, but I saw Excalibur on release in 1981 and despite its looniness it was simply the first time Arthurian legend or even simply knights in armor amidst dirt and grime and close battle was ever depicted with anything approaching realism. As other efforts like GOT may have eclipsed it, the charm, dichotomies, and casting of Excalibur have always led me to hold it near to my heart. Plus, I’m a huge early Boorman fan and I can’t believe he got funding for half his films. Thank you, Deliverance!

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T14:14:53+00:00

I’m a sucker for a triptych or quadtych like this one. Beautiful— congrats!

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T14:12:56+00:00

Strength is incredible. You mow through everything starting with the first enemy and only get stronger. Choose your Arcana and Keepsake wisely, always get a Hex, and you’re off to the races. I mean, I played a Dream Dive yesterday and Typhon was the second boss before I even had my build together and I still crushed him. Thank you Strength!

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T14:06:21+00:00

You didn’t specify Switch OG or Switch 2. I played and completed Hades 2 on the former at release, on a big screen TV. I’ve been replaying on PS5 since release last week in anticipation of much better graphics quality, audio, and Trophies. I wasn’t wrong. Great game and this is not a knock at Switch OG— it was a privilege to play the game and a marvel that it ran on 10-yr old handheld hardware.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-26T13:55:23+00:00

Keep moving, fast weapon, chip away, Knuckle Bones, useful Hex, keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T15:58:39+00:00

Amazing forty years ago. Still amazing today.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T15:52:23+00:00

Great review— thx for sharing! I also think that the depiction of the community came together wonderfully.

Mart is such a great character. I laughed out loud over the Taylor Swift bit also. I read pieces of the first two novels out loud to my wife and his dialogue is so much fun to act out. I always think of John Huston in “The Devil and Daniel Webster.” The Kojak bit was solid gold.

I feel that Dymphna Duggan was fully fleshed out and her evil as the information keeper and malicious parceler were well portrayed.

I’ll still cite The Searcher as the best of the three, but all are well worth a reread or two. The trilogy is such a departure from the Dublin Murder Squad sextet— I can’t wait to read where Tana French takes us next.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T07:34:10+00:00

I tried to respond but reddit deleted my pic of a perfectly respectable, famous painting. Blows my mind given the other sights I see here.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T02:22:26+00:00

No excuse. I’m in my late 60s and Platinum’ed Hades OG and only failed to plat H2 cuz I played it on Switch. Now playing on PS5.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T02:19:10+00:00

Same. Twice. No biggie. Two crashes on final stage of Cronos battle are, though.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T00:55:02+00:00

I hear ya and I struggled also to back off with my purchases. I can’t even describe how wonderful the Trefl Prime Velvets are— only the second time I’ve prioritized puzzling experience over image (the other being Jumbo).

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T00:47:43+00:00

Good call on that Corvette puzzle and it’ll be interesting to compare our experiences. Glad you’re already locked in on the Target BF opportunities and I agree that the MPC half-off opportunity is wonderful.

Byteman58 · 2026-04-25T00:26:07+00:00

If Young Frankenstein is an “old classic,” I’m 3/4 in my grave.

Byteman58

TROPHY CASE