Hades

Hades arrived on mobile phones only several years after its debut on PC and Nintendo Switch, but even with the delay, it remains one of the best-rated roguelike titles of the past decade. Playing as Zagreus, son of the god of the underworld, the player repeatedly tries to fight their way from the realm of the dead to the surface, with each failed attempt pushing the story, relationships with characters, and mythological background a bit further – death here isn't a punishment but part of the narrative, which the game handles much more cleverly than most of its genre peers. On the touchscreen, the game offers a virtual controller and buttons for attack, dodge, and special abilities; the controls work surprisingly precisely and the layout can be adjusted in the settings, though players used to a physical gamepad will appreciate the option to connect an external controller via Bluetooth and play the phone more like a small console.

Visually, the game relies on a strong comic-book style and richly animated characters with full voice acting, while the music draws on Greek motifs and builds dynamically according to the situation in battle. The system of weapons, divine boons, and permanent progression unlocks new build options with each run, so even after dozens of hours the game still offers new combinations and the player keeps learning something new about the relationships between the gods of Olympus and the underworld. On mobile, the game is available through Netflix Games, meaning as part of a Netflix subscription with no additional payments and no ads, which is a pleasant exception compared to common practice on mobile platforms, but also a limitation for those who don't use Netflix.

Why play: For players with an active Netflix subscription who want to experience one of the best roguelike titles of the past decade on the go, without ads or microtransactions.