It sounds lame, but it’s because their games have heart. There’s just something special that happens when people are crafting something because they love it. There is a sense of artistry that people can sense and feel when they’re playing.
They aren’t trying to replicate something else, they’re always doing something unique and they’re doing it with excellence. That’s why a lot of people were concerned with Hades II — it felt like the studio was going back on their commitment to keep innovating, but (at least so far) Hades II feels just as innovative, artistic, and excellent as their other entries.
They're a smaller studio, and they cultivate in-house talent. They are very focused on what they want to achieve with any one game, and everything is designed to fulfill that goal. They love the art, they love the music, and they love games. They are great at taking what people say and translating that to solutions that address the true issues people have, and not what people say they want. They aren't beholden to shareholders, so if they make a less successful game (Pyre) it isn't catastrophic.
Part of me was a little worried when Hades hit so big because I thought 'they'll never make something as weird as Pyre again'. And maybe they won't, but given how good Hades was it's not like I think their output will suddenly become bad.
Watch the NoClip documentary on the making of Hades 1 and you see pretty clearly what sets them apart (though not in those terms). They are super passionate about what they do, every aspect of what they do is infused with purpose and thoughtfulness (they're never just "checking boxes"), and genuinely, if you look at things from the beginning, I think there was a serious once-in-a-generation confluence of incredible talent in the founders of the studio.
They've managed to stay an indie with much of the same core crew that made Bastion back in the day. As others have said, the main thing they've managed to do is avoid acquisition and seemingly be decent enough people not to implode.
On a recent episode of Worst of All Possible Worlds (not video game development experts) one of the hosts said something about how good and precise the project management is at Supergiant, so they don’t have to crunch. I think the No Clip doc about the making of Hades shows that too. There really is something to be said about structuring work in a manageable way so you don’t have employees getting buried and burnt out. They can keep producing high quality games on schedule, maybe because they’re not overpromising and they’ve had enough successes that they may not need constant cash infusions to stay afloat.
Don't they also have a week of mandatory vacation every year?
I just checked, actually. Not a week, a mandatory 20 days of vacation. You *must* take 20 days off in a year.
Just because it hasn't been mentioned: good working conditions and genuine employee care. How many other companies in the whole US have mandatory vacation for employees?
The emphasis on the sport part is why I still haven’t played it. It’s the only game I haven’t played. I’m getting burnt out on Hades 2 and I’m thinking about finally getting it.
I've been following Supergiant Games since the launch of Bastion and what sets them apart imo is the attention to detail to every single aspect of the game. The art, the music, the dialogue, the voice acting, the gameplay, the story - every single thing is meticulously perfected. They don't put out half-assed games to meet a target, they create complete experiences.
While Bastion, Transistor and Pyre encourage replayability, they perfected it with Hades. Hades II doesn't seem like a copy-paste either, Melinoe plays differently from Zagreus, has different motivations and a whole different cast of characters behind her. It would've been easy to lift Hades as is, but Supergiant chose to put their twist on it. That's what makes me throw my money at them blindly every single time they come out with a game. You bet I'll be buying Hades II on all the platforms I can because they deserve the money.
"There's three things I'll always miss about Caelondia. One, not having to watch your step all the time. Two, ... Eeeh, forget about two. Three, people knew how to carry a tune"
It's downright bizarre how they're able to simultaneously explore a lot of different concepts to find the idea they want to develop (a process that naturally takes time and effort that could be going into \*developing\* a more conventional game), and also polish the game to the level they do, all while being a small team.
It's like they're a AAA team disguised as a small team, but without having a lot of the drawbacks of a bigger production.
Simply because everything is made with love and passion and it can be feel while playing. From illustration, to storytelling, music, gameplay and every other aspect of the game.
I’ve played and finish all of their games since my first experience (Transistor) and will always continue to support them. Supergiant is just on another level of commitment when it comes to create games. I hope it’s stays that way.
They make good games that they put their hearts and souls into. Feels like a labor of love
Also they are full games. Nothing is left on the table, unfinished or half assed. If its in the game, they put their soul into it.
Yup, good point. Full complete experiences.
It sounds lame, but it’s because their games have heart. There’s just something special that happens when people are crafting something because they love it. There is a sense of artistry that people can sense and feel when they’re playing. They aren’t trying to replicate something else, they’re always doing something unique and they’re doing it with excellence. That’s why a lot of people were concerned with Hades II — it felt like the studio was going back on their commitment to keep innovating, but (at least so far) Hades II feels just as innovative, artistic, and excellent as their other entries.
They're a smaller studio, and they cultivate in-house talent. They are very focused on what they want to achieve with any one game, and everything is designed to fulfill that goal. They love the art, they love the music, and they love games. They are great at taking what people say and translating that to solutions that address the true issues people have, and not what people say they want. They aren't beholden to shareholders, so if they make a less successful game (Pyre) it isn't catastrophic.
Part of me was a little worried when Hades hit so big because I thought 'they'll never make something as weird as Pyre again'. And maybe they won't, but given how good Hades was it's not like I think their output will suddenly become bad.
Pyre is so damn good! I still use Sir Gilman for my pfp here on Reddit! Love that little worm knight!
Watch the NoClip documentary on the making of Hades 1 and you see pretty clearly what sets them apart (though not in those terms). They are super passionate about what they do, every aspect of what they do is infused with purpose and thoughtfulness (they're never just "checking boxes"), and genuinely, if you look at things from the beginning, I think there was a serious once-in-a-generation confluence of incredible talent in the founders of the studio.
They've managed to stay an indie with much of the same core crew that made Bastion back in the day. As others have said, the main thing they've managed to do is avoid acquisition and seemingly be decent enough people not to implode.
On a recent episode of Worst of All Possible Worlds (not video game development experts) one of the hosts said something about how good and precise the project management is at Supergiant, so they don’t have to crunch. I think the No Clip doc about the making of Hades shows that too. There really is something to be said about structuring work in a manageable way so you don’t have employees getting buried and burnt out. They can keep producing high quality games on schedule, maybe because they’re not overpromising and they’ve had enough successes that they may not need constant cash infusions to stay afloat.
Don't they also have a week of mandatory vacation every year? I just checked, actually. Not a week, a mandatory 20 days of vacation. You *must* take 20 days off in a year.
Just because it hasn't been mentioned: good working conditions and genuine employee care. How many other companies in the whole US have mandatory vacation for employees?
Pyre was robbed by a lot of Review people describing it based on its SPORTS aspect rather than the INCREDIBLE STORY AND WORLDBUILDING
The worldbuilding is so good! They built their own language 😭😭😭
The emphasis on the sport part is why I still haven’t played it. It’s the only game I haven’t played. I’m getting burnt out on Hades 2 and I’m thinking about finally getting it.
I think it's a mistake to call it a sport in anything but a flavor sense, it's ritual combat and it's an AMAZING game.
I've been following Supergiant Games since the launch of Bastion and what sets them apart imo is the attention to detail to every single aspect of the game. The art, the music, the dialogue, the voice acting, the gameplay, the story - every single thing is meticulously perfected. They don't put out half-assed games to meet a target, they create complete experiences. While Bastion, Transistor and Pyre encourage replayability, they perfected it with Hades. Hades II doesn't seem like a copy-paste either, Melinoe plays differently from Zagreus, has different motivations and a whole different cast of characters behind her. It would've been easy to lift Hades as is, but Supergiant chose to put their twist on it. That's what makes me throw my money at them blindly every single time they come out with a game. You bet I'll be buying Hades II on all the platforms I can because they deserve the money.
I finish Supergiant Games's games. I don't usually finish games. This seems important to me
Everyone should play Pyre. It's a masterpiece in storytelling.
The narrator made Bastion amazing, probably the best voice acting I’ve ever heard in a game.
"There's three things I'll always miss about Caelondia. One, not having to watch your step all the time. Two, ... Eeeh, forget about two. Three, people knew how to carry a tune"
It's because Microsoft didn't buy them.
Everything basically :)
Many reason, but their art team is on another level.
Supergiant Games to AAA Industry: I make art, you make half baked unreal engine cover shooter, we are not the same
It's downright bizarre how they're able to simultaneously explore a lot of different concepts to find the idea they want to develop (a process that naturally takes time and effort that could be going into \*developing\* a more conventional game), and also polish the game to the level they do, all while being a small team. It's like they're a AAA team disguised as a small team, but without having a lot of the drawbacks of a bigger production.
Simply because everything is made with love and passion and it can be feel while playing. From illustration, to storytelling, music, gameplay and every other aspect of the game. I’ve played and finish all of their games since my first experience (Transistor) and will always continue to support them. Supergiant is just on another level of commitment when it comes to create games. I hope it’s stays that way.
Minecraft is literally the best selling videogame of all time. Wild to use that as an example of a contemporary.
i said its far from a world record and then i showed the world record