9th May
Hi there, and welcome back to our usual rundown where we talk about a few of the games we’ve been getting into. This week, Bertie is back with the Greek gods; Victoria has run into “plenty of” defeats; Connor is on a stubborn search for bones; and Chris has been communicating in riddles.
Which games have you been playing this week?
One more question, if you don’t mind—what did you try out the week before? No worries if you can’t remember. Our What We’ve Been Playing archive is right here for you.
Hades 2, Switch 2
I’m a big fan of how approachable roguelikes can be. I hadn’t returned to Hades 2 since the end of January, but over the weekend I got the urge, so I jumped back in. Before long, I was hooked again. I’d worried I’d lost my touch, but that turned out not to be true. In fact, I managed my best runs yet—finally bringing down the boss below and one of the major bosses above.
What really impressed me was realizing just how much material the game saves for later. I’ve started thinking of Hades 2 like a layered “pass the parcel” present: no matter how many times you play through, there’s always another layer to peel back, plus another treat waiting inside. Even some characters stay out of reach until you’ve put in what feels like dozens of hours.
To me, that’s exactly where the sequel stands out from the first game. The original isn’t short by any means, but Hades 2 feels packed with added lessons learned along the way. Supergiant seems to have anticipated how committed players would be this time, so they built in even more depth. It’s bold, and it feels thoughtful too. Lots of games start to lose steam once you reach the middle-to-late stages, but that doesn’t happen here. As players dig into what the games offer, the team also studies the audience. It’s a fantastic back-and-forth.
-Bertie
Saros, PS5
Do you remember last week when I said I’d found Replaced a bit slow? I’ve finally found the answer, and it’s Saros. Honestly, this game moves at an incredible pace. In the past few evenings, I’ve been sprinting through the game’s bright orbs, all while exploring the dangerous planet of Carcosa—and I’ve been having a great time.
Just to be clear, I’ve been knocked out plenty of times. Like, a lot. Still, I think it only makes the experience more enjoyable.
-Victoria
Old School RuneScape, PC
I’ve said this a few times, so I’ll keep it quick. I’m in for hundreds of hours of repetition now that I’ve firmly settled into the mid-game of Old School RuneScape. My current goal is straightforward: the hard diary tasks for the Morytania region.
In simple terms, every major area in the game includes achievements you can complete to unlock some genuinely useful rewards. In Morytania, one of those rewards is the Bone Crusher—an item that compresses bones dropped by enemies into something you can use for extra Prayer experience. I really want it.
Most of the tasks are already done, but there’s still one holdout. I need 70 Prayer levels to use the Piety prayer, and I have to activate it in a specific spot. Right now I’m sitting at 64 Prayer, and the grind to close the gap is taking far longer than I’d hoped.
The reason is simple: Prayer experience comes from bones—lots of bones. I’ve realized I’m not in my most PvE-focused mood lately, because I’ve been peacefully chopping trees and mining away like everything’s fine. I’ve had to break out of that calm rhythm and switch over to Slayer tasks, grabbing whatever bones I can along the way.
You can bury them right where you pick them up, which saves on inventory space, though you give up a portion of the Prayer experience you could earn. Instead, I’m blessing these bones, grinding them up with fine wine, and offering them at a particular altar. I’m sure there’s probably a faster or more efficient way to do it—I could always buy bones from the grand exchange—but I’m genuinely enjoying collecting most things myself and working things out as I go. So, in short, I’ve been living in the bone zone.
–Connor
Pokémon LeafGreen, Switch 2
Quick update: I’ve made it to Fuchsia City. My Dratini has grown into a Dragonair. I’m also trying to rotate my Pokémon choices more than usual. Porygon has been surprisingly useless. Dodrio, though? Dodrio is a powerhouse.
–Chris