Is Conan: The Black Pyramid Like Hades? What We Know

Is Conan: The Black Pyramid like Hades?

Both are action roguelite RPGs built around runs, so the comparison is natural. Beyond the genre, the first playtest has not started yet, so any “it plays like” claim is a guess from a trailer and written descriptions. This page separates what is documented from what is opinion.

Who is making the Hades comparison?

Polygon’s announcement article is headlined “Diablo Meets Hades in New Conan the Barbarian Game”. That headline is Polygon’s own summary of the reveal. It is useful as a signal of how early coverage reads the game, but it is not a statement from Games Farm or Grindstone.

The developer’s own comparison is different. In the announcement, the team says it is keeping the fast, punchy pace and the “one more run” pull of its earlier roguelite, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel, and taking it further into action RPG territory, with more hands-on combat and deeper builds.

What do the two games have in common, according to the sources?

These are the structural points the developer has confirmed for Conan: The Black Pyramid, set against what Steam says about Hades.

What has the developer confirmed about how a run plays?

From the Steam description and the announcement:

• A shifting labyrinth. You move from chamber to chamber and choose which way to go and which rewards to take. Every run offers new routes, combat options and story events.
• Active defence. You dodge out of danger, time a parry to stagger an enemy and then trigger an execution yourself.
• Builds that change the game. Warrior Memories change how each hero plays, artifacts add effects, and Combat Masteries can be upgraded. See Warrior Memories and Wakestones and Combat Masteries.
• Death moves the story forward. Each descent opens new routes, story events and permanent upgrades.
• A dice mechanic. You collect dice that improve loot odds and can spend them at once or save them.

Several of those, such as route choice and permanent upgrades after death, are common to the genre. The dice and the Warrior Memories are the parts that are specific to this game.

What can’t we compare yet?

Where does that leave the question?

Treat “Hades-like” as a description of the genre, not a promise about how the game feels. The most reliable way to judge it is the first playtest, which you can request access to on Steam. For what has been confirmed about the heroes and the setting, see Conan, and for dates and platforms see the release date and price page.