‘33 Immortals,’ Even in Early Access, Will Be Able To Stand Side-By-Side With ‘Hades’ — It’s Glorious, Therapeutic, Uncharted Chaos (Early Access Impressions)

It’s such a shame Hades inevitably pops into any conversation around action roguelikes. It’s an all-timer, sure, but Hades can share that accolade with a game I truly believe deserves it: 33 Immortals. The “story” is as simple as can be: you’re a damned soul set to suffer for all eternity. But your fellow soul-kin aren’t having it. You’re staging a massive rebellion against God.

Mechanically, 33 Immortals is a 33-person massive action roguelike. And it’s sheer bliss. If you don’t feel like reading this whole thing, I’ll sum it up for you. Hades is Hades, but 33 Immortals simulates a full-scale, chaotic war. In other co-op games, you can get away with being a “group of individuals trying to accomplish the same goal.” Nah, not here. In 33 Immortals, you ain’t got a choice. You work with others, or you perish in short order.

Now, I imagine y’all know all the usual action roguelike trappings. I’ll get into the nitty-gritty here and there, but I think the best way to articulate how great 33 Immortals is would be to tell you about my first three runs.

’33 immortals’ run one: a fool and his soul

So, upon dropping into Inferno, the first world, I kinda just wandered and ended demons’ lives without being too friendly. The goal is to Ascend and fight the Boss of that region. To do that, you gotta venture around the (surprisingly large) map to clear out Torture Chambers. You’re battling waves of hellspawn with (hopefully) up to six players. (I understand why all 33 players can’t just strategically hop from Chamber to Chamber — it’d be too easy.) You destroy your foes, grab that Chamber’s relics (which offer buffs), and join your comrades in dealing with other Chambers.

With each Chamber cleared, God gets that much more… angry. Eventually, it’s time for the big Ascension Battles before the big Boss. Ascension Battles are souped-up Chambers, basically. Only with significantly more Elite enemies and weapons flying all over the place. If you manage to win your Ascension Battles? Then, it’s time. In Inferno, the Big Bad is none other than Lucifer. (But, I’ll get to him in a bit.) Now, back to Dwayne’s Demon Dalliances.

That first run went better than I thought it would! I ended up clearing two Chambers. …And then, a reckless Takedown (a specific Fighter class move) was all she wrote for me. As my soul went back to the main hub, it dawned on me. “Wait, there are tutorials? …Those would probably help.”

run two: no retreat, no surrender

I’m not gonna lie, I was just excited to jump into the fray for my first 33 Immortals run. I was a little cooperative, but mainly, I was figuring out enemy patterns. And, most importantly, seeing if this was another game where “co-op” was largely optional. Which I quickly learned — it wasn’t.

So, this time, I helped to clear zero Chambers. Every time I’d race to one, the requisite six players were already waging war within them in the ongoing fight to free our souls. “Wait, so, if you’re not clearing a Chamber, what the hell do you do?” Help other players fight demons around the map, open chests, steal Blessings — there’s never nothing to do. Even if you aren’t clearing Chambers, you should try to ensure that you keep as many players alive as possible for the big Boss, or focus on making yourself stronger so you aren’t doing the damage equivalent of lightly pinching Lucifer when (or if, rather) the time comes.

I died trying to resurrect another player in the middle of a particularly insane struggle against a horde of enemies. But, it was a glorious end. And, during that struggle, I learned about Co-op Powers. Each class (of which there are currently four: Shooter, Tank, Fighter, and Specialist) has its own Co-op Power, which can drastically change the course of what’s looking like a losing battle in 33 Immortals. Additionally, you have to be able to read a fight properly and use your class and skills in a way that maximizes nearby players’ strategies.

’33 immortals’ run three: the big one

In case you’re keeping score, yes: I hadn’t yet made it to any Ascension Battles to even attempt the Boss. However, the first run was getting a feel of the game’s speed, enemy attack patterns, and all the chests and shrines scattered across the map. The second run forced me to learn the co-op nuances and understand and appreciate the value of good teamwork. This time? Everything came together to create a heavenly experience. 33 Immortals had been an exceptional teacher. Now, it was my turn to be an equally great student.

I will likely never meet you again, Blue-Caped Leader. But, this guy knew what he was doing. Homeboy was using directional emotes to guide us to our next Chamber, he knew how to position himself so everyone on the squad had their time to shine — it was beautiful. If you had told me it was one of 33 Immortals‘ devs, I’d believe that! Anyway, Blue-Caped Leader (who will simply be BCL for brevity) led me and four others to greatness.

When we rolled into a Chamber, we were one body, one heart, one soul. We split up, we did our assignments, and when we were done, we ran over to help the others. Co-op synergies were popping off left and right. God must’ve hated us for how efficient we were.

lucifer? I’m coming for you

Nothing could stop us. Even God’s righteous fury — which occasionally manifests in a completely random, terrifying “event” where you have to duck and dodge otherworldly attacks from the heavens. That didn’t impede the Salacious Six, though. Finally, we had earned our Ascension Battle. Of the 33 that started, only 17 of us remained. Another life was claimed before our Ascension, but we persevered. Then, we met the dreaded Lucifer.

BCL and the Salacious Six had ballooned to the Sensational 16. Unfortunately, I was too confident. Too green. I underestimated the Devil, and it cost me my life midway through our last chance for freedom. The genius of 33 Immortals is in the small details. When Lucifer did me in, I wasn’t allowed to stay and see if my part in the war would bear fruit. I was booted back to the main hub. And honestly, I love that sense of ambiguity. You shouldn’t know. Really, it doesn’t matter. Your soul is still damned, after all. Who cares if the others defeat Lucifer? For me, it was back to the drawing board — but I did at least earn passage into the next world: Purgatorio. …Although, I won’t be able to move on until Lucifer’s put down for good.

’33 immortals’ can only get better from here — and that’s scary

Thunder Lotus created a monster I can’t wait to see grow and transform with time. 33 Immortals is easily one of the best Early Access titles I’ve ever played. Hades, Hades, Hades… you better be careful. Because if 33 Immortals has this much depth and polish now? By the end of 2025, I could see this easily being crowned as not just the year’s best multiplayer game — but the best indie game period.

I only covered about one-fourth of what this game has cookin’. The rest is for you to discover! Come, join our ranks! (And we’re definitely going to revisit 33 Immortals as a full-fledged group in a later article, but I had to talk about this one as soon as possible.)

Verdict: Highly Recommended

33 Immortals is available now in Early Access. You can play it for free via Xbox Game Pass, or you can purchase it for $19.99 through the Xbox Marketplace or Epic Games Store.