Slash your way through the floors of hell in Hades: the rouge-like adventure game that takes place in the world of Greek mythology.
Take over the role of Zagreus, the son of Hades, as you climb the floors of Tartarus all the way up to Greece. The 2020 roguelike game was developed by Supergiant Games and released on several different platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and more.
Being a rouge-like dungeon-crawler, you will need to do many runs of the game. However, each run will be different. In addition to the variety of weapons available (eight to be exact), the boons and power-ups you obtain throughout your run will be different every time. Whether it’s a shielding ability from Athena or a speed boost from Hermes, you’ll never run out of variety in your runs.
The characterization is also extremely well done. Each character’s personality and backstory are fleshed out, allowing for engaging subplots along with the main plot. By deepening your bonds with characters, you get to unlock more of their backstory. One example of this would be Achilles, who resides in the House of Hades. By deepening your bond with him, you discover why he’s there—and who he really wishes to be with. Outside of other characters, our main character, Zagreus, is nothing short of interesting. His sassy remarks, deep backstory, and burning desire to escape make him a wonderful main character. Darren Korb, his voice actor and the main composer of the soundtrack, does a phenomenal job voicing him.
The art and graphics are visually stunning as well. The game is in an isometric perspective, meaning you have a third-person/bird’s-eye view. Each region and floor is uniquely designed, being creative but also historically accurate when it comes to Greek mythology.
The soundtrack certainly isn’t lacking, either. Korb meshes odd time signatures, traditional Greek instruments, and various scale modes to create the unique soundtrack of the game. There are several different melodic motifs scattered throughout the songs, allowing for some subtle storytelling.
In my opinion, Hades’ only “weakness” as a game would be its difficulty. Being a rogue-like, many runs will be necessary to beat the game. Ten full runs will need to be completed to unlock the “true” ending. While this sounds repetitive, the 20,000+ lines of dialogue and infinite boon combinations will make each run interesting. Hades has a near-infinite replay value, so you’ll never get bored. If you do find Hades to be too hard to beat, there is an option called “God mode” that heavily boosts your resistance to damage, increasing each time you fail a run.
Diversity is quite present in the game, too. While Hades is rooted in Greek mythology, its portrayal of mythological characters goes beyond traditional interpretations, creating a diverse and lively set of characters. The game wonderfully portrays queer romance as well, offering a female romance option, a male romance option, and even the option for a polycule with these two.
The game has won many awards as well. In 2021, it won the“BAFTA Game Awards for Best Game,” the “Nebula Award for Best Game Writing,” and the “BAFTA Games Award for Narrative” just to name a few.
In conclusion, Hades is an absolute masterpiece in the world of video games and is definitely worth playing. Its artful storytelling, quirky characters, and enjoyable gameplay make it more than worth your money.
You can purchase Hades on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox X|S, PS5, or PS4 for only $24.99.
