Review of Hades

In recent years, Supergiant Games has become famous for creating high quality indie games. Hades is the latest release from the studio and carries on the tradition of retro-inspired graphics and impressive stories.

But it also goes a step further, focusing on the gameplay as much as the atmosphere and presentation. It’s an approach that has worked extraordinarily well.

Not only does this roguelike engage you, but it also thrills with excellent gameplay. No wonder there has been so much talk about Hades and it has become something of a sleeper hit.

History

History in this genre is not something that usually gets center stage. Indeed, roguelikes have a reputation for making fiction almost a secondary consideration. Not so in Hades. This is a title that puts a lot of emphasis on the plot. Of course, that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering who the developers are. Having such an involved story to follow really adds to the overall experience. Each action you take over the course of multiple runs has extra meaning. It also provides more motivation in a genre that can get repetitive very quickly.

In Hades, the player takes on the role of Zagreus from Greek mythology. As a son of Hades, he is supposed to help manage the Underworld, but he has ambitions elsewhere. With each run that begins in Hades’ personal office, players begin to explore the world and characters outside. There you can come across Greek heroes and gods and learn more about Zagreus’ motives. Each individual in the game has a unique personality and their own story to tell. It makes exploring the world worthwhile in any escape attempt and helps you build relationships.

Perhaps the best thing about fiction in Hades is that it actually rewards you for death. Roguelikes have a problem as they force players to start over from the beginning after death. This can be frustrating and boring, especially if you have previously made a lot of progress. But after each run in Hades, you can go back to Hades office. Here you can chat with various characters and find out what has changed. It elegantly removes that feeling of dread after death.