Running and Family: a “Hades”Review
“Hades” is a rogue-like action game developed by indie studio “Supergiant Games.” In a year that was full of memorable AAA games like “Final Fantasy 7: Remake” or “Ghost of Tsushima,” “Hades” has unexpectedly accumulated the 2nd most Game of the Year accolades, only 2nd to “The Last of Us: Part 2.” Not to say Hades is downright better than any 3 of the Sony exclusives, but it’s an incredibly complete game. You’d be hard-pressed to find any holes in Supergiant’s arsenal. From a genius blending of narrative and game design to the complex and extensive RPG systems, “Hades” has it all and isn’t afraid to flaunt it.
Gameplay
For those who aren’t familiar with the rogue-like genre, it’s heavily inspired by “Dungeons and Dragons,” as in D&D, you’re clearing dungeons multiple floors in sequence until you reach a boss. How Rogue-likes differ is every time you die, you have to start again from the beginning, getting a little stronger each run through various RPG mechanics. “Hades” uses this foundational cornerstone of the genre and interweaves it directly with the story. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, who you’ve grown some strong contempt towards by way of having to live with the Lord of Hell. Zagreus, finally resolved enough to disobey his father, decides he’s going to do the impossible and escape the Underworld. Once you leave the House of Hades, you begin your stair-like ascent towards the surface through procedurally generated levels, and every time you “die”, you’re carried back to your home by the River Styx. The Underworld is composed of four layers organized by morality. The most bottom section is Tartarus, where the wicked souls spend eternity working and enduring torture by the realm’s wardens, the three Furies. The next sector is the Asphodel Meadows, where the indifferent resided until the Phlegethon river flooded and left everything desolated by lava. The Elysium Fields are where the pure and heroic battle each other for glory. Before reaching the surface, the final area is a labyrinth you must search for a sartyr sack, as it’s the only way to lure Cerberus, the giant three-headed demon dog, away from his guard post at the entrance gate to Hell. Your final task to make it to the surface is to defeat your father, and that’s probably going to take you a few disheartening tries until you squeeze out your first win. The further you get, the harder it gets, and at the end of each section, you must defeat the boss of said section to move on. To prevent the boss fights from feeling repetitive, each has rotating features or abilities. For example, the three Furies shift in and out as you only fight one per run. Each has a unique move set that distinguishes one from another, similar to their contrasting yet eccentric personalities. But the bosses are just one aspect of why each run feels fresh. Boons, weapons, and numerous upgrade systems at the House of Hades help accomplish near-boundless variability and a level of accessibility that’s lacking in the Rogue-like genre.
Throughout your escape attempts, you’ll continuously receive powers from the Olympian’s trying to help you, called “boons.” There are over 100 different Boons, all giving you various upgrades. If you’re lucky or have spent enough Darkness on upgrades, you’ll find yourself a rare, epic, heroic, duo, or even legendary boon, scaling by rarity. Once you die or complete a run, you lose all boons and restart your build next playthrough, allowing the player to experiment with different setups and playstyles consistently.
There are six total weapons at Zagreus’ disposal called “Infernal Arms,” the former weapons the Gods wielded when striking down their parents. Sword, spear, shield, bow, claws, and a gun? Each has its unique playstyle and strengths, accommodating for different types of players. My personal favorites are the shield, spear, and claws, hence my preference towards an “up close and personal” approach. Once you get far enough in the story, you unlock the weapon’s Aspects, unique forms that further change a weapon’s playstyle. You can upgrade each of these Aspects with Titan Blood, a type of currency you get for successful escapes. These buffs are permanent, although each form has a limit to how strong it can become.
There are three other permanent upgrade systems, each with a different currency you accumulate through playing. Darkness spent at the Mirror of Night gives Zagreus perpetual stats and ability boosts. Gemstones are used at the House Contractor desk, allow for construction projects that improve your home or the Underworld, helping you on each escape attempt. Nectar, the final currency, is fundamentally more complex than the prior two. You gift Nectar to the various NPC’s around the house, acting as a relationship-building system. The first time you grant Nectar to an NPC they return the favor with a Keepsake, a type of item you can equip once per run. Each Keepsake has its own added perk, and once you unequip a Keepsake for another, you can’t use it again on that run. This creates a necessity of planning how and when you equip your Keepsakes if you want to maximize your chance of escaping. Typically I enter the Labyrinth with Skully’s item, which grants you an additional life since the final fight with Hades is what’s to follow. Once you have talked to specific NPC’s enough and reached a specific Nectar threshold, they give you a quest which after completion, you have to option of gifting an Ambrosia to unlock the summoning ability. There are only 6 NPC’s you can attain a summon from, and all are powerful with unique quirks. Another reason to gift Nectar is for character interactions and helping to flesh out some of the relationships. For instance, after giving Nectar to Achilles, Zagreus is effusive with praise for Achilles having mentored Zag. This brief interaction shows Zagreus is kind and respectful towards those who’ve had an impact on his life. NPC’s also have dialogue that consistently reacts or pertains to your precise situation. If you pick up a Zeus boon while using his former weapon, the Shield of Aegis, he comments on his time with the shield and says he’s glad you’re using it now. But this is just one isolated example; there are hundreds of reactive dialogue instances in the game. The fact that “Supergiant Games,” known for being vehemently against crunching their employees, can accomplish such a feat with an already extensively complex game is a testament to their management, work culture, and possibly even their indie situation.
Story
The story is one of the many strengths of “Hades.” It’s about family and avoiding your problems. Family dynamics are difficult and complicated a lot of the time, and “Hades” shares this belief. It’s eventually revealed that Nyx isn’t Zagreus’ birth mother and that his birth mother’s name is Persephone, the Goddess of Venture. This event marks a significant moment of character growth for Zagreus, his goal shifts from the immature running away from home to finding his mother on the surface. Persephone is also the daughter of Demeter, who reveals that she believes that her daughter “died” if you talked to her enough. And in response to this significant loss, Demeter covered the Earth in an eternal winter. How Demeter came to believe her daughter had perished was the fault of Zeus. The lightning god helped abscond Persephone to Hell to marry Hades, as a sort of apology for forcing his brother to rule over the Underworld while he and Poseidon got to rule over the sky and the sea. Persephone went willingly, fed up with life on Olympus and her mother’s overbearing parenting, and the only way to leave was to do so with guile. You learn that The Fates, prophetic beings that are also the daughters of Nyx, foretold that Hades would never bear an heir because he and Persephone were not from the Underworld so that the child couldn’t survive being conceived there. As such, Zagreus was birthed a stillborn and overcome with grief, Persephone flees to the surface, and with the help of Nyx, she is able to live in isolation, hidden from the watch of the Olympians. Thanks to Nyx, Zagreus was revived, using her powers in what was said to be a long and arduous effort. Hades never notified Persephone of Zagreus’ survival because he believes if she were to return to Hell and Olympus found out Persephone lived, it would lead to war between Heaven and Hell. So it’s understandable that Hades was doing what he could to prevent Zagreus from meeting his mother and learning the truth about his deception. Even Persephone concludes that staying isolated is what’s best for everyone’s safety, but Zagreus refutes this idea wholeheartedly. He claims that it’s time that their family embraces their problems instead of running. When you finally reach your father on that 10th and final escape, it’s the first time we see Hades let his guard down emotionally around Zagreus. He shows remorse for his mistakes and stops using fear of angering the Olympians as an excuse. Up until that point, Hades has only berated Zagreus about his disobedience and his ignorance towards the greater risk. He allows Zag to pass without a fight, acquiescent of the inevitable. When you arrive in your mother’s garden, she’s in the midst of packing her bags; seemingly, Zagreus’ stubbornness also got through to her. As a family, it’s decided to announce Persephone’s presence to the other Gods during a feast in the House of Hades. At the feast, Demeter is grateful and ecstatic that her daughter lives, while the risk of war elapses, marking the end for the major story arc to “Hades.”
It’s ironic that through trying to run away from home, Zagreus becomes the sole reason his family was reunited. His parents were content with living with their past decisions. Still, Zagreus challenges their contentment directly, exposing their reasons as either excuses or a problem that could be solved together as a family. Seeing their son’s passion and relentlessness finally broke through, for a story conclusion that rivals any in the medium of video games.
