There’s also a broader narrative of Zagreus’ relationship with his father and the abusive connotations that come with it (you’ll discover the truth of that for yourself), but for me it was those small cameos and “name drops” that really gave me the narrative context to set the scene. The deities of Greek mythology did have that reputation for being capricious and flighty, and the effect of having them play such a substantial role, but so unpredictably, goes a long way to enhancing their personalities in-game to suit the mythological basis. Thanks to the random nature of the roguelike, when these events come by they can be a cause to celebrate… assuming the deity has something that you’re looking for, and before you know it, you’ll be grinning when Artemis drops by to give you that much needed bow upgrade, and you’ll frown when one of the more mischevious deities’ idea for a boon is something rather unwieldy. Here’s where Hades’ narrative gets interesting, because each time one of these deities drops Zagreus a new ability or upgrade, it’s accompanied with a short interaction that is entirely appropriate to the specific god. The problem is, however, that the underworld is a hostile place and most of his attempts are doomed to failure, even when he can count on the help of various deities and beings of Greek mythology on the way.
Zagreus wants out of hell (fair enough) and so sets out to smash up as much of the underworld as he can until he can escape. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades and a deity in his own right (his portfolio includes “rebirth,” which, in the context of a roguelike, is a clever touch).
I want to start with the treatment of Greek mythology, because that’s really where the appeal of Hades starts. Thankfully I decided to give it a go anyway, and was quickly reminded about why roguelikes are, at their best, so utterly compelling. “Great, it’s another action roguelike from a small developer.” That was my immediate reaction to Hades, because while Hades was the latest project by a talent as consistently great as Supergiant Games, and while the screenshots and video footage certainly looked lovely, there have been so many “action roguelikes” that it’s difficult to become enthusiastic about any newcomers treading the familiar ground.
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