‘Hades’ Refined the Roguelike Genre, Now There’s No Going Back

Words: Catherine Lewis

Hades was GAMINGbible's game of the year in 2020 - watch our top 10 below...

Anyone who's played a roguelike before will know this feeling well - you're in the midst of your best run yet, having been sitting comfortably at full health the whole time. Then, you get to that difficult part that you haven't quite mastered yet. This is the run, right? Wrong. Back to the start you go. It's a divisive genre, one which definitely treats its players with tough love, but Hades took this play-die-repeat gameplay loop and transformed it into something far less frustrating, without compromising on any of the fun.

One way it does this (and my personal favourite) is with the engaging character interaction available both during your escape attempts, and back at the House of Hades when you inevitably die. While you can encounter and give gifts to all the Olympian gods (and others) out in the ever-shifting dungeons, Zag's home is also packed with lively characters to chat with, complete with constantly evolving dialogue filled with secrets and lore. Dying might mean the end of a run, yes, but it also means it's time to throw shade at Hades, or better yet, pet the three-headed good boy Cerberus.

One thing that's basically a given is that you'll almost certainly have a little crush on at least one (if not all) of the characters. And, lucky you, there are even romance options available, which you definitely don't see very often in the roguelike genre. Can I get a hell yeah, Thanatos fans?

It's also incredibly hard to pinpoint any other game that's as brutal as it is kind. There's no getting around the fact that Hades is difficult, and it doesn't shy away from that, but it never tries to make its players feel bad for struggling, either. After being abruptly sent back home at the end of a run, Zagreus complains for a moment, but quickly brushes himself off to take another stab at it, optimistic as ever that he'll succeed next time.

Skelly, the sentient training dummy, occasionally offers combat tips, in a fun conversational way that doesn't mock the player's ability. Even 'God Mode' (essentially Hades' version of an easy mode) doesn't just give you an instant win button - it grants players 20% damage resistance, which increases by 2% each time you die. The game and its characters are constantly rooting for you to try again and succeed, but still want you to earn your win in a fair way, which feels fantastic, and greatly reduces any discouragement you might feel from meeting an untimely demise.

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