Death is only the beginning: Hades Review and Guide

For most of us mortals, death is the end of our journey and adventures we’ve had here on earth. This is not the case for young Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, who defies death and beyond to escape from his father’s control and domain.

In time for this year’s Halloween season, we looked back at one of the most memorable hack-and-slash video games initially released by Supergiant Games in 2018. So, relax, read on, and let’s dive back into the mythology of the underworld deity and his family.

An introduction to Hades
What is the roguelike genre?
The roguelike experience with Hades
Gameplay and mechanics
- Weapons (Infernal Arms) and skills
- Rooms/Levels/Stages
Back in the House of Hades
Review and recap

An introduction to Hades

Picking up from what was already mentioned above, Hades lets the player control the protagonist, Zagreus: an immortal, rebellious, and somewhat angsty young man who wants to escape the domain of his father, Hades.

Along the gameplay, Zagreus encounters various Greek mythological monsters, as well as the other deities of the Greek pantheon––his aunts and uncles––who recently learned that they have a nephew being kept by Hades in the underworld. So, they agree to help the young prince’s attempt to escape his father’s domain and control by granting him abilities that help boost the weapons the player decides to carry for each round.

For every time Zagreus dies, he gets resurrected back in the House of Hades, but not without significant changes such as new characters to interact with, items and upgrades to use in the next escape attempt, and a step further in the complex and intriguing story of the game.

What is the roguelike genre?

The game falls under what is called the “roguelike” type of video games. Basically, it combines the elements of role-playing and action-adventure genres along with the hack-and-slash ideas with a catch: you start all over again when your character dies.

The genre started out with the 1980 game titled Rogue, and since then various titles and plots have appeared to follow the tradition. Perhaps this may upset players who have no patience in restarting stages, but there is a uniqueness when it comes to roguelike action. For every restart, players are given the chance to make upgrades and to further strategize how to proceed should they encounter the same difficult level again.

Roguelikes are thrilling in the sense that every attempt is a fresh experience. That means you don’t really start all over again in the literal sense of going back to zero because rooms (levels/stages) might be generated at random after the first room has been cleared.

The roguelike experience with Hades

While we’re talking about the genre, it’s also important to note that Hades has a rich plot. If you’re the kind of gamer who equally enjoys going through a game’s story as much as the gameplay, you’ll find Hades’s story extremely immersive and satisfying.

Zagreus meets different characters––not only the gods––as you progress into the game which adds more context to the prince’s background and his relationships with these characters, particularly his father, Hades. It’s safe to say that one of the factors that truly make Hades unforgettable is its deep storyline and how, the only way to move forward, is to keep attempting to escape.

Gameplay and mechanics

Weapons (Infernal Arms) and skills

As a roguelike, the primary appeal are the different weapons of choice that you gradually unlock in the game. Zagreus first starts out with a sword, but eventually he can use a bow and arrow, a spear, and even a gun as you take on the creatures of Tartarus and beyond. The following are the Infernal Arms unlockable in the game using Chthonic Keys.

Stygius/Stygian Blade – the default weapon, a sword. It’s former wielder is the sea god, Poseidon.
Varatha/Eternal Spear – a spear once owned by Hades himself, unlockable with four keys.
Aegis/Shield of Chaos – formerly possessed by Zeus, unlocks with three keys.
Coronacht/Heart-Seeking Bow – owned by Hera, unlocks with one key.
Malphon/Twin Fists of Malphon – Demeter’s former weapon, unlocks with eight keys.
Exagryph/Adamant Rail – this rail gun used to be Hestia’s and can be unlocked with eight keys. This is the last weapon unlockable in the game.

Zagreus can only carry one weapon at a time, but every weapon has its own attack styles that the player can figure out on what’s best for defeating levels such as boss battles. Other skills Zagreus possess are:

Dash – this allows him to dash and avoid traps or enemy attacks, but he can also attack while dashing. Dash can be further enhanced through the gods’ blessings.
Special attack – in addition to the regular attacks, special attacks unlocks a weapon’s potential. This can either be ranged damage or Area of Effect (AoE).
Cast – allows Zagreus to cast a red, blood-like ammo on a target that deals 50 damage. This can be further enhanced through the gods’ boons.
Call of the Gods (Wrath) – sometimes, the gods offer Zagreus a chance to call on their powers to gain massive advantage on a level. This can only be acquired by choosing an “Aid” boon (blessing) or through the Sigil of the Dead keepsake.

Other skills can be further upgraded by possessing and equipping keepsakes, items that are given to Zagreus by different characters in the game. Most of the time, its the gods aiding Zagreus on the rooms themselves, giving the player choices on which boons to accept. Blessings accepted from one god may stack with another in the escape attempt. All blessings will not be saved upon death.

Rooms/Levels/Stages

As previously mentioned, levels may be generated at random except for the first room where Zagreus begins his escape. Rooms will also spawn various monsters, and there will even be opportunities when the player has to survive for a certain amount of time to unlock the next room.

Every time a room clears, the player is given the chance to choose from two items before entering the door where the item was placed. Rooms can sometimes open up to a fountain area where the player can make use of the regenerative fountain to heal up Zagreus; other times, it will lead to the ferryman Charon’s shop where players can spend gold earned to heal or buy items.

Lastly, there will be rooms that will open up to minibosses and even the final boss which, upon beating the boss, will allow the player to unlock a new area on the map––another step closer to escaping the underworld.

Back in the House of Hades

You are expected to die many times, resurrecting always at the court of your father. The scenario changes every time with characters appearing and disappearing, signalling that the story progressed somewhat.

Don’t forget to talk to these characters––especially those with an exclamation mark indicated––because the dialogue with them may be the key to unlocking aspects of the House of Hades ranging from revamping the otherwise desolate place, or to more game-changing features such as the Mirror of Night, an important gift which lets players spend Darkness points gathered from the underworld to upgrade Zagreus’s skills permanently.

Review and recap

If someone were to ask me if Hades, the original one, is worth playing now that we are near the year 2025 I’d say, “Very much so!”

This is a game that ages like Dionysus’s fine wine, one that is not only profound in its gameplay, but also in its plot. It’s also strategic in a way that players do not only think about which weapon to pick up next, but which combinations of the deities’ boons work best for every weapon.

It’s not your repetitive gameplay as those who are new to the roguelike genre might expect, and in fact you’ll feel even more hyped to attempt an escape every time you respawn because of the new aspects you discover every time you do so.

In case you’re wondering just how hyped-up Hades is, the game developers created a sequel––Hades II––recently released last May of this year. So, if you want to experience the first title and acquaint yourself with Zagreus’s story, it’s the way to go before getting the new one.