It is fitting that one of the biggest video games of 2020 is about a useless and useless escape from hell. Hades, from Supergiant Games, captured the hearts of millions when it was officially released in September 2020, reinventing timeless Greek mythology and using it to build a narrative that rewarded failure as much as success. The roguelike action game features Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he struggles to make his way through the various layers of hell, in a quest to reach the surface and find his missing mother Persephone . Zagreus is helped in his search by the gods of Olympus, who are delighted to learn about the existence of their relative and helps him with various benefits that increase the power of the attack, add buffs or debuffs or provide other useful facts.
There are two keys to Hadesthe success. The first is that the game rewards failure. Zagreus dies … a lot and is forced to restart his endless quest from scratch every time he is sent back to the underworld. However, death gives Zagreus the chance to spend coins to permanently increase his power and abilities, unlock new conversations with key NPCs, and try new weapons with unique abilities. Hades it only advances when Zagreus dies, and that mechanic eliminates one of the most frustrating aspects of most video games – the futility of loss.
The other key to Hades“The continuing popularity is the relative lack of criminals in the game. There are no really “bad” boys inside Hades – the titular antagonist of the game is stubborn, proud and harsh, but the game slowly removes its exterior to reveal the very valid reasons for its continuous resistance to his son. Over time, players can eventually fall in love with the first bosses the players meet, reach agreements with other major antagonists, and find meaningful resolutions for complicated stories. Empathy and care are part of Hades’ and helps players return for more runs even after the main game is beaten. The Greek gods themselves are also delightfully redesigned, with a fabulous voice and key art that has inspired countless pieces of fan art. It is very difficult to hate any character Hades, with the possible exception of Theseus, whose personality is deliberately disgusting and unfriendly.
Of course, Hades it is also a very fun hack-and-slash game. The game’s benefit system is built around destructive combos on the go and destroying dozens of enemies at once. Because the benefits are given at random, players are encouraged to mix and match as they please and there are very few skills that do not synchronize well with each other. The most Hades players will swear by one weapon or another, but the game can be conquered by almost any combination of weapon and advantage, provided the player makes the most of what is given to them. Players will be happy to send spam to various combos while cleaning the rooms, while trying to decide whether to add more benefits or feed the existing ones. There is never a wrong answer, although some choices will work better with some styles of play than others. I personally liked how different weapons can be customized to suit different styles of play. Malphon’s Gemini Fists, a set of gloves designed for close combat, evolved from my least favorite weapon to the weapon with which I had the most consistent success, as I learned how to combine my heavy attack style with various benefits and timing attacks. for hitting enemies as I ran past them.
The game also rewards players for continuing to play even after they finally escape Hell. Each of the game’s weapons has different variants that can only be unlocked after repeated runs, and the main story is not solved even until a player has eliminated the game 10 times. The post-game content is also fun, with players literally picking poison, deliberately making dungeons tougher, to unlock additional rewards. There are also RPG elements that only get much deeper into the game, with players able to romanticize some characters and learn meaningful information about others while giving gifts and talking to the characters between runs.
Hades is an instant classic, a game that players can spend 50 or more hours without feeling any time has passed. The game is meant to enjoy the size of the bite in pieces, without running more than 30 minutes until completion. These short segments were perfect for 2020, as many people struggled to find energy for marathon sessions. Combine it with the addictive story and easy-to-learn but hard-to-master game, and Supergiant has found a recipe for instant success. In a difficult year, Hades it was a lovely breath of fresh air.