Hades

About Hades

Hades dropped on September 17, 2020, as a roguelike action RPG from Supergiant Games. You play as Zagreus, son of the Greek god Hades, trying to break out of the underworld while fighting through layers of shifting terrain. The game supports single player runs across PC, consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, Switch, and even Mac or iOS devices. This title blends high-speed combat with deep narrative progression where every death moves the story forward. You battle souls and gods alike while building relationships with characters who live in this mythological setting. It stands out by treating failure as a plot device rather than a game over screen.

Gameplay

Each run forces you to sprint, slash, and dodge through randomly generated rooms filled with enemies and bosses. You pick one of four main boons from Greek gods like Athena or Ares at checkpoints to alter your weapon abilities and spells. The core loop involves dying repeatedly until you unlock upgrades in the House of Hades that persist across runs. Combat feels tight because you control movement, attacks, and a special dash with direct input. Between fights, you talk to NPCs, accept side quests, and manage resources like keys and darkness. Sessions last anywhere from fifteen minutes for a quick escape attempt to an hour when chasing the final boss. The game tracks your progress through forty-nine achievements that challenge even veteran players.

What Players Think

Critics loved this title with OpenCritic giving it 94 out of 100 and 98.92% of reviewers recommending it. IGDB shows a solid 91.5 rating based on over 1,500 user scores. The community mostly describes the vibe as story-driven or atmospheric with some finding it cozy. Game Rant called the loop rewarding while TheGamer labeled it a masterpiece for its compelling cast and unique trajectory. Only about 25.7% of players unlock achievements on average which suggests high difficulty in mastering everything. Friends Forever remains the rarest unlock at just 5.90 percent, proving that completing all relationship milestones takes serious dedication from the player base.

PlayPile's Take

Hades is worth your time if you want tight combat paired with a narrative that actually respects your effort. The price varies by platform but the value comes from hundreds of hours of content hidden in those 49 achievements. You should play this if you enjoy punishing difficulty without feeling cheated by bad design. The story rewards persistence because characters remember every escape attempt. Supergiant made something that works as a game and as a book. Finish the game to see why so many critics gave it perfect scores and why the community keeps coming back for more runs.

Storyline

Zagreus, the son of Hades, has discovered that his mother, which he was led to believe was Nyx, Night Incarnate, is actually someone else, and is outside Hell. He is now attempting to escape his father's domain, with the help of the other gods of Olympus, in an attempt to find his real mother.