Should you try out Hades in 2025?

Hades is a 2D roguelike game developed by Supergiant Games and released on various gaming platforms in 2020. Despite being released at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the game fared well, landing on the radar of the general gaming community and receiving recognition from various award shows.

Supergiant Games cleverly integrated roguelike mechanics with Greek mythology, giving the gaming community a great gaming experience. Zagreus fights to escape the Underworld and take on whatever his father throws at him to reach the land of the living and restart from scratch if they are slain.

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Hades sets the standard for a great roguelike game

Hades will not let his son leave their home without a fight (Image via Supergiant Games)

Despite being the titular character, the main protagonist is Hades' firstborn son, Zagreus, as he tries to escape the Underworld to look for his biological mother, Persephone, in Greece. Throughout the game, Zagreus can die at any given moment and lose all progress. Players will respawn from the starting point at the House of Hades, which can be annoying, but it makes sense.

Being the lord of the Underworld has its perks, especially regarding summoning deadly beasts to hamper Zagreus' progress and ascension to leave his home. While the other Gods of Olympus support their brethren's quest to find his true mother and offer players powerful boons for strategic advantage, Nyx goes behind Hades' back to help her adoptive son escape his father's clutches.

Throughout Zagreus' escape, players can collect powerful items and resources from the Underworld and some powerful gifts bestowed by the Gods of Olympus. It is recommended players use these gifts and not take them for granted, especially with the difficulty constantly ramping up. The developers took their time to conduct hefty research on mythological beasts to feature in the game.

The combat is satisfying, and Zagreus can become an easy target if players charge into a fighting area without proper preparation or learning the ropes. Hades' fast-paced nature encourages the players to be mindful of their surroundings, be quick on their feet, and never linger in one spot for too long to progress the story.

The game primarily takes place in the Underworld and is divided into regions. The art style and attention to detail are among the best parts of Hades, which offers the players a quick crash course of what each dungeon looks like rather than reusing the same environment and assets with different enemy types and final bosses.

Fighting hordes of evil forces can be quite tiring, and after each failed run, Zagreus can explore his father's house to use upgrades acquired from previous runs to improve his chances of clearing a dungeon and moving on to the next. Zagreus will have to defeat the likes of the Furies, Asterius, Theseus, and even Hades.

This game shares plenty of similarities with other hack-and-slash games like God of War. The major difference is the 2D approach and a top-down camera angle for better visibility of incoming enemies.

The developers released the game for PC, Mac, and the Nintendo Switch in 2018. It was a massive success, and by 2021, the game came out on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The first game was a financial success, which led to the sequel's announcement a year later during Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards in 2022, which was eventually released in 2023.

Hades has set the bar high for the roguelike genre and left a lasting impression on the gaming industry (Image via Supergiant Games)

There are surprising twists and turns players wouldn't see coming as they progress through the main story. Paired with a great combat system, paths for player upgrades, and a strong focus on Greek mythology, Hades is a rare gaming experience that shouldn't be ignored. The challenging gameplay will encourage the players to sharpen their skills after each failed run.

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Conclusion

The gaming community wanted a challenging new experience, and Hades has that in spades (Image via Supergiant Games)

While the roguelike genre may not be everyone's cup of tea, Hades is a unique experience overpowering most triple-A games. Supergiant Games struck gold, and this project received the praise it deserves and has the distinct honor of being nominated for Game of the Year 2020.

Hades is a game about family, tough love, and immersive combat. Combined with the challenging gameplay this game is worth playing in 2025.