These interactions, as much as the precise combat, are the reason I kept coming back to Hades while I was skeptical about how the roguelike structure would meld with Supergiant Games' focus on characters and stories, they've written and voiced reams of dialogue and lore, and almost all of it is delivered with vigor and is intriguing enough to pore over between your treks through hell. Eventually, they become vital allies on your quest, even if they're not in the thick of combat with you. You chat with them, undertake side quests, and exchange gifts to deepen your relationships. There, figures such as Achilles, Hypnos, and Nyx console you after your deaths, praise you for making progress, and confide in you about one another. It's not just a pit stop on the way to the next run-it's the centerpiece Hades hinges on. One of the best parts of Hades, in fact, is returning to the House of Hades time and again after you die. Your godliness justifies the endless runs through the depths of the underworld, since dying and coming back to life is par for the course in Greek myth. Tired of living under his father Hades' thumb and seeking answers about where he comes from, he sets out to escape to the world of the living, battling various undead monsters, living creatures, and mythological figures on his way out.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's In a roguelike such as Hades, it means playing as Zagreus, a god of rebirth. That Hades' narrative is so entwined with its combat is nothing new for the developers at Supergiant Games, who've established themselves as masters of putting your actions in sync with the stories they tell.

What sets Hades apart isn't just that it's a great roguelike with the kind of repeatable depth that makes it engrossing to play for hours, but also how it uses its structure to tell an ongoing story about family, secrets, and resolution. I'd gotten so caught up in the story of my character, Zagreus, and the heroes, villains, and gods that had helped him get here that I was elated to have finally gotten him to the end of his journey. But while I was definitely a little too proud of putting together a set of abilities and perks that shredded the boss after they wrecked me just a few tries ago, that wasn't why I felt tears welling up. I'd been fighting to see this ending for hours (months, technically, if you count my time in early access), and in roguelikes, it feels better than usual to see an ending. The first time I beat the final boss in Hades, I felt an enormous sense of relief.

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