The Storytelling of Hades
Or: Will a Roguelike ever win Game of the Year?
I’ve had a lot of time over break.
That’s it. That’s the whole sentence.
But in all sincerity, my university’s extended winter break has given me a lot of time. And as I said in last week’s post, I think I’ve been utilizing it quite well. I’ve been writing, reading, and, of course, playing video games. However, I’ve made little to no progress on my backlog. What gives?
Hades.
I started playing while the semester was in session, but even after clearing an escape attempt, I knew there was more to beat in the game. Now, I’ve finished the main quest, but I still find myself going back and wanting to play more. Why? What is it that Hades gets right that no other game like it does? What does Hades have that my other top rogue-likes such as Slay the Spire and Rogue Legacy doesn’t have?
The short answer is “story.” However, I’m about to make it a way longer answer than that. While the gameplay is classic Supergiant action married with rogue-like elements, the characters and story is where the game really outshines others.
All of the characters in Hades, although they were already existent before Supergiant created Hades, the studio went above and beyond to really give them their own spin and personality. I love the surfer dude persona of Poseidon, the seemingly gone-crazy Orpheus, and, of course, the laugh track-accompanied Dionysus was always a joy to see. Not to mention the voice acting here is incredible. With a team as small as Supergiant, it’s insane to think that every line of dialogue is fully voice acted. There’s a lot of AAA games that still don’t pull it off, with less lines, too.
Outside of the dialogue, the art direction of all the characters is extraordinary. They could have gone for some of the tropes for a lot of these characters (and they do, for some like Zeus), but I think they go in unique directions for characters like Athena. She keeps her roots with the owl and mirror shield (an item which is prominent in her set of boons), but also is portrayed with bronze skin (another reference to a boon). I’m sure this isn’t how many people thought of Athena before, but Supergiant has now etched their portrayals of these characters in my head, which is no small feat.
Beyond the lovable characters, though, the way that Hades tells a story is the most impressive feature. In most other well-known roguelikes, all you have is a motivator. You have a reason for continually going on the same journey. In Slay the Spire, for example, your goal is to— well, Slay the Spire. However, in Hades the story goes much deeper than that. In addition, compared to many other roguelikes where you have to go looking for story, you don’t really have to in Hades: it really just comes to you. Compared to one of the most famous roguelikes, The Binding of Isaac, where I feel like you really had to search for the story, it just comes in Hades.
In addition, there’s something else Hades does that no other roguelike game I’ve played has: side quests. While this starts with just having different prophecies you can fulfill, some of these prophecies become a lot more than just a prophecy. As you grow closer to characters, you learn more about who they are, how they got where they did, and how you can help them. My favorite of these so far has been the story of Sisyphus and Bouldy, and their eternal torture. I don’t want to talk too much about it as to not spoil anything, (even though it isn’t the most complex storyline you’ll ever experience), but it’s nice to have more to do in a roguelike other than complete the same loop. You still will be completing that loop, but it gives new motivators. A motivator like “I want to see if I can reunite Orpheus and Eurydice” is much more fun and interesting than a simpler one like “I think getting to the end is fun.” While that can be fun for some people, it will eventually become stale. The stories in Hades will keep more people coming back for longer. And in the end, isn’t the goal of any game, especially a roguelike, to keep people coming back?
As I was writing, I thought back to my favorite games of the year, and the “official” Game of the Year awards. Out of these thoughts came a question: if Hades didn’t win Game of the Year this year, will any roguelike ever win it? It’s really hard to say, I think. It did everything a game of the year needed to. It had great presentation, both in visuals and music (as a side note: I’m listening to the orchestrated “Songs of Supergiant Games” as I write this— it rules). It had tight gameplay with great controls, and an incredibly satisfying loop. It also had variety in this loop with different weapons, and styles to use with each weapon. It also innovated on the entire genre by putting a larger focus on story than ever before, and doing it well. With investing side quests and a lively and diverse cast of characters, Hades does story better than any competition in its genre.
So all of this brings it back to my question: where is the room to improve? Is the answer as simple as “don’t release in the same year as The Last of Us Part II?” Or maybe it lies in the story itself. While it’s well told, it’s not anything I’ve never seen before, especially with my obsession with Broadway musical Hadestown coming just a year before this game’s full release. Perhaps the game being available in early access took away the oomph of the official release date. But on the other hand, Supergiant has stated on multiple occasions that early access helped make Hades the game it is today. So how does a roguelike ever win Game of the Year?
The answer: it doesn’t. But they don’t need to. People will like what they like, and if a genre is too niche to win Game of the Year, that’s okay. It can be your Game of the Year, and when you play games, that should be the only award that matters.