The roguelike that converted the skeptics. Every escape attempt mixes things up through Boons, and the story weaves itself between deaths without ever dragging. Snappy combat and a loop you restart almost on reflex.
Your verdict
Category
Roguelike1 player12+
Description
Zagreus, son of Hades, tries to escape the Underworld, dying and reborn with every attempt. Published by Supergiant Games, released worldwide in 2020. Short, ever-changing runs, boons from the Olympian gods, six weapons and a story that unfolds through death.
Hades review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
The Underworld has never looked so flamboyant: hand-painted portraits, incandescent reds and instantly charismatic characters give Greek myth real flesh. That visual richness, paired with flawless combat readability, is exactly why you keep diving back in.
Darren Korb electrifies the Underworld with rock-metal tinged with world music, biting guitars and Ashley Barrett's vocals cutting through the layers. Every attempt relights the energy, like a score built to die and start over without fatigue. This marriage of Greek myth and modern riff galvanises Zagreus's escapes and has lost none of its fire.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Starting another escape the instant you die, without a second thought: the loop hooks you from the first run. Combat, brisk and perfectly readable, reinvents itself each attempt through Boons and six sharply distinct weapons. The repeated scenery shows, but ever-meaningful progress and lively writing sweep the gripe aside. An ideal gateway to the roguelite.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Dash to dodge, chain your strikes, fall and dive right back in: the tempo never lets up. Every death unlocks a line, a weapon, a power, so failure feeds your progress. The razor-sharp combat and steady power growth form a loop you fire up just one more time, then once more.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Death isn't an end but an instant restart: you rise to the surface, chat with the pantheon, and head back out better equipped. Boon-building reshapes the run room by room, and the story advances even when you fail. This 'useful failure' loop turns the roguelike into a tale whose next chapter you crave. Replayability stays exemplary; the repetition of early rooms can wear on very long sessions.
Born quietly in early access before snowballing into a phenomenon, Hades hides a rarely praised feat behind its action-roguelike fame: its writing. Each death pushes the story forward, and characters grow across hundreds of runs. People remember the combat and underrate how tightly the narrative weaves into the loop. Worth rediscovering for that storytelling craft, perfect for anyone who thinks they hate dying over and over.
Is Hades still worth playing in 2026?
Hades redefined what a roguelite could tell. Its loop of death and rebirth, far from punishing, becomes a narrative engine where every failure pushes the story forward. The combat, brisk and readable, renews itself through the gods' boons and six weapons of sharply distinct styles. The writing, voice acting and Supergiant's art direction give the genre a rare soul. You might fault the recurring environments, but the always-meaningful progression sweeps the objection aside. Accessible without being easy, it is an ideal gateway to the roguelite and a title that has not aged a day.
