History VideoGame / Hades

** Boons and upgrades that grant more consecutive dashes may look like plain movement buffs at first glance, but they allow you to [[SpamAttack spam the effects]] of other dash-activated boons such as Zeus's Thunder Dash.

** The Fated List of Minor Prophecies contains sidequests that require you to try all boons and Daedalus Hammer upgrades. While these require multiple playthroughs, the choices are mostly up to the RandomNumberGod. Fortunately, there's a LuckManipulationMechanic that allows you to reroll the options and select the upgrades that you haven't tried out yet.
** Speedrunning with the in-game timer frequently comes down to how many shops and fountains show up (to avoid combat entirely), how many event chambers and Thanatos contests show up (during which the timer is paused), and the above mentioned Satyr Sack RNG. Truly unfortunate players might be set up for a new record time, only for a tough miniboss for their build or the Barge of Death show up.

** The various gods' keepsakes. Normally, which gods will help Zagreus is chosen randomly. By equipping one of their keepsakes, however, you are guaranteed to always be offered that god's Boon as your next one. This allows Zagreus a degree of control over his build, and to aim for specific Duo Boons.

* {{Macrogame}}:
** The Mirror of Night lets Zagreus gain permanent buffs in exchange for the Darkness resource you obtain from certain rooms in the game.
** Zagreus can also unlock and empower new weapon forms between runs, unlock equipable keepsakes that provide bonuses like more health or forcing a specific boon-providing god, or commission helpful rooms or challenges that can then show up in the Underworld.

* He can Attack or use a Special ability with one of his Infernal Arms, which he selects from the armory every time he leaves the House of Hades to attempt escape. At first, there's only one, but players can unlock more, and power them up, as time passes. He can also equip a "Keepsake" which tweaks how he functions in battle; he gets these by giving special items to [=NPCs=], some of whom are found in the House and others are out in the Underworld.

* Zagreus can power himself up in various ways.
** As he progresses through any given escape attempt, he will encounter Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, who has summoned her fellow Olympians to aid Zagreus. They give (choice of three randomly-selected) {{Perk}}s to any of the five basic abilities (Attack, Special, Cast, Dash, Dash Attack) or other tweaks to Zagreus himself, which last until the end of the run. Though not a god, the artificer Daedalus can also provide Hammers which likewise add a non-permanent modification to the currently-selected Infernal Arm, with each weapon having its own list.
** Zagreus can play the {{Macrogame}}. Various currencies allow him to: cache the game's RandomlyGeneratedLevels with useful power-ups, more effective healing fountains, and so on; power up his own skills; and strengthen the Infernal Arms. He can also level up the Keepsakes purely by using them. These are persistent between runs.

** Zagreus can collect currency which allows him to cache the game's RandomlyGeneratedLevels with useful power-ups, more effective healing fountains, and so on. Additionally, he can use the Mirror of Reflection to power up his own skills. Finally, he can strengthen the Infernal Arms (by using other rare items) and his Keepsakes (by simply LevelGrinding with them). These are persistent between runs.

''Hades'' combines the traditional roguelike / {{permadeath}} formula with gradual progression, allowing Zagreus to begin each escape attempt just a bit stronger than he started the previous one with. Of course, the rest of it is random, and Zagreus must use both his wits and his ingenuity during every escape attempt as he battles through the four biomes of TheUnderworld — Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and Styx — and all the various forces of the Underworld that Hades has arrayed against him to stop him from leaving. And, of course, there's more to the story than just trying to escape...

** Twin Fists's [[spoiler:Aspect of Gilgamesh, a ''melee'' weapon, applies Maim debuff that causes the afficted enemy to take more damage AND deal more damage to Zag]].

''Hades'' is a game based on Myth/ClassicalMythology. Developed by Creator/SupergiantGames, the game follows Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld and son of Hades himself. When a revelation about his heritage proves to be the last straw in his strained relationship with his father, Zagreus resolves to [[EscapedFromHell Escape From Hell]] or die trying. Of course, since the game is a {{Roguelike}}, he'll succeed [[TheManyDeathsOfYou frequently]] at the latter; whether he succeeds at the former is up to the player.

''Hades'' combines the traditional roguelike / {{permadeath}} formula with gradual progression, allowing Zagreus to begin each escape attempt just a bit stronger than he started the previous one with. Of course, the rest of it is random, and Zagreus must use both his wits and his ingenuity during every escape attempt as he battles through the four biomes of TheUnderworld — Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and Styx — and all the various forces of the Underworld that Hades has arrayed against him to stop him from leaving.

The Early Access trailer can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=593xCDfumN0 here]].

Not to be confused with the {{Roguelike}} ''VideoGame/HadesVanquish'' from DoujinSoft developer Creator/FoxEye. However, that game ''also'' coincidentally has EscapedFromHell as its main premise. Nor the obscure Korean FirstPersonShooter ''Hades'' from 1995 by Ablex.

A sequel, ''VideoGame/HadesII'', was announced at the Game Awards 2022. It follows the story of Zagreus's sister, Melinoë, some time after the events of the original game. Tutored in witchcraft by Hecate, she sets out to slay Chronos, the Titan of Time, who has escaped his underworld prison, imprisoned Hades, and declared war on Olympus.

''Hades'' is a game based on Myth/ClassicalMythology. Developed by Creator/SupergiantGames, the game follows Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld and son of Hades himself. When a revelation about his heritage proves to be the last straw in his strained relationship with his father, Zagreus resolves to leave the underworld or die trying. Of course, since the game is a {{Roguelike}}, he'll succeed [[TheManyDeathsOfYou frequently]] at the latter; whether he succeeds at the former is up to the player.

* He has a DashAttack which allows him to get out of trouble. It is his first, and in many cases only, line of defense.

** As he progresses through any given escape attempt, he will encounter Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, who has summoned her fellow Olympians to aid Zagreus. They give (a random selection of) {{Perk}}s to any of the four basic abilities (Attack, Special, Cast, Dash), which last until the end of the run. Though not a god, the artificer Daedalus can also drop in by providing Hammers which likewise add a non-permanent tweak to the currently-selected Infernal Arm.
** Zagreus can collect currency which allows him to cache the game's RandomlyGeneratedLevels with useful power-ups, more effective healing fountains, and so on. Additionally, he can use the Mirror of Reflection to power up his own skills. These, along with the Infernal Arms and Keepsake powerups, are persistent between runs.

''Hades'' combines the traditional roguelike / {{permadeath}} formula with persistent leveling, allowing Zagreus to begin each escape attempt just a bit stronger than he started the previous one with. Of course, the rest of it is random, and Zagreus must use both his wits and his ingenuity during every escape attempt as he battles through the four biomes of TheUnderworld — Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and Styx — and all the various forces of the Underworld that Hades has arrayed against him to stop him from leaving.

* GriefInducedSplit: In the backstory, Persephone's strained relationship with Hades reaches its breaking point when their son Zagreus is stillborn. Unable to bear life in the Underworld anymore, she runs away to go into hiding on the surface. Because of this, she is unaware that Zagreus was actually saved from death by the intervention of Nyx; his goal throughout the game is to reunite with her and repair the relationship between his parents.

The development of ''Hades'' began less than a month after the release of Supergiant's previous title, ''VideoGame/{{Pyre}}''. The game received a surprise Early Access release (a first for the company) after being revealed at the Game Awards on December 6, 2018 and was released as an exclusive title of the UsefulNotes/EpicGamesStore for a year on December 10th 2018, with a UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Early Access release coming the following year. It left early access for a full release on September 17, 2020 on PC (again via Epic Games and Steam), Mac, and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, with ports for the UsefulNotes/PS4, UsefulNotes/PS5, and UsefulNotes/XboxOne eventually released.

* He can Attack or use a Special ability with one of his Infernal Arms, which he selects from the armory every time he leaves the House of Hades to attempt escape. At first, there's only one, but players can unlock more, and power them up, as time passes. He can also equip a "Keepsake" which tweaks how he functions in battle; he gets these by giving special items to NPCs, some of whom are found in the House and others are out in the Underworld.

''Hades'' is an isometric {{Roguelike}} ActionRPG developed by Creator/SupergiantGames. Based on Greek Myth/ClassicalMythology, the game follows Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld and son of Hades himself. When a revelation about his heritage proves to be the last straw in his strained relationship with his father, Zagreus resolves to leave the underworld or die trying. He'll succeed at the latter, [[TheManyDeathsOfYou many times]]; whether he succeeds at the former is up to the player.

As befitting a PlayerCharacter of his genre, Zagreus has only a few abilities available to him:
* He can use weak and strong attacks with his weapon, which he selects from Hades' armory at the beginning of every escape attempt. At first, there's only one, but players can unlock more, and power them up, as time passes. He can also equip a "Relic" which tweaks how he functions in battle.
* He has a "Cast" ability to throw a bloodstone. At first it doesn't do much, but Athena has recruited the other gods of Olympus to help Zagreus escape, and amongst their {{Perk}}s are enhancements to the bloodstone, which last until the end of the run. Additionally, Zagreus only has one bloodstone (though he can get more), and he has to go pick it up every time he uses it.
* He has a DashAttack which allows him to get out of trouble. It is his first, and in many cases only, line of defense. Some Olympian boons also change how this ability works, such as adding on-use effects or multiple charges.
* He can also collect currency which allows him to cache the game's RandomlyGeneratedLevels with useful power-ups, more effective healing fountains, and so on. Additionally, he can use the Mirror of Reflection to power up his own skills. These, along with the Weapon and Relic powerups, are persistent between runs.

''Hades'' combines the traditional roguelike / {{permadeath}} formula with persistent power-ups, allowing Zagreus to begin each escape attempt just a bit stronger than he started the previous one with. Of course, the rest of it is random, and Zagreus must use both his wits and his ingenuity during every escape attempt as he battles through the four biomes of TheUnderworld — Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and Styx — and all the various forces of the Underworld that Hades has arrayed against him to stop him from leaving.

''Hades'' is an isometric {{Roguelike}} ActionRPG developed by Creator/SupergiantGames. Based on Greek Myth/ClassicalMythology, the game follows Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld and son of Hades himself. When a revelation about his heritage proves to be the last straw in his strained relationship with his father, Zagreus resolves to leave the underworld or die trying. And he ''will'' die, again and again and again.

Zagreus is not alone in this quest, however. He’s aided by his extended family, the gods and goddesses of Olympus. During every escape attempt, they will empower him with an array of boons intended to increase his combat abilities as he battles through the four biomes of TheUnderworld — Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and Styx — and all the various forces of the Underworld that Hades has sicced on him to stop him from leaving.

** [[DoubleEdgedBuff Double-Edged Buffs]] aside, certain Daedalus Hammer upgrades function more as sidegrades and can be detrimental depending on the build. For instance, one upgrade on the fists changes your RapidFireFisticuffs into a slow three-hit sequence, which, while damaging, doesn't pair well with boons that synergize with fast attacks.

** Boons that change the behavior of casts can be this depending on your build. Some builds (such as the Aspect of Hera bow or Aspect of Beowulf shield) want casts that deal damage on impact and causes Bloodstones to dislodge quickly, which makes casts that turn your cast into a different projectile and are slow to collect (like Ares's or Demeter's casts) hard to use. Builds that wants Bloodstones to stay in enemies (to take advantage of the Boiling Blood perk, for example) don't want abilities that cause Bloodstones to dislodge. Uniquely, the Lightning Rod boon causes Bloodstones to deal damage uncollected, which pairs poorly with boons such as Greater Recall, which auto-collects Bloodstones.

* PowerupLetdown: Certain boons pair poorly with certain weapons, which due to the randomized nature of the game, can be problematic if you run into limited boon choices in a run. For example, slow-firing weapons like the bow benefit from boons that grant damage modifiers, whereas abilities like Zeus's lightning require high volume of fire to reach their full potential.

** Much like in Supergiant's past games, there is a metric ton of incidental or situational dialog. For example, Hermes will acknowledge if you have the speedrun timer enabled or if you had your victory streak broken, while Zagreus's lines upon entering Chaos Gates will differ if you equipped him with the Cosmic Egg. Other triggers can include carrying certain weapons that a god approves (or disapproves) of, receiving boons from another specific god, getting certain rare encounters in a previous run, [[YetAnotherStupidDeath or dying in an unusual manner]].

** Bosses have unique dialogue if they are placed under the Charm {{Status Effect|s}} Charm.

* EmployeeOfTheMonth: After the Lounge is unlocked, a portrait next to the Wretched Broker's area honors an Underworld employee who has performed well, similar to Employee of the Month (it rotates every run or so). Zagreus can interact with this portrait and will often express pride for the friends who make it on there. [[spoiler:Hypnos and Dusa]] can get featured as Zagreus advances their character routes, and after the ending, [[spoiler:Zagreus himself]] will occasionally be featured.

* EmployeeOfTheMonth: After the Lounge is unlocked, a portrait next to the Wretched Broker's area honors an Underworld employee who has performed well, similar to Employee of the Month (it rotates every run or so). Zagreus can interact with this portrait and will often express pride for the friends who make it on there. And after the ending, he will occasionally be featured.

* TheQueensLatin: Several characters (most notably Zagreus himself) have British accents despite being Greek mythological figures. This was intentional on the creators' part, since it's meant to be a nod to older films set in ancient Greece and Rome where everyone speaks with British accents. The accent also serves to distinguish the Olympian gods (along with Hades and Zagreus) from the Chthonic gods, who speak with American accents; at one point, Dusa asks Zagreus why he has a "surface accent" and he says it's because Hades was the one who taught him how to speak, as the Olympian gods are the ones who sound British and Hades was originally one of them.