Hades has perfectly adapted his family story to the video game medium

I am often disappointed by gaming stories. With rare exceptions — Half-life, Shadow of the Colossusgames that knew when to keep their mouths shut — I found them tiresome, forgettable, and frustratingly imitations of movie and TV stories.

Bad writing isn’t to blame. There are plenty of clever, well-crafted stories in video games that are diminished by the need to stretch them out over dozens of hours or have them acted out clumsily by creepy digital avatars. It’s a Sisyphean task, I think, to try to balance satisfying gameplay with the need for storytelling.

Then there is Hadesthe game that masterfully combines story and gameplay. Four years after its official release, the action roguelike remains the best example we have of video game storytelling adapting to the medium.

Hades achieves this through repetition. The game’s structure teaches players the rules of its combat and the depths of its characters by repeatedly throwing Zagreus, surrogate son of the underworld, into obstacles as he fights his way out of hell. With each run, Zagreus destroys the underworld’s denizens, encounters new ones, hacks away at the hardened exteriors of family and former lovers, and rebuilds his home in ways that express admiration and appreciation for his allies.

Developer Supergiant Games delivers this progression with extreme efficiency. Dialogue between characters is tightly written and delivered with a clear, rapid-fire cadence – each time I play, I find myself happily listening to the moody instructive wisdom of Zagreus’ foster mother Nyx and making sure to check in with the charming Dusa. Hades‘Repetition in this way is very beneficial to the player; while other video games repeat dialogue two to three times in an attempt to clarify character motivations or mission objectives, Hades can reinforce its ideas and storyline over and over again. Any repeated or reinforced dialogue comes in short bursts. You are never kept waiting for the action, even as the characters’ storylines progress, and you are not held narratively by the hand either.

Hades writes about the randomness inherent in roguelikes. Take Zagreus’ relationship with Megaera, a boss fight that is somewhat random—sometimes you’ll fight one (or more) of her fellow Furies instead. Through Meg’s appearances and absences, we learn more about her character, her grudge against Zagreus, and her relationships with her sisters. Characters come and go in the game’s hub world, the House of Hades, where Zagreus is reborn after his death. When characters like Achilles, Thanatos, and Papa Hades himself are present, we’re able to progress their stories. When they’re absent, we miss their presence and wonder what they’re up to. We learn to appreciate their reappearances and relish the opportunity to talk to them.

Supergiant encourages investment in these relationships, tying a portion of their progress to the hard-won in-game resource nectar. We choose which relationships to put effort into, showing love to the people we grow attached to over dozens of runs. Fortunately, it’s a game full of relationships worth investing in. Our repeated encounters with our friends, family, and past/future lovers endear them to us over time.

Even the game’s most controversial relationship, between Zagreus and Hades, is supported by the roguelike structure. Hades is never not angry at his son, but as the defeats mount, he gains respect for Zagreus. The two find peace and harmony, but only after many, many fierce battles to the death.

Hades‘ endgame, when Zagreus finally escapes Hell and meets his mother at last, highlights how well Supergiant weaves its story into the game’s structure. Zagreus must fight his way back to his mother, savoring their brief reunions and gradually gleaning new details about Persephone and Hades’ relationship. Despite all the repetition in the game and the feelings of frustration as Zagreus desperately seeks closure, the game’s conclusion is satisfying. But true to Supergiant’s dedication to weaving story and gameplay together, it doesn’t close the book on the game’s replayability.

Hades‘ the structure itself allows for these kinds of blossoming, evolving, and complex relationships. Through repetition and reward, through interwoven stories told in short bursts, we learn everything we need to know — and very little we don’t — about Zagreus and his extended family.

Of Hell 2 It’s exciting to see how Supergiant Games will repeat itself once again.