The developers over at Supergiant Games have no doubt made nothing short of a masterpiece with the release of Hades. The game cleverly took its roguelike elements and worked them into the story; justifying the player’s many failed escape attempts and in a way, encouraging trial and error, as it unlocks new dialogue for the many different characters you meet along your journey.
However, after the countless runs and inevitably being sent back to the Underworld over and over, some of the cracks begin to show; whether it be unexplained plot points or little unquestioned details that don’t seem to add up. Here are some curious examples.
Disclaimer: Story spoilers ahead!
10 Petting Cerberus
It turns out that Hades’ famous pet isn’t as ferocious as everyone makes him out to be… at least if you’re the Prince of the Underworld. Perhaps Cerberus isn’t as friendly to all the residents within the House of Hades (sorry, Dusa), but as Zagreus, the player can afford to let their guard down. Still, why only allow the player to pet ONE of Cerberus’ three heads?
Although it’s briefly mentioned that only one of his heads enjoys pets, it should have at least been an option to pet all three. The blatant display of favoritism is a little disappointing; especially when considering the implication that the Nectar that can be gifted is only for one lucky Cerberus head to enjoy. How is that fair?
9 British Accents
The Olympians, Achilles, and even Sisyphus are all born of Greek mythology. So, then, why are almost all of the main characters British? Hades, Persephone, and Zagreus, among others, all sport rather posh British accents, despite being Greek gods. Furthermore, why is it that Thanatos and Zagreus were raised as brothers but have accents that differ from each other?
Ignoring the fact that these characters would likely not speak English as their preferred language anyway (Supergiant Games is an American company, so this can slide), it is still an interesting (albeit maybe confusing) choice to make many characters have this accent (Megaera, Nyx, and Skelly being a few notable characters that do not).
8 Asterius Solo Fight
The third main boss battle isn’t much of a fair fight. The former hero, Theseus, calls upon the help of a Greek god (which one specifically can vary between each run) in addition to his faithful Minotaur friend, Asterius. However, in a random encounter, the player can have the honor of fighting Asterius on his own.
At first, it seems like a fair alternative: fight Asterius now, then face off against Theseus later in a true one-on-one battle. Then the player realizes that they have to fight the duo again as normal. As if the double team isn’t enough, Asterius returns with a fully replenished health bar as if nothing had ever happened just a few rooms earlier. One would think that besting Asterius earlier would mean his HP would be depleted even just a little bit come the main boss battle, but of course, such an unforgiving game would do poor Zagreus no such favor.
7 Breaking The Fourth Wall
In the game, the narrator guides the player, telling them all the ins-and-outs of the Underworld. An omnipotent, all-seeing narrator isn’t all that uncommon. However, in most cases, this would mean only the player would be able to hear them, while all the characters go about their business. Strangely, Zagreus is exempt from this and can hear the narrator just fine.
It seems as if after every bit of narration, Zagreus has a witty quip or rebuttal while the rest of the characters are none the wiser. It is even through this unique ability that Zagreus learns the truth about his birth mother. Being in a house full of gods and otherworldly beings, one would think that maybe someone as powerful as Hades or Nyx would be capable of breaking the fourth wall at least once in a while.
6 The Passage of Time
Time and time again (no pun intended), the members of the house mention that they don’t know day from night. As the Underworld is under the surface, the absence of the sun is apparent, making it impossible for anyone to truly have any concept of time.
How could Hades run such a tight ship with no clock-in and clock-out time? Who is going to wake Hypnos up from his third nap of the day? Most importantly, how can anyone make sure Cerberus hasn’t missed mealtime?
5 Romancing Within The Family
Nectar is a precious resource and Zagreus can’t afford to give it away to just anyone (unless you’re hunting for all the keepsakes you can get). The social links add another opportunity for great characterization; exploring Zagreus’ relationships with the residents of the House of Hades. However, his potential romantic relationship with Thanatos seems to raise more than a few questions.
Although the two aren’t directly related within the story of Hades, a conversation with Nyx reveals that the pair were in fact raised as siblings. Some players might feel a little uneasy (and confused) with the idea of the option to have Zagreus court a man he thought to be his brother for the first few years of his life. Kudos to Supergiant for the inclusion of a possible same-sex relationship, though!
4 The River Styx Boatride
After numerous victories, players can achieve the true ending and convince Zagreus’ birth mother, Persephone, to finally come home. The reason Zagreus must fight his way back up each time was to reach Persephone and discover the truth behind his birth and the falling out between her and Hades. After each victory, their conversation slowly progressed.
Zagreus cannot survive on the surface for long, making his time for questions quite limited. However, during the true end, Persephone takes Zagreus to Charon’s boat, stating that it was completely safe for him on the River Styx. If that were the case, why didn’t she take Zagreus there before? After countless battles back to the top, apparently, the key to a longer conversation with Persephone was just a few steps away from her garden all along.
3 Pomegranate Garden
At the end of the game, the player finally gets the honor of stepping into Persephone’s garden. While it is mainly barren, they mention Persephone’s pomegranate trees. How could the cold, dark land of the Underworld produce a fruit that needs at least six hours of sunlight a day?
It’s worth noting that even within the fishing mini-game, there is a distinction between the eerie creatures exclusively available within the Underworld versus the regular fish residing on the surface. Perhaps Zagreus should have been selling his pomegranate upgrades instead, considering they are most likely a rarity in his homeland.
2 One Way Ticket Home
So the Queen is back home and Zagreus has the green light from his father to continue his escape attempts, allowing the player to keep enjoying the game and fight to reach Persephone’s garden as many times as they wish. However, with no one there to greet Zagreus upon reaching his destination, there’s no real explanation for him to be dragged back to the Underworld as he always is. Where does he go from here?
No problem, though. The narrator covers for him, coming up with increasingly ridiculous ways for our poor protagonist to meet his end. Why don’t fans get to play through these scenarios? Some of them sound like so much fun!
1 Making Repetition Entertaining
The most puzzling thing about Hades is how well it entertains the player while still being grueling and challenging. The absence of checkpoints renders progress useless the moment the player gets sent back to the House of Hades. Although the levels do change and enemies may vary, the sense of repetition truly becomes apparent once the thought of besting each boss once again crosses the player’s mind midway through Asphodel.
How can replaying the same levels from start to finish be this compelling and fun, despite the occasional rage quits in between? Hades (perhaps with the help of the gods) miraculously finds a way to make persistence overcome the feeling of endless frustration.
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