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Hades

Hades is a 2020 roguelike action role-playing game developed and published by Supergiant Games. It was released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows on September 17, 2020, following an early access release in December 2018. It was later released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in August 2021, and was released for iOS in March 2024 through Netflix Games. Players control Zagreus, the son of Hades, in his many attempts to escape from the Underworld and find his mother, Persephone. Aided by boons the Olympians bestow on him, he battles through a random series of rooms populated with enemies and bosses at the end of each section. The game features a hack and slash combat system; the player uses a combination of a main weapon attack, a special attack, a dash ability, and a magic ability to defeat enemies while avoiding damage to progress as far as possible. While Zagreus will often die, he can use the treasure gained during these failed runs to improve certain attributes or unlock new weapons and abilities to increase the chance of escaping on subsequent runs. Hades was developed following Supergiant's Pyre, in which they wanted to explore procedural narrative storytelling. However, due to the nature of the gameplay, they found that players did not play through it multiple times to explore this. The roguelike structure of Hades allowed them to tell these branching stories to the player over the course of multiple playthroughs. Hades has been cited among the greatest video games of all time, with critics praising its narrative, gameplay, art style, music, and voice acting. It sold more than one million copies and was named game of the year by several award ceremonies and media publications. A sequel, Hades II, was released in early access in 2024, and had its full release in 2025.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Hades (video game) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

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The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

Zagreus (Darren Korb), the firstborn son of Hades (Logan Cunningham), seeks to escape his father's realm in the Underworld. He is aided in his quest by his adoptive mother Nyx (Jamie Landrum), the Gods of Olympus to whom he has reached out, and other inhabitants of the Underworld. Hades claims that escape is impossible and hinders Zagreus by unleashing the Underworld's monsters on him. Each time Zagreus is slain, he is revived at the House of Hades, a palace where he and other Chthonic gods reside, which he leaves to attempt another escape.
It is eventually revealed that Zagreus wishes to escape the Underworld to find his biological mother Persephone (Laila Berzins) whom he never knew due to being told that he was the child of Nyx. Hades refuses to allow her name to be spoken in his House, and it is said that those who disobey this order will be punished. Nyx decides to help Zagreus find the truth about his birth mother by putting him in contact with his relatives on Mount Olympus, including Zeus (Peter Canavese), Poseidon (Logan Cunningham), Ares (Cyrus Nemati), Aphrodite (Courtney Vineys), Artemis (Jamie Landrum), Athena (Marianne Miller), Demeter (Laila Berzins), Dionysus (Cyrus Nemati), and Hermes (Andrew Marks). After eventually reaching the exit to the Underworld and defeating Hades, Zagreus finds Persephone at a cottage in Greece. After they reunite, Zagreus discovers that since he, like Hades, is bound to the Underworld, he will quickly die after reaching the surface. Despite this, he promises to keep escaping the Underworld to spend time with Persephone and learn the truth about her absence.
Over the course of these visits, it is revealed that Zeus "gave" Persephone to Hades as a reward for ruling over the Underworld with the other Olympians believing that she simply disappeared. The two had a loving marriage until Zagreus was stillborn due to the Fates having decreed that Hades would never have an heir. Persephone ran away in grief, but refused to return to her birthplace on Olympus which she disliked due to the Olympians' constant bickering. Nyx eventually resurrected Zagreus after making a deal with the Fates. Persephone refuses to return to the Underworld because she fears retribution towards Hades if the Olympians discover the truth about her disappearance. Zagreus eventually convinces her to return after reminding her of the bonds of family, and Charon (Logan Cunningham) ferries them to the House of Hades. Persephone resumes her duties as Queen of the Underworld. Now with renewed respect for his son, Hades requests that Zagreus continue his escape attempts to identify further security vulnerabilities in the Underworld.
In an epilogue, Persephone tells Zagreus of her idea of reconciling with the Olympians by inviting them to a feast in the House. At the feast, they claim that Hades and Persephone eloped and had Zagreus, while saying that due to her having eaten Underworld pomegranate seeds, she can only leave the Underworld a few months out of the year. The Olympians accept this explanation, though it is implied they know the truth and wish to move on. With everyone reconciled, Zagreus' duties to escape his home continue.
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Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Hades (video game). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license