Finding Fun #6: Hades
I'm examining Supergiant's Hades for this entry of Finding Fun where I learn more about game design principles from some of the best.
Hades is a game about escaping the underworld. The way it handles failure and progression makes each run feel fresh and meaningful.
Core Gameplay Loop
Hades is a roguelike action game where you play as Zagreus, son of Hades, attempting to fight your way through and escape the underworld. The core gameplay loop consists of:
- Clearing procedurally generated chambers through combat
- Collecting upgrades from Olympian gods to customize your build
- Dying and returning to the House of Hades
- Obtaining permanent unlocks/upgrades for future runs
What's Fun?
Immediate Fun
When The Boss Music Kicks In!
The start screen kicks off with several string instruments that will have anyone familiar quickly recognize it's a Supergiant Games production. The battle themes are uptempo and encourage the high-paced movement of dodging and attacking needed to succeed in combat. The boss music kicks in just as the introductions end and gets you amped to jump right in to an intense fight. Quiet rooms or the hub help you recharge with some relaxing ambience and subtle melodies. In many scenes, it almost feels like the music conducted the gameplay and not the other way around which is something I'm coming to notice as a pattern with many of these amazingly fun games.
As a quick aside from doing pure game design analysis, I want to say that Darren Korb has made and continues to make some of the best game music I've heard.
Cohesive Visual Identity
Similar to the music and sound effects, right from the start the game's art direction draws you in. The UI elements, environment design, and character art all work together to create a consistent and engaging visual experience that looks distinctly Hades.
Crisp Combat Controls
The responsive controls make combat feel satisfying even without upgrades or new abilities. Each weapon strike, dash, and special ability feels impactful, precise, and unique, creating a solid foundation for exponential fun as the system gets more complex.
Long-Term Fun
Weapons and Aspects
There's a sword, spear, bow, shield, fists, and a gun so there's something for everyone. In addition to the variety, each weapon has several aspects which change how they handle. Discovering and improving your skills with different weapons provides a constant source of fresh challenges and strategies for those who seek that kind of dynamic gameplay. The game encourages experimentation by offering bonus rewards for different weapons on a given run, but players can choose to ignore those minor rewards if they'd rather stick with the one that feels best to them.
A Story Worth Dying For
Probably the most unique aspect of Hades is that it turns death into a narrative opportunity. Each return to the House of Hades advances character relationships and unveils new story elements, making each failure feel like progress. While some roguelikes want you to jump right back in with a slight upgrade, Hades makes you pause in the hub and see what's changed since your last attempted escape.
Divine Combinations
Experimenting with different combinations of god boons creates more possibilities than most will ever experience. The excitement of discovering powerful synergies between abilities keeps each run fresh and interesting. This does come with a risk in trusting players to make smart choices about which boons to pick up so that they arrive at a strong build or else they might end up frustratingly weak.
Unexpected Fun
Greek Mythology Reimagined
From reading myths in grade school to God of War, Greek mythology is just interesting to so many people at many ages and contexts. Hades conveys lesser known stories and relationships between the gods that I personally had never encountered and was excited to learn more about.
Gods with Personality
The distinct visual designs and voice acting for each god bring these mythological figures to life in unique ways. Their personalities shine through not just in dialogue but in the effects and animations of their boons, offering players an awesome power fantasy.
Not So Fun
RNG's Impact on Run Quality
Sometimes the random nature of boon offerings can make a run feel doomed from the start. Once you understand the mechanics well, getting a poor sequence of upgrades can make it feel like your time investment isn't being respected even if it might encourage experimentation with different strategies.
Frustrating Enemy Types
Certain enemies, particularly in later areas like the Temple of Styx's poison rats or the shielded enemies in Elysium, can feel more annoying than challenging. It tends to be enemies with mechanics that interrupt the otherwise smooth flow of combat.
Stress > Relief > Growth > Progress
Let's examine how Hades creates engagement through some core game design elements:
Stress:The permadeath system creates increasing tension as you push further into each run. The pressure of choosing between different boons and rewards adds strategic stress to decision-making and raises the stakes for what you hope to achieve in your next run.
Relief:Discovering powerful boon combinations or clearing a challenging room provides an immediate sense of achievement.
Growth:Unlocking new weapons and permanent upgrades provides tangible progression. Learning enemy patterns and improving combat skills creates a sense of mastery over time.
Progress:Story developments and relationship building provide narrative progression. The permanent upgrades and weapon aspects offer clear goals as well as a sense of how far you've come.
Lessons for Indie Game Developers
While Hades benefited from Supergiant's experience and resources, its design principles offer valuable insights for smaller teams:
Make Every System Pull Double Duty: Death serves many purposes: it advances the story, it resets your build, and provides permanent upgrades. The House of Hades serves as both a narrative hub and a tutorial space. Many systems in Hades solve multiple problems, making development more efficient and creating richer player experiences.
Start With Constraints, Not Features: Hades room-based structure creates natural constraints that guide both design and development. Each room must be completable in a few minutes tops, forcing the team to make every encounter count. The game's four distinct biomes, each with its own enemy types and hazards, provide clear boundaries for content creation.
Progressive Complexity Through Familiarity: While Hades offers six distinct weapons, each maintains the same core controls (attack, special, dash, cast) while introducing unique mechanics. This approach helps players feel competent with new weapons quickly while still discovering their unique playstyles. The game's boon system follows a similar pattern: each god's offerings build on familiar mechanics while adding new possibilities. This design principle helps players manage complexity without feeling overwhelmed, making it feel natural to experiment with different builds and strategies.
Credits
A big thank you to Silent Longplays for the great playthrough of Hades which yielded the images for this blog post!