I am often disappointed by game stories. With rare exceptions – Half-life, Shadow of the ColossusGames that knew when to shut the hell up – I found them tedious, forgettable, and frustratingly aping of film and TV storylines.
Bad writing isn’t to blame. There are plenty of smart, well-crafted stories in video games that are devalued by having to drag on for dozens of hours or by being played clumsily by creepy digital avatars. I believe it’s a Sisyphean task to try to balance satisfying gameplay with the demands of storytelling.
Then there is Hadesthe game that masterfully combines story and gameplay. Four years after its official release, the action roguelike is still the best example of how video game storytelling adapts to its medium.
Hades achieves this through repetition. The game’s structure teaches players the rules of combat and the depth of characters as Zagreus, the surrogate son of the Underworld, continually encounters obstacles on his way out of Hell. With each playthrough, Zagreus destroys the Underworld’s denizens, meets new ones, tears down the harsh facades of his family and former lovers, and rebuilds his home in a way that expresses admiration and appreciation for his allies.
Developer Supergiant Games delivers this development with extreme efficiency. The dialogue between characters is precisely written and delivered with a clear, fast cadence – every time I play, I enjoy listening to the whimsical wisdom of Zagreus’ foster mother Nyx and making sure to check out the charming Dusa. Hades‘ Repetition benefits the player greatly in this respect; while other video games repeat dialogues two or three times to clarify the characters’ motivation or mission objectives, Hades can reinforce its ideas and narrative step by step. Any repeated or reinforced dialogue comes in short bursts. You never have to wait for the action, even as the characters’ storylines advance, nor are you led by the hand narratively.
Hades writes around its randomness inherent in roguelikes. Take Zagreus’ relationship with Megaera, a boss fight that is somewhat random—sometimes you 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 relationship with her sisters. Characters come and go in the game’s central world, the House of Hades, where Zagreus is reborn after his death. When characters like Achilles, Thanatos, and Papa Hades himself are present, we get to advance their story. When they’re absent, we miss their presence and wonder what they’re up to. We learn to appreciate their reappearances and enjoy the opportunity to talk to them.
Supergiant encourages investing in these relationships by tying a portion of progress to the hard-earned game resource, Nectar. We choose which relationships we want to put effort into and show our love to the people we feel attracted to over the course of dozens of playthroughs. Fortunately, the game is full of relationships worth investing in. Our repeated meetings with friends, family, and former/future lovers endear them to us over time.
Even the game’s most contentious relationship, that between Zagreus and Hades, is supported by the roguelike structure. Hades is never not angry with his son, but as he suffers repeated defeats, he begins to respect Zagreus. The two find peace and harmony, but only after many, many bitter battles to the death.
HadesThe endgame, when Zagreus finally breaks out of Hell and meets his mother, underscores how good Supergiant is at weaving its narrative into the game’s structure. Zagreus must fight his way back to his mother, enjoy their brief reunions, and learn new details about Persephone and Hades’ relationship bit by bit. Despite all the repetition in the game and the frustration as Zagreus desperately seeks closure, the conclusion of the game is gratifying. But true to Supergiant’s commitment to weaving story and gameplay together, the game’s replay value doesn’t end there.
Hades‘ The structure itself makes these kinds of blossoming, evolving, and complex relationships possible. 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.
With Hades2 It’s exciting to see Supergiant Games repeating itself on the horizon.
