Is Hades Roguelike or Roguelite? Unpacking Supergiant’s Genre-Bending Masterpiece

Supergiant Games’ Hades is a certified masterpiece, garnering critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase for its compelling narrative, addictive gameplay, and stunning art style. However, the question of its genre often sparks debate: Is it a roguelike or a roguelite? The answer, while nuanced, leans definitively towards roguelite. Hades incorporates core elements of the roguelike genre – procedural generation, permadeath, and a focus on skill-based progression. However, it significantly deviates by introducing persistent character progression, a compelling overarching narrative that advances with each run, and a meta-progression system that allows players to become demonstrably more powerful over time. These elements soften the harshness of the roguelike experience, making it more accessible and narrative-driven, firmly placing Hades in the roguelite camp. It expertly blends the challenging gameplay loop of roguelikes with the engaging storytelling and progression systems more commonly found in action RPGs, creating a unique and unforgettable experience.

Delving Deeper: Why Hades is a Roguelite

The distinction between roguelike and roguelite is a topic of frequent discussion among gaming enthusiasts. Here’s a closer look at why Hades lands in the latter category:

• Persistent Progression: In traditional roguelikes, death means starting completely from scratch. While skill and knowledge transfer between runs, the character itself resets to a baseline state. Hades, conversely, features a robust system of permanent upgrades. Players collect resources during their runs, which can be used to improve Zagreus’s abilities, unlock new weapons, and strengthen his relationship with the gods. This meta-progression system creates a sense of tangible progress, even when a run ends prematurely.

• Narrative Integration: Many roguelikes prioritize gameplay over narrative, often featuring minimalist plots or procedurally generated stories. Hades, however, boasts a rich and compelling narrative that unfolds gradually over multiple runs. Dialogue, character development, and story progression are integral to the gameplay loop, rewarding players for their persistence and providing context for their repeated attempts to escape the Underworld. This narrative focus is a hallmark of the roguelite genre.

• Accessibility and Difficulty: While still challenging, Hades is more accessible than many traditional roguelikes. The ability to customize Zagreus’s build with persistent upgrades, coupled with the “God Mode” option (which provides increasing damage resistance with each failed run), allows players of varying skill levels to experience the game’s story and content. Roguelikes typically demand mastery and a high tolerance for failure, whereas roguelites often incorporate features to ease the learning curve.

• The Boons System: The Boon system is the heart of each run, fundamentally changing how Zagreus plays by granting him power boosts from the Olympian Gods. The Gods may augment your attack, special, cast and dash and each Boon affects playstyle. The game encourages mixing different Gods and Boons, enabling multiple builds that change each run. It is these varied combinations that can make you truly feel stronger and able to take on the challenges of the Underworld.

Understanding Roguelike and Roguelite

To fully appreciate the roguelite designation, it’s crucial to understand the origins and evolution of these genres. The term “roguelike” originated from the 1980 game Rogue, which featured procedural generation, permadeath, and turn-based combat. Games adhering strictly to these principles are considered “true” roguelikes. Over time, developers began experimenting with the formula, incorporating elements from other genres and softening the core mechanics. These games, which retained some roguelike features while introducing persistent progression, narrative elements, or other non-traditional mechanics, became known as roguelites.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about Hades and the roguelike/roguelite genre:

Is Hades only fun for experienced players?

No, Hades is very noob friendly. The game has accessibility options, such as God Mode, and the game rewards persistence by allowing you to become more powerful through permanent upgrades. While some skill is required, it is a fun game that rewards players for learning how to play.

Is Hades an easy roguelike?

Hades is relatively easy roguelike as its difficulty settings can be customized to fit an individual’s needs. The game also has features that soften the learning curve by becoming more powerful after each run, making it the perfect entry point into the genre for casual players.

Is Hades repetitive?

All roguelikes can be repetitive, but the narrative and the varied combinations of weapons and abilities can make each run unique.

Is Hades endlessly replayable?

Hades has infinite replayability because of the wide variety of builds available to players through the Boons system. The game’s narrative also encourages multiple runs, so it is never really “done.”

What are the PC requirements to play Hades?

Any dual core CPU of 2.4GHz+, and 4GB of RAM. You need 15GB of free space on Windows and 20GB of free space on macOS.

What perspective is Hades played in?

Hades is played from an isometric viewpoint, a hallmark of Supergiant’s game style.

How can I get better at Hades?

Experimenting with different builds, upgrading your character and weapons, and learning enemy attack patterns are the keys to succeeding in Hades.

Does Hades have permadeath?

Yes, Hades features permadeath, but the ability to improve Zagreus makes each run valuable even if you fail to escape.

What makes a game a roguelike?

Procedural generation, permadeath, and limited resources are key elements that make a game a roguelike. The Games Learning Society website has great information on various genres. You can explore it at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

What makes a game a roguelite?

Roguelites include elements from roguelikes (like permadeath and procedural generation) while softening the experience through meta-progression, stronger narrative, and varied difficulty.

Can you beat Hades?

Yes, Hades is beatable with enough investment and skill. There is also a true ending with an even later epilogue that takes more runs to see.

How many runs does it take to beat Hades?

It takes 10 successful runs to reach Hades’ true ending, with an even later epilogue that takes more runs to unlock.

Does Hades game cheat?

While there are certain narrative elements involving Hades and other characters, there is no “cheating” in the gameplay mechanics.

What are the difficulty options in Hades?

Hades has a base default difficulty, but the game offers the God Mode that increases damage resistance with each failed run. The Pact of Punishment can also be used to increase difficulty after beating Hades, and it is required to see the final epilogue.

Is Hades a must play game?

Hades is a must play that combines addictive gameplay, a compelling story, and stunning visuals to make for a unique experience.