In this review
The big picture
Hades gives Zagreus a straightforward ambition: escape the Greek Underworld. Unfortunately, unsuccessful attempts deliver him back to the people he was trying to leave, which makes dying both a combat setback and an awkward return home. Supergiant Games builds its single-player action roguelite around that repeated journey, with changing powers during each attempt and lasting improvements between them. Failure can still move something forward, even when the thing moving backward is you.
The original Hades entered Early Access on 6 December 2018 and reached version 1.0 on 17 September 2020, with PlayStation and Xbox releases following on 13 August 2021. Its appeal is the combination of action, experimentation and an evolving cast. That won't erase the repetition for someone who dislikes starting over. It does give the repetition company, which is a meaningful difference from being defeated and receiving only a screen politely suggesting that you try being better.
Reasons to look closer
Permanent progression gives unsuccessful attempts continuing value, while character stories respond to your returns. Olympian Boons encourage you to adapt a combat build as you go, and God Mode provides damage-resistance support without discarding the run structure. Hades looks especially inviting if you enjoy developing a plan under pressure and would appreciate a conversation when the plan has just suffered a fatal objection.
The gods have opinions about your build
Olympian Boons modify abilities within an escape attempt, while the Mirror of Night supplies persistent strengthening between them. That creates two different kinds of progress: improving the broader starting position and making the most of what a particular run offers. You can have a plan, but flexibility is useful when the available powers suggest a different one. Divine assistance apparently arrives with an expectation that you'll work around the provider's preferences.
Players who enjoy discovering combinations can find value in an attempt that doesn't end in escape. There is a build to understand and a possibility to investigate. Someone who wants one carefully chosen loadout to remain intact throughout the campaign may be less enthusiastic. The temporary layer is central to the bargain. If losing a particular combination feels like the game confiscating your favourite tool, consider whether adapting the next attempt sounds exciting enough to compensate.
Everybody has noticed you're back
Supergiant describes a fully voiced cast and reactive story events, giving repeat visits a narrative purpose. Familiar people can acquire meaning over time, and coming home after a failed attempt can produce something worth hearing. That's a clever fit for a story about trying to leave: the place you're escaping has reasons to remain interesting. The Underworld has evidently decided that retaining its residents requires more than simply having an inconvenient exit.
This suits players who like returning to characters while developing action skills. It isn't a promise of a film-like story arriving at fixed intervals regardless of how you play. Combat progress, revisits and conversation are tied together. You still face familiar challenges, even when the surrounding meaning changes. If repeating an obstacle feels inherently wasteful, more dialogue may soften the experience without changing the fundamental disagreement.
God Mode has a useful but specific job
God Mode increases damage resistance and makes Zagreus tougher after deaths. Hell Mode and the later Pact of Punishment provide options for players seeking greater challenge. That range is a good reason not to dismiss Hades solely because roguelites have a demanding reputation. You can adjust the pressure without treating unnecessary suffering as an entry requirement to the genre.
Damage resistance doesn't remove real-time action, however. Decisions and input demands remain, and the feature alone isn't a comprehensive answer to individual accessibility needs. If reactions, visual effects or readability are concerns, inspect actual gameplay and the available settings before buying. A character becoming harder to kill is helpful, but it doesn't automatically make a crowded screen easier to interpret. The gods have supplied mitigation, not a personalized review of your setup.
Admire the art, then watch something move
Official images show an angled view, richly drawn chambers and bright attacks against darker architecture. Character portraits, music and voice acting contribute to the appeal, but screenshots can't establish how readable a busy fight will be on your particular display. Watching an ordinary combat sequence is more informative than deciding solely on the basis that everyone looks spectacularly illustrated.
That distinction matters in a game asking you to revisit its visual rhythm repeatedly. A striking attack is something you'll need to interpret as well as admire. Listen to the presentation too, rather than assuming someone else's enthusiasm for a soundtrack guarantees your own. The useful question is whether you want to spend many attempts in this world, including the attempts where your heroic escape has ended well before the heroic part.
Saves travel less freely than rumours suggest
Native platforms include Windows, macOS, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. The Switch game is also supported on Switch 2 through backward compatibility, not a separate native Switch 2 edition. PC-to-Switch cross-saves are supported, but PlayStation and Xbox don't join that same system. Xbox Play Anywhere is a separate arrangement. Check the precise storefront combination before buying another copy; possession of two screens doesn't create one universal save pool.
Older material may advertise the Netflix iPhone/iPad edition, but it was discontinued from that service in July 2025 and isn't a current purchase route here. Hades makes its strongest case to players who enjoy experimentation and a developing cast together. Be more cautious if restarting is exactly what you want to avoid. Otherwise, returning home with a better understanding and another conversation to have is a remarkably good consolation for having failed to leave it.
Sources
Information checked on 16 October 2026. Features, platform compatibility and editions can change.
- Supergiant Games: Hades FAQ ↗Release history; difficulty modifiers; cross-save limits; discontinued Netflix iOS edition.
- Hades on Steam ↗Windows and macOS support; developer/publisher; version 1.0 date; single-player; Boons and permanent progression.
- Nintendo: Hades ↗Switch release and supported Switch 2 backward compatibility; character and progression description.
- PlayStation: Hades ↗PS4 and PS5 releases; single-player; temporary Boons; voiced cast and reactive narrative.
- Xbox: Hades ↗Xbox One and Series X|S; Series optimization; Xbox Play Anywhere; presentation and game description.
- Supergiant Games: Hades official game page and media pack ↗Official promotional screenshot provenance; game identification.