Romance In Hades

by Liam Horgan

Banner by Liam Horgan.

By now you’ve probably heard of Supergiant Games 2020 smash hit, Hades. The rogue-like dungeon crawler is a fresh twist on Greek mythology, following Zagreus, the son of Greek god Hades, as he attempts to escape from the Underworld to reach the surface.  Aided by powers given to him by the other Olympians, the hack and slash action takes players through a randomly generated map, as Zagreus traverses the Underworld. As you die, you level up and are forced to start again in the House of Hades, the repetitive nature of the game lending an overarching Sisyphean nature to the game, fitting as Sisyphus himself appears as a supporting character. Hades played well with players and critics alike earning a Best Indie Game award at the Game of the Year Awards and winning Best Game at the 17th British Academy Games Awards. 

Hades is a genuinely fantastic game with everything from the gameplay to art direction, music and voice acting combining to create a stellar adventure set within the Greek mythos. Due to the repetitive nature of the game, dialogue exchange exists on a two-fold system. Supergiant Games employs a unique branching system to tell its story. First the general non-specific dialogue that most players unlock is decided upon by a random generator. Secondly this is also dictated by a priority system ensuring that story-locked dialogue is triggered first, for example you complete a run, ensuring that event is referred to in your next conversation. For a more detailed look at that system, I’ll refer you to the YouTube channel People Make Games who do a spectacular job at summing up this complex gameplay mechanic. 

One core aspect of Hades is how Zagreus develops his relationships with those around him. From his Olympian cousins to the denizens of the Underworld, every character offers rich conversation and story due to the game’s innovative dialogue system. Spending time and effort on deepening these bonds enriches the world of Hades and thus the player’s experience. In the case of some characters, often these storylines lead to romance or quests relating to it. Like the ancient history it is based on, Hades embraces the sexually diverse nature of Ancient Greek mythology. Two side characters, Achilles and Orpheus, have storylines which involve reuniting them with their loved ones, Patroclus and Eurydice respectively, while the protagonist Zagreus is canonically bisexual. How Supergiant Games tackle the romance system in Hades is as unique as the dialogue system which exists in the game. Zagreus has three characters which he can enter a relationship with, all to varying degrees. These three are namely Megaera, a Fury and the first boss you face off with, ‘Dusa, the floating gorgon housekeeper and Thanatos, the Greek personification of death. What’s great about these three characters is that they offer three different romantic encounters for the player, and this can all happen at once. Yes, that’s right, all three of these storylines can be pursued with no negative consequence to the player. 

My (16M) harem (14 - 31 Fs) have unionized.

Romance in video games is a very common mechanic. From games devoted to romance (e.g. otome games, life simulators) to storylines about romance, it’s a core aspect in many games. However, a lot of role-playing games tend to punish the player by way of their romance options. Sometimes this is used to teach a life lesson, for example in Persona 5 if you romance all the characters, you will eventually be confronted on Valentine’s day and, well, beaten up (Lesson 1: Don’t cheat folks!). A similar experience occurs in Stardew Valley where, should a player have a hedonistic love life, potential partners all confront you and your affinity levels with them are depleted substantially (Lesson 2: Definitely don't cheat folks!). However most romance systems punish the player through their own or the developer’s choices. Many RGPs include romance options within their gameplay but often these can be tricky to playthrough and often have unintended consequences. For example, in the Mass Effect franchise, if you don’t decide to start a relationship with Garrus in Mass Effect 2, when carrying your save file over to Mass Effect 3, you are automatically locked out of potentially starting a romance with Garrus. Even worse if you don’t have a Mass Effect 2 save file, romance with Garrus is locked out. In Mass Effect: Andromeda, romance options are gender biased with male players having more options than female, something which Fire Emblem: Three Houses also suffers from. Likewise in Mass Effect’s sibling franchise Dragon Age, the romance system is just as complex. The latest game Inquisition features an approval system which is not shown to the player, so a player must try and guess a character’s approval rating through dialogue. Sure, this can be at times an engaging mechanic for the player but other times I just want to know how close I am to kissing the Bull. Assassin's Creed Odyssey also has a disappointing romance system. Despite having a total of 15 possible romance options, certain paths lead to characters leaving the player. Indeed, some of the more egregious romance options are Alkibiades who will dump you for a political marriage instead, Daphnae who will leave you and never return and Thetalas and Kyra who, well if you’ve played the game, it does not end cordially. It’s not that having romance in games is tantamount to whether a game is bad or good, but when the system itself can punish players, it sucks the joy out of it. Some games go the opposite of having complex romance systems, such as Fable III or Stardew Valley where most characters are romanceable with divorce used as a feature to ‘spice’ things up. 

Unlike these games, Hades then by contrast is a breath of fresh air. Hades' romance system is beautifully polyamorous. Instead of asking the player to make a choice, the developers instead invite the player to engage with all the stories on offer. From reconnecting with Meg to courting Thanatos, the romance options available to the character are just that: options. It is refreshing in a game based on Greek Mythology, that Supergiant Games gives the player a choice to engage with the polyamorous nature of Greek myth. This choice lends itself to the player’s preferences; if you aren’t comfortable with pursuing a same-sex relationship you don’t have to, equally the same can be said for the opposite sex and for not pursuing a relationship at all. With a script of over 300,000 words, it makes sense that Supergiant would want the player to play and experience the majority of content available to them in the game. Even the system that is employed is player friendly, as relationships with characters can be upgraded by simply gifting them nectar and completing quests. Don’t be fooled though, this system while simple is still challenging with nectar only available by completing runs or trading items. It’s a simple but effective mechanic which rewards the player as opposed to punishing them, something which more games would benefit from embracing.

Hades is available to buy for the Nintendo Switch and on Steam, I highly recommend you do so.