Five Years On, The Hades Fanbase Built Its Own Greek Mythology

"That gap in popular imagination is part of what made Hades, Supergiant Games' 2020 roguelike, so refreshing. Rather than centering Zeus, Poseidon, or Hercules, the game puts Zagreus--an obscure son of Hades--front and center. Instead of repeating myths we've heard countless times, Hades introduces players to a story about family, rebellion, and perseverance, told through the eyes of a character with very little mythological baggage."

"Hades thrives on nuance. Its take on the Greek pantheon is playful, argumentative, and deeply human. Gods bicker like siblings and show flashes of pettiness and pride. The game reimagines familiar figures while elevating lesser-known ones, weaving a new canon of myth through the very structure of a roguelike. Dying over and over isn't failure--it's the point, mirroring the endless cycles and reincarnations so common in ancient stories."

"Beyond him, most modern audiences recognize the broadest strokes: Zeus as the thunder-wielding king of the gods, Hades as the grim lord of the dead, and other recognizable figures like Poseidon, Athena, Icarus, and Apollo. This pop-culture shorthand distills a vast and intricate body of myth into a handful of archetypes. The pantheon of Olympus, and the sprawling tales around it, contain thousands of figures whose influence never reached the same cultural spotlight."

Hades marks its 10-year anniversary on September 17, 2025, and has inspired a vibrant fanfiction and modding community that has reshaped modern engagement with Greek myth. The game centers Zagreus, an obscure son of Hades, rather than familiar figures like Zeus or Hercules, and foregrounds themes of family, rebellion, and perseverance. The pantheon appears playful, argumentative, and human, with gods showing petty and proud behaviors. Hades elevates lesser-known mythological figures and uses roguelike repetition to mirror mythic cycles, encouraging players and fans to explore margins of classical stories and create new interpretations.

Read at GameSpot