When we first talked about the possibility of discussing Hades for a symposium, I figured we would be talking about the game’s success as a roguelike, but I did not anticipate how appropriate it would be to discuss it as an exemplar for episodic storytelling. There are numerous touchstones and influences throughout Hades, but the cues that it takes from the cross-run narratives of Shiren the Wanderer and the social links of Persona are instrumental in setting this game apart in an era of procedural generation.

If the gods are willing, we will find Elysium in our discussion on Discord this Thursday at 8:30pm EDT / 5:30pm PDT. Of course, should we fail, we can always try (and try (and try)) again!

Supplemental Material:

– Black Athena: How Hades Got Its Gods Right (Kotaku) by Ash Parrish
– How Hades Makes The Case For Failure (Paste) by Holly Green
– Hades Gets The Queer Love Story Right With Achilles and Patroclus (PCGamesN) by Jeremy Signor