Video games have been an admittedly large part of my life, and so has Greek mythology (I mean, my name is literally Artemis), so a game that combines both is bound to be one that I like. Hades is probably my favorite single-player game, and I want to share it with y’all!

Hades is an isometric hack n’ slash rogue-lite game available on macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, Windows, and Netflix Games. The goal is to make it out of the Greek Underworld by getting through different rooms and defeating enemies. The game has no checkpoints and you lose almost all of your resources and progress if you die, but it’s a lot less frustrating than you might expect. That’s because there’s a lot of permanent upgrades that can make the game easier over time!

There are four types of currency: Charon’s Obol, Darkness, Gemstones, and Nectar. They’re all used for different types of items, but Charon’s Obols can be used for upgrades within your run, while the other three are used outside of your run to give you permanent character upgrades, or for trades between the currencies or for other artifacts.

The gameplay is very fun and interactive. You can use one of six different weapons with four versions of each. This along with the different boons from each god can really switch up how you play in each run. I usually just use the Varatha and get a ton of boons from Zeus and Ares, and Athena’s Dash boon if possible and mash buttons, but you can play in a ton of more engaging ways. It can be very difficult at first, but it gets exponentially easier as you unlock more permanent upgrades.

So if you like action-filled single player video games, I would highly recommend Hades. It’s a great roguelike with good theming and very fun gameplay.

Hades is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.