In his attempts to escape, Zagreus is aided by gifts and powers bestowed on him by other Olympians, like Zeus, Athena, Demeter, et al. Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler with a hack and slash combat system.
The portrayal and usage of Greek mythology in Hades was particularly praised. The gods and goddesses in the game appear organically and engage with Zagreus in a playful manner.
Here are five games for players who enjoyed the use of deities in Hades and are thirsting for more.
Delving into mythology with games like Hades
5) Immortals Fenyx Rising
The influence of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Ubisoft’s 2020 game Immortals Fenyx Rising is quite apparent. It boasts of a vibrant open world, the Golden Isle, with quirky mechanics and creatures like minotaurs and cyclopes.
The game is a humourous take on Greek mythology. Much like Hades, a number of the deties are present but being bereft of their essences, they have turned into other creatures.
Aphrodite has become a tree without her passion, Ares has turned into a rooster without pride, Hephaistos has become one his automatons and Athena has become a child.
Immortals Fenyx Rising tells a story of a commoner, Fenyx, and, for most of it, is being narrated by Prometheus to Zeus. As the game progresses, Fenyx must defeat Typhon and save the gods from his mysterious curses.
Players can also unlock various mythological weapons, powers, and abilities in their quest to save the world.
4) Raji: An Ancient Epic
Another hack and slash game, but this one is based on Hindu mythology. Made by a small studio called Nodding Heads Games in India, Raji offers players a look into stories that rarely find light in the larger gaming world.
Players follow Raji, an orphaned circus performer, who is on a quest to save her brother, Golu, from the demons who abducted him. Raji is being watched over by Goddess Durga and Lord Vishnu. They bicker amongst each other about the strength and courage of Raji but help her in times of need.
With Raji, players can immerse themselves in the culture and art of the Indian subcontinent. Drawing from the legends of Ramayana and Mahabharata, Raji offers picturesque settings filled with gorgeous art and stories to dive into.
3) Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a surreal take on the theme of love and loss. The game is set in a dark fantasy world that is inspired by Norse mythology. The plot revolves around Senua, a Pict warrior, in her journey to Helheim, the Nordic afterlife, to save the soul of her dead lover.
Senua suffers from psychosis but she believes it to be a curse and the voices in her head as “Furies”. The Furies are the voice-overs that guide her across the land. They are aware of the player’s presence and often break the fourth wall.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice carefully weaves characters like Nordic goddess Hela and the beast Fenrir in its dark tale of the Norse people and their beliefs. The developers have confirmed a sequel with a reveal trailer.
2) Assassin’s Creed
The Assassin’s Creed series boasts of blending mythology and history together in telling its stories. The last three entries to the series, Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, have not been shy in incorporating mythology from their respective cultures into the narrative.
Origins, set in Ancient Egypt around 49 BC, immerses the player in the culture of the civilization of its time. The game’s DLC, The Curse of the Pharaohs, goes further into Egyptian mythology and deals with giant scorpions, Anubis warriors and the Underworld.
Odyssey’s second DLC, The Fate of Atlantis, lets the players venture into the fabled realms of Greek mythology - Elysium, the Underworld, and Atlantis. Like in Hades, there are a number of encounters with the gods, including Persephone, Hades and Poseidon. The game also includes mythical creatures like cyclops, minotaurs, and Medusa.
In Valhalla, the game incorporates elements from Norse mythology in its story about the era of Vikings. There are multiple references to Asgard and Odin. The wolf Fenrir also marks an appearance, in visions.
The stags of Yggdrasil help the players find loot. The next expansion of the game, titled Dawn of Ragnarok, is rumored to take players into the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim.
1) God of War
The God of War series has catered to both the Greek and Norse pantheons of deities. The games include weapons and creatures picked straight from the pages of mythology. Kratos, the brutal protagonist, hacks and slashes through his enemies as he faces gods and their wrath.
The Greek mythology era focussed on Kratos’ vengeance over those who sat atop Mount Olympus whereas the Norse Mythology era, started by God of War 2018, revolves around Kratos and his son Atreus in the realm of Midgard.
With the upcoming release of the latter to PC, it is surely going to delight many players.
The title of the upcoming entry into the series God of War Ragnarok refers to the chain of events in Norse mythology, called Ragnarok, in which gods die and the word comes to an end.
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