When it was released in September 2020 (after a period in Early Access), Hades proved to be a phenomenon. Developed by Supergiant Games, the roguelite tells the story of Zagreus, the son of Hades, who attempts to make his way out of the underworld in a rebellion against his father.
Naturally, Zagreus fails time and time again, but each time you die, you’re treated to new dialogue and a chance to upgrade your abilities and weaponry. Even if you’re not usually a fan of the die-restart-die loop of roguelites, Hades consistently feels fresh and exciting on each run, and it led many gamers who aren’t usually into the genre to check it out.
With a sequel on the way, now is the perfect time to take a look back at Hades and talk about the games you might love if you’re already a fan of this excellent game. From obvious choices to leftfield picks, here are the best games like Hades you can play right now.
Pyre
Fair warning: we’re going to be listing all of Supergiant Games’ previous works on this list (there aren’t many!). Pyre is a very strange prospect indeed; it’s a basketball RPG in which you must guide a group of misfits around the underworld, completing a series of 3-on-3 hoops challenges in order to free your comrades from their imprisonment. If you love Hades’ dialogue, art style, and idiosyncratic sense of rule-breaking, Pyre should be your first port of call.
Transistor
Unlike Hades and Pyre, Transistor doesn’t have a lot of other human beings to talk to. It takes place in a city where something has gone terribly wrong, and Supergiant hit on the genius idea of unlocking more of the game’s backstory as you add more abilities to your arsenal and use them in combat. This is arguably the developer’s most obtuse and least accessible game, but it’s rewarding if you can get into it.
Bastion
Here’s where it all began for Supergiant. Bastion is the studio’s first game, and it’s also perhaps the most traditional. Set in a floating series of post-apocalyptic islands, Bastion tells the story of the Kid, a mute warrior who journeys through the world as he attempts to power the titular Bastion by collecting a series of shards. With action-packed gameplay and incredible narration, Bastion is a great place to go if you want another Hades fix. It even stars Hades’ Logan Cunningham!
Children of Morta
Just like Hades, Children of Morta is a roguelite with a narrative bent. It revolves around the Bergsons, a heroic family who must delve into a series of dungeons in order to battle the encroaching Corruption. Combat takes the form of Diablo-style hack-and-slash gameplay, with each Bergson having access to different abilities and exhibiting different strengths and weaknesses. If you like your roguelites with a focus on storytelling, this one’s for you.
Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon lays its atmosphere on thick, and that atmosphere is “eldritch horror turned up to eleven”. You lead a party of adventurers through a series of horrifying dungeons, each of which contains warped and twisted enemies for you to slay. Eventually, you must work your way up to tackling the titular Darkest Dungeon. As you play, you’ll get more information about the backstory of the town and the family that sealed its fate.
Dead Cells
If you like Hades’ fluid gameplay and infinitely replayable loop, then Dead Cells is the game for you. It’s a 2D Metroidvania rather than being an isometric hack-and-slash adventure, but the pixel art is gorgeous, the combat is challenging, and there are tons of different loadouts to try. If you love Dark Souls, you’ll also find plenty to admire in Dead Cells; it takes that series’ combat fundamentals and transposes them into a 2D environment effectively.
The Binding of Isaac
Here’s the roguelike that started it all. The Binding of Isaac was, for many gamers, an entry into the genre, and it remains one of the most playable, content-rich examples of its style available on modern systems. Combining the core gameplay of old-school Zelda with the aesthetic of future Edmund McMillen games like Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac is as fun as it is disgusting (and if you’ve seen the screenshots, you’ll know that’s high praise).
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Supergiant’s Hades truly is an original proposition, so you probably won’t find many games that are exactly “like” it, per se. However, if what you like is excellent music and a gameplay loop that never feels old, Crypt of the NecroDancer will oblige. It’s a musical roguelite in which enemies move to the beat of the music, and you must do so as well. If you play this one and don’t get at least one of its tracks lodged in your head rent-free, you may not be human.
Hollow Knight
Okay, so Hollow Knight isn’t a roguelite, and it doesn’t have lots of great dialogue like Hades does, and it’s not isometric, and…fine. There are many ways in which Hollow Knight is dissimilar to Hades. Still, we think it just feels similar; it’s got beautiful art, a great narrative that unfolds as you play, and a huge amount of content, with core combat that evolves and changes in fascinating ways as the game proceeds. Check this one out if you like Hades’ scrappy indie-AAA feel, but wish it had a little more bespoke exploration and Dark Souls influence.
