Just saw credits--and the epilogue--in Hades [Spoilers]

Just to be clear before I say anything spoiler-y, I'm talking about the ending; not just what happens after one successful escape attempt. There's a thread here about successful escape attempts for those interested.

Now, with that out of the way...

Just saw the credits after 10 or so successful escape attempts (after 40 escape attempts total and 40 hours of play time). Overall thought Supergiant did a great job with the story in this game. Specifically with the main plot and the ending, I thought it was really smart to have Zag not able to stay above the surface, forcing him to escape multiple times to get more information from Hades and Persephone. I think that persistence was a thing that made me keep coming back to it (aside from it just being so damn fun to play). If instead, you just escaped once and that was it, I'm not sure if I would have stuck with the game like I have so far.

Plenty of people have already talked about how this game does a good job with adding story to a roguelike, but I'm glad to see it stick the landing like that. I think that flashback early on about how Persephone left the Underworld is a good driver for you to reach the surface. Then learning more about their backstory and ultimately everybody getting back together is a nice payoff.

That said, I'm not sure--and wouldn't be surprised--if there is one other major thing I haven't seen yet, whether that's an ultimate final boss or a second ending. Leading up to the ending, I was half expecting the game to...

All in all, I think this game is really great. It's easily one of my favorite games so far this year.

I think the main quest ending is satisfying and much happier than I was expecting. The conceit for continuing to escape is fairly clever and there is plenty more story after credits. I like seeing a more open and honest side of Hades. The epilogue will probably address the lingering threat, maybe in a more tragic or melancholic tone to match previous games.

"In the Blood" might be the only thing in Hades that I'm not completely positive on. I found it a bit underwhelming for the credits song. Perhaps it's unfair to compare it to "Setting Sail, Coming Home", "Paper Boats", and "Bound Together", but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I just noticed that the OST was updated, so I'll listen to it more and see if my opinion changes with time.

20

I know from the steam achievements that there is an epilogue after the credits so there's that at least. Otherwise, in terms of things that you may not have seen yet -- not that it pushes the plot along, it's frivolous -- but have you fought the optional boss yet?

I did fight Charon and got the membership card on one run.

Not sure if there's a way to trigger that to be honest. I only saw the option to do that twice. My big reference for roguelike stuff is The Binding of Isaac, which you are sort of able to lean towards a direction (Cathedral or Sheol as an example). Not sure if it's random or if there's similar stuff like that you can do in Hades.

I'm kind of with you. The only other Supergiant game I finished was Transistor (I've been meaning to get back to Pyre on of these days), and the way Paper Boats lands is a lot stronger than In the Blood. I kind of feel bad for saying that, especially with how most of the music in the game is pretty great.

@clagnaught: My thoughts exactly. "In the Blood" is a good song, but I really love most of the others more. "Good Riddance" to me feels like a more appropriate ending theme. An arrangement of that for the epilogue would hit with me a lot better I think. Haven't gotten there yet, so I may get my wish.

Is the 10 finish thing the true ending? I ran into Chaos early on and assumed there'd be some hidden final boss with them.

I thought it was great and wonderfully written. I liked the dialogue exchanges on previous clears leading up to it a whole lot. Parts I'd call out specifically:

I got to the epilogue at the start of the week so I feel like you guys are twisting my arm with the speculation. Without giving away anything specific, it's a lot more understated than you might think, in a way that I love personally but I can't speak to how you might react.

@mezmero: That still sounds promising. Looking forward to it. I started a Hell Mode save to see if the early game changed, but switched back to my previous one to get to credits. Gonna stick with that until I get all the achievements.

@csl316: Yes, it's 10 clears to complete the main quest in the story and see credits. Not sure if there's a secret final boss, but you do unlock an option to face a stronger version of Hades. If you've gotten use to fighting him, it definitely cranks up the challenge.

Yeah, I don't want to be too mean or anything, but this feels like when a musician makes the wrong song the lead single on their album. "In the Blood" is fine and everything, but I was way more moved when I randomly came back to the House of Hades one time and Orpheus was just giving 110% to "The Lament of Orpheus." Also it's really jarring and weird that I saw credits like 10 hours before reuniting Orpheus and Eurydice, so I'm like "Why is this duet happening?"

This probably isn't "In the Blood"'s fault. The thing I'm not completely positive on is maybe the "main" narrative in general. Like, the writing as a whole is exceptionally strong, but in the way that it is a very strong series of Persona Social Links/Fire Emblem support conversations. Hades' conversational writing is on par with Persona, and better than most Fire Emblems from the past decade. But the overall narrative of what Zagreus is trying to discover/achieve and then when he does it, was kinda underwhelming for me. Maybe because everyone is immortal and Zag's success seems inevitable. It's a fun cast of characters, but Zag's main story was just OK for me.

By comparison, "Setting Sail, Coming Home" is some incredible catharsis as you reach the climax of Bastion. And "Paper Boats" is a real capper on the whole tragic course of the Transistor story. I never finished Pyre, been meaning to get back to it. Overall, the tone of Hades is just a lot lighter and breezier so I don't think I was emotionally invested enough in the story to be wowed by the credits.

It's really rewarding on a gameplay personal achievement level the first time you beat Hades, but I don't think the story was as much a motivating factor compared to prior Supergiant games.

@mezmero: I got to the epilogue.

Hades continues to be a rewarding experience for me. I will be enjoying it for quite some time.

@gyratyne: Nice. I got all the Steam achievements weeks ago and I still find myself doing clears in Hades daily. The only things I have left to unlock are House cosmetics, codex entries for rare fish and companions, and the 32 heat statue. And yet I feel like I'm STILL running into new dialogue on occasion.

The following is almost entirely spoilers but as someone who has completed 40+ runs out of 100+ I've got some insight into what is still available to you after credits

@mezmero: There's plenty of things for completionist to work towards. I'm not aiming to purchase all the house cosmetics, but it's nice to have something to use resources on. When V1.0 released, I was refunded a lot of darkness from the mirror and left with nothing to use it on. It's very minor, but I was delighted when the resource director became available.

I would like to complete the codex, but I've only seen a fishing point in Chaos' chamber once. I wonder if the Huge Catch boon is a prerequisite. I'd also like to finish the Fates' prophecy, but have been having bad luck getting Hermes' Bad News boon and I dislike using Stygian Soul.

After a few more runs, I think I will return to my Hell Mode save. I enjoy the strength progression in the beginning.

it's not. and if you get lucky you can purchase a skeletal lure from a well of charon before going through a chaos gate.

And I have since seen the epilogue!

Making a game that is still so much fun to play and able to dish out new pieces of story after so many runs is just mind boggling. The real crux of the story was the original ending, but I like that they had some extra closure with the epilogue. The game would have been fine if they didn't address any of those loose threads, but it's a nice thing to have.

I have been spending too much time playing Hades and I'm going to take a break from it for a while, so haven't seen how much the epilogue impacts interacting with people at the House or with the gods of Olympus. I've basically done everything besides grinding for more heat and seeing the pact version of Hades, but I'm good for now.

@whylessness: Thanks. That's a good tip. I made a habit of saving obols for the final shop, so I haven't been getting lures. But those resources will be more valuable early on, so spawning fishing points will be worth it.

@clagnaught: When you feel the urge to return, I recommend taking on Extreme Measures Hades. It's a tough challenge without a completely stacked build, but taking him down at the top of his game is exhilarating. I haven't done it enough, so I don't have the new attack patterns down yet. My victories have been on the razor's edge each time.