The Most Faithful Mythology Game
Supergiant Games' Hades (2020) is widely considered the most mythologically faithful video game ever made. While it takes creative liberties — especially with its protagonist Zagreus — the game demonstrates a deep love and understanding of the source material. This guide breaks down every major character's game portrayal versus their original myth.
Zagreus: The Obscure God Who Became a Star
In the game, Zagreus is the son of Hades and Persephone, desperate to escape the Underworld. In real mythology, Zagreus is an extremely obscure deity from Orphic tradition — a form of Dionysus who was dismembered by the Titans and reborn. The game takes this kernel and builds an entirely new story around it, which is exactly what the ancient Greeks did with their myths too.
The Olympians: Spot-On Characterization
Zeus — The game nails Zeus as jovial, overbearing, and subtly terrifying. His Lightning boons capture his raw power.
Athena — Calm, strategic, offering defensive boons. Perfect characterization of the wisdom goddess.
Ares — Bloodthirsty and enthusiastic about violence. The game captures how the other gods find him somewhat unsettling.
Aphrodite — Confident, sensual, wielding the power of desire as a weapon. Her Charm effects mirror her mythological ability to manipulate any being through love.
Dionysus — Party-loving, generous with wine, but with an edge of chaos. The game hints at the darker aspects of Dionysus without fully exploring them.
Artemis — Independent, focused, deadly accurate. Her Critical Hit boons reflect her never-miss archery from myth.
The Underworld Crew
Nyx — The game portrays her as a powerful, maternal figure. In mythology, even Zeus feared her. The game captures her ancient authority beautifully.
Thanatos — Death personified, stoic and dutiful. The game adds a romantic storyline with Zagreus that has no mythological basis but feels emotionally authentic.
Megaera — In myth, she's one of three Furies who punish the wicked. The game makes her a complex character with a past relationship with Zagreus. The other Furies (Tisiphone and Alecto) also appear.
Hypnos — Brilliantly portrayed as sleepy and unhelpful, which is entirely on-brand for the god of sleep.
What the Game Adds
Hades adds relationship dynamics that don't exist in the original myths, particularly the family drama between Hades, Persephone, and Zagreus. But this family-centered storytelling is deeply Greek in spirit — the myths are fundamentally about divine family dysfunction.
The game also popularized several lesser-known figures: Hecate (in Hades II), Charon, Hypnos, and the Furies are all getting more attention from mythology enthusiasts thanks to Supergiant's work.