It’s no secret that Supergiant’s roguelike adventure Hades is one of the best games to launch in recent memory, with its mix of emotional and relatable story of family drama told over the backdrop of the Greek Pantheon of gods and legends, coupled with some incredible gameplay to create a Game of the Year 2020 contender. In some cases, it even became a Game of the Year winner.
While a lot of praise has been awarded to the game’s story, writing, visual style and stellar gameplay, one area that might not have received the critical reception and love that it deserves is the soundtrack, because it’s wall-to-wall bangers. For me, music is one of the most important aspects to a game going from good to great.
I still listen to the Sayonara Wild Hearts album regularly, so great music is a treasured commodity where I’m concerned, and Hades has tonnes of it. A lot of Hades would have still worked if the music was different, but some generic orchestral work would have done the rest of this game a disservice.
Darren Korb’s electrifying work mixing traditional Greek instruments like the bouzouki with the pulse pounding, synth and guitar led metal that you’d expect from fighting your way out of hell is nothing short of astonishing. Despite Zagreus regularly facing overwhelming odds in his quest to escape the Underworld, the music always makes you feel like you could chin Hades yourself. Screw you, in-game dad.
The heavy escalation of tracks like Through Asphodel, Mouth of Styx, Wretched Shades and River of Flame keep players hooked as you move through the Underworld’s various biomes, while the quieter, character driven songs like Good Riddance allow the slower moments between bloodshed to shine. The end credits song, In The Blood, also manages to elicit the kind of triumphant fist-pumping not seen since Mass Effect 1 had the balls to roll credits with a prog rock power ballad in the form of M4 Part II by Faunts.
However, I’m of the opinion that the true highlight of the game’s awesome soundtrack is God of the Dead, the appropriately titled track for the final boss fight against Hades himself. Not only is the track pleasing on the ears, which it is (I could listen to it for hours on repeat), but Darren Korb also manages to perform the unenviable task of weaving the game’s story into a purely instrumental track.
God of the Dead’s first half is a heavier mix of another track, No Escape, which plays on the main menu. Literally, the first thing you see and hear when you boot the game up is the word Hades flashing up on screen while No Escape starts playing. To me, it feels like a pretty clear indication that No Escape isn’t Zagreus’ theme: it’s for Hades himself. No Escape is the musical equivalent of Zagreus’ father telling him, and subsequently you as the player, not to bother trying to escape: you can’t. It’s the first thing you hear when starting the game because it’s the only thing Zagreus has heard and resonated with his entire life.
With only instruments, the game’s opening track is trying to tell you that you’ll never escape the Underworld, so to circle back to the same score for God of the Dead feels like everything has led to that moment. The heavier mix isn’t just there for show, it’s there because Hades himself is drumming that hopeless “No Escape” mantra into you himself, using a massive spear to do it. Or maybe this version is for Zagreus’ eventual triumph; the heavier mix emboldening the young upstart to rebel against and ultimately defeat his father and escape.
Regardless of your interpretation, it’s a wonderfully cyclical moment that not only creates a badass theme for a difficult boss, but one that ties into the game’s story and history. Honestly though, I’m just a sucker for musical flourishes like this. Hearing part of Devil Trigger within Vergil’s theme in Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition still gives me goosebumps.
But, that’s only the first half. Once Hades is downed for the first time, the music fades away before coming back with a vengeance. If the first part of the track is a slow yet inevitable ass kicking, everything that comes afterwards is essentially “now you’ve gone and done it”. Darren Korb ramps up the intensity as Hades goes all out to end you. You don’t have time to appreciate the musical genius being pumped into your ears as Hades attempts to wipe the floor with your little twink body.
While the rest of the soundtrack is heavy and intense, the second half of God of the Dead is unlike anything else heard in the game yet. All the other combat tracks, while still extremely fierce, don’t match up to the urgency that God of the Dead produces. Tracks like Out of Tartarus and Field of Souls convey dread and a level of danger, but they feel controlled, restrained even, perhaps because Zagreus is still in his element during these fights. That cocky swagger has to serve him well against the Furies and Bone Hydra.
All restraint flies out of the window once God of the Dead hits full swing. No longer is Zagreus in control, as Hades unleashes the full extent of his power. This is Hades’ world and you only live in it because he allows it. Through this transition, God of the Dead morphs from this beautifully symbolic and destined clash between father and son, to a desperate struggle to survive between two gods giving it their everything.
Well, not everything. Chuck Extreme Measures 4 on and bask in the swift death that is Hades’ third phase, with hidden track The Unseen Ones ramping the intensity even further by adding wailing guitar solos over the top of the already known theme. Masahiro Aoki and Daisuke Kurosawa’s work adding that extra layer of metal excellence to an already chaotic song is like the cherry on top of an already delightful cake. I don’t think there’s any deeper meaning behind this version, it’s just awesome.
While the rest of the Hades soundtrack is still miles better than most video game soundtracks ever made, there’s something about God of the Dead that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Sure, you might have songs on the soundtrack you prefer to listen to, but God of the Dead has the most to say, and is undoubtedly the most important song in Hades’ arsenal.
READ MORE: YOU DIED: Death Builds Character in Hades
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