"Hades" makes me think about family

Hades is an action roguelike where you take control of Zagreus, the son of Hades. Zagreus is trying to escape the underworld in search of his mother, Persephone, who lives in the mortal world. Hades is not the best father. He is pretty much completely against every escape attempt Zagreus makes--represented by the fact that Zagreus literally dies and is sent back to the House of Hades whenever he fails an escape. And rather than being concerned over his son, Hades more or less does not care at all. To Hades, Zagreus just got what was coming to him, since Hades knows that "there is no escape." A phrase you'll likely see a lot each time you die as Zagreus.

https://www.theverge.com/22159911/hades-best-game-2020-nintendo-switch-supergiant-pc, Zagreus looking into Tartarus.

The nature of any roguelike implies that the player will be starting over from the beginning countless times. So, this system of death is pretty clever to me, since it forces Zagreus (the player) to confront their father each time they fail. In a way, it only reinstates the distaste for his father each time he fails. Which also makes every victory that much sweeter--because Zagreus finally proves him wrong. He can escape, even if that means Hades has to step directly in his way to try and stop him.

Zagreus is basically the rebellious teenager. His father refuses to share anything about his mother at all, and his efforts to escape and see her are barred by his father for seemingly no reason. It's a story that I'm sure many people can relate to, without the coat of shiny Greek mythology paint. Really, the events of the game only happens because Hades refuses to communicate with Zagreus at all.

When Zagreus starts to finally get answers, part of him realizes that his father was somewhat right to say that "there is no escape." After successfully escaping for the first time, Zagreus still dies. He learns that, since he is a being of the underworld, he cannot walk in the land of the living. He cannot breathe mortal air. Which also means, he can only speak with his mother for a couple of minutes before dying and returning to the House of Hades. Suddenly the purpose of the game shifts--it's not about proving dad wrong, its about finding the time to speak to mom. And maybe, if Zagreus just keeps running out of hell, something will change.

Family communication, and family in general, play a big role in this game. Whether that be the literal family relationships, or the found family that Zagreus identifies with (namely, the goddess Nyx takes up more of a motherly role while Persephone was absent).

I think something that this game accomplishes is the development of relationships between the characters. Hades does eventually come around, a little bit at least. He starts to be more open with Zagreus, especially as Zagreus keeps speaking with Persephone. Hades becomes less of an obstacle, and more of a tragic figure that only wishes to have Persephone back. This emotion served as the obstacle for Zagreus--in a way, by Zagreus overcoming Hades, he teaches Hades to be open again. And perhaps it's his position as Hade's son that allowed him to do so in the first place. Sure, it might be the father's job to teach unto the son. But who's to say that the son cannot also teach the father? Any relationship is a two-way street, and Hades as a whole exemplifies the importance of building and maintaining familial relationships.

As I said before, Hades is easily relatable because of these realistic representations of family (despite being based in Greek myth). Hades may have something to offer in granting another perspective when relationships like these get tense. Sometimes, its hard to see past the fact that your father is your father and not also a complex human being with their own struggles. Hades does this, and does this well, while also creating a space for those "rebellious teens" to identify.