Theseus

Lore & Background

Theseus was raised in his mother's land after a double paternity: his mother Aethra was possessed by Poseidon in the night, while his mortal father Aegeus buried his sandals and sword under a huge rock. When Theseus grew up, he moved the rock and recovered his father's tokens. He then traveled by land to Athens, defeating six bandits along the way: Periphetes the Club Bearer, Sinis (who tore victims apart with pine trees), the Crommyonian Sow (an offspring of Typhon and Echidna), Sciron (who kicked travelers off a cliff to be eaten by a giant turtle), Cercyon (who killed passers-by in wrestling matches), and Procrustes the Stretcher (who made victims fit his beds by stretching or cutting them). In Athens, Medea recognized Theseus and tried to have him killed by sending him to capture the Marathonian Bull. When he returned victorious, she tried to poison him, but Aegeus recognized the sandals and sword and knocked the poisoned wine cup from Theseus's hands. Medea fled to Asia.

In Their Own Story

The most famous legend about Theseus is his slaying of the Minotaur. King Minos of Crete demanded that at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth created by Daedalus. On the third occasion, Theseus volunteered to talk to the monster. He took the place of one of the youths and set off with a black sail, promising to his father, Aegeus, that if successful he would return with a white sail. On his arrival in Crete, Ariadne, King Minos's daughter, fell in love with Theseus and, on the advice of Daedalus, gave him a ball of thread so he could find his way. Plutarch's Life of Theseus makes use of varying accounts of the death of the Minotaur, Theseus's escape, and his romantic involvement with and betrayal of Ariadne.

Reader's Guide

As the subject of myth, the existence of Theseus as a real person has not been proven, but scholars believe that he may have been alive during the Late Bronze Age, or possibly as a king in the 8th or 9th century BC. Plutarch's avowed purpose in his Life of Theseus is to construct a life that parallels the Life of Romulus, the founding myth of Rome. Plutarch's sources include Pherecydes (mid-fifth century BC), Demon (c. 400 BC), Philochorus, and Cleidemus (both fourth century BC). Pausanias reports that after synoikismos, Theseus established a cult of Aphrodite ('Aphrodite of all the People') on the southern slope of the Acropolis.

Did You Know?

• Theseus is sometimes described as the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and sometimes as the son of the god Poseidon.
• Theseus killed the Crommyonian Sow, which the Bibliotheca by Pseudo-Apollodorus described as an offspring of Typhon and Echidna.
• Plutarch's Life of Theseus was written to construct a life that parallels the Life of Romulus, the founding myth of Rome.
• After synoikismos, Theseus established a cult of Aphrodite ('Aphrodite of all the People') on the southern slope of the Acropolis.
• Scholars believe Theseus may have been alive during the Late Bronze Age, or possibly as a king in the 8th or 9th century BC.

The Prince's Rebellion

Zagreus serves as the central protagonist in this narrative-driven roguelike, driven by a desperate desire to flee the oppressive Underworld ruled by his father, Hades. His primary motivation is to reach Mount Olympus and reunite with his mother, Persephone, who resides in the mortal realm. Throughout his escape attempts, Zagreus navigates four distinct dungeon regions: Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx. Each area presents unique challenges and requires the player to defeat specific regional bosses before advancing further. The journey is not solitary; he receives crucial support from various Olympian deities who grant him 'Boons,' providing temporary combat enhancements tailored to their divine domains. Additionally, notorious Underworld residents like Sisyphus, Eurydice, and Patroclus offer assistance. Between these perilous runs, Zagreus returns to the House of Hades, which functions as a safe hub where he can interact with characters, upgrade permanent attributes, and deepen relationships through dialogue or romance options.

Combat Mechanics and Progression

The gameplay loop revolves around an isometric hack-and-slash system where players control Zagreus using a versatile toolkit comprising a primary weapon attack, a special ability, a magic cast, and a dash that grants momentary intangibility. Success depends on mastering these moves to defeat enemies while avoiding damage across randomized room layouts. A defining feature of the experience is the roguelike structure; death sends Zagreus back to the House of Hades, but progress is not entirely lost. Players collect currency during runs to purchase permanent upgrades that improve future attempts, such as new weapons or enhanced stats. As players advance, they encounter formidable bosses like the Lernaean Hydra and Theseus in Elysium. To increase challenge after defeating Hades, the Pact of Punishment allows for manual difficulty adjustments, including modifying boss behaviors—such as equipping Theseus with a machine-gun chariot—or increasing enemy health and aggression to secure rare rewards.

Procedural Narrative Design

Supergiant Games developed this title following their previous game, Pyre, specifically aiming to refine procedural narrative storytelling. They observed that players rarely replayed Pyre enough times to experience its branching stories fully. Consequently, they designed the roguelike structure of this game to naturally encourage multiple playthroughs, allowing complex character arcs and plot developments to unfold over time rather than in a single linear session. The narrative is deeply integrated into the gameplay loop; interactions with NPCs change based on Zagreus's success or failure in his escape attempts. This design choice enables the story to evolve dynamically as players unlock new weapons, explore different regions, and build relationships with characters like Megaera and Thanatos. By combining a traditional dungeon-crawler format with persistent meta-progression, the developers successfully created a system where every death contributes meaningfully to the unfolding saga of the Prince's rebellion.

Critical Acclaim and Legacy

Upon its release in September 2020 for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, the game quickly garnered widespread critical acclaim, eventually expanding to PlayStation, Xbox, and iOS platforms. Critics universally praised its seamless blend of tight combat mechanics, stunning art style, memorable music, and exceptional voice acting. It was recognized as one of the greatest video games of all time, selling over one million copies and securing numerous Game of the Year awards from major publications and ceremonies. The game's success led to a sequel, Hades II, which entered early access in 2024 before its full release in 2025. Its influence is evident in how it revitalized interest in narrative-driven roguelikes, proving that procedural generation could support deep emotional storytelling. The inclusion of accessibility features like God Mode further cemented its reputation by allowing players of all skill levels to experience the complete story without being barred by difficulty.

The Six Labours

The six entrances to the underworld, more commonly known as the Six Labours, are as follows: At Epidaurus, Theseus turned the tables on Periphetes, the Club Bearer, taking from him the stout staff that often identifies Theseus in vase-paintings. At the Isthmian entrance, he slew Sinis by his own method—tying him between two bent pine trees—then seduced Sinis's daughter, Perigune, fathering the child Melanippus. At Crommyon, he killed the Crommyonian Sow, bred by an old crone named Phaea. Near Megara, he pushed Sciron off the cliff where he was eaten by a giant turtle. At Eleusis, he beat Cercyon at wrestling and then killed him. The last bandit was Procrustes the Stretcher, who had two beds of different lengths; Theseus employed Procrustes's own method on him, cutting off his legs and decapitating him with his axe.

Medea, the Marathonian Bull, Androgeus, and the Pallantides

When Theseus arrived in Athens, he did not reveal his true identity immediately. Aegeus's consort Medea recognized Theseus immediately as Aegeus's son and worried that Theseus would be chosen as heir instead of her son Medus. She tried to arrange to have Theseus killed by asking him to capture the Marathonian Bull. On the way to Marathon, Theseus took shelter from a storm in the hut of an ancient woman named Hecale, who swore to make a sacrifice to Zeus if Theseus were successful. Theseus did capture the bull, but when he returned to Hecale's hut she was dead; in her honor Theseus gave her name to one of the demes of Attica. When Theseus returned victorious, Medea tried to poison him, but Aegeus recognized the sandals and the sword and knocked the poisoned wine cup from Theseus's hands. The Pallantides (sons of Pallas and nephews of King Aegeus) set a trap for Theseus, but he was informed of the plan by a herald named Leos, crept out of the city at midnight, and surprised them. 'Theseus then fell suddenly upon the party lying in ambush, and slew them all. Thereupon the party with Pallas dispersed,' Plutarch reported.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos of Crete, had several children. The eldest, Androgeus, set sail for Athens to take part in the Panathenaic Games. Being strong and skillful, he won some events outright, becoming a crowd favorite, much to the resentment of the Pallantides, who assassinated him, incurring the wrath of Minos. King Minos ordered the Cretan fleet to set sail for Athens and demanded his son's assassins. Not knowing who the assassins were, King Aegeus surrendered the whole city to Minos's mercy. Minos stipulated that at the end of every Great Year, which occurred after every seven cycles on the solar calendar, the seven most courageous youths and the seven most beautiful maidens were to be sent as tribute to Crete. In another version, Minos demanded that at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur. On the third occasion, Theseus volunteered, taking the place of one of the youths and setting off with a black sail, promising his father that if successful he would return with a white sail. On his arrival in Crete, Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and, on the advice of Daedalus, gave him a ball of thread so he could find his way.