Hades is an indie game in which players assume the role of Zagreus, son of the eponymous god of the underworld, and attempt to escape through various challenges to the world of the living. Hades allows players to customize their gameplay by offering six weapons that can be upgraded throughout the narrative, as well as special abilities activated by the Mirror of Night. However, one of the most interesting, game-changing features comes at the end of the narrative in the form of the Pact of Punishment.
In Hades, players must fight out of the underworld through Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx. Each level in Hades features unique creatures who try and stop Zagreus on his journey to the surface, with their own kinds of attacks and special abilities. After each encounter, players are rewarded with an item, whether a boon from Olympus or nectar for gifting. Bosses will drop ambrosia or titan's blood after being defeated, which can be used to permanently improve relationships or weapons. These items are critical for progressing through the narrative.
The game offers an easier route for players: Hades' God Mode. This adjustment is fairly one-note, as it only increases a player's damage resistance. After finishing the narrative, however, Hades offers the Pact of Punishment as a means to make gameplay more challenging. Before entering Tartarus, Zagreus will be presented with 15 options that will make his escape from the underworld more difficult. These conditions range from giving bosses new attacks, to greater numbers of foes, to a time limit to complete the run. Players can choose what parts of the Pact of Punishment to enact, increasing the severity and number of conditions after each successful run. Each added condition ramps up the Pact of Punishment's heat gauge.
Why Use Hades' Pacts of Punishment
In Hades, everything has a purpose, including the Pact of Punishment. Players who want to complete all of Hades' missions will have to enact the conditions in the Pact of Punishment, as two of the game's quests are centered on these more challenging escapes. "Slashed Benefits" requires players to escape with every one of the conditions enacted at least once, and "The Useless Trinket" has Zagreus escaping with the Pact of Punishment at a minimum heat level of eight.
The Pact of Punishment is also a great way to earn additional rare items in Hades, such as titan's blood, ambrosia, and diamonds. While bosses will drop one of these items on their first defeat, subsequent runs will only offer rarer finds at Wells of Charon, or can be traded at the market in the Hall of Hades. Escaping under different conditions of the Pact of Punishment will bring back these rare rewards, and it's also another way to spice up gameplay in Hades.