The mechanics, gameplay loop, and boss fights define roguelike video games. Hades, the isometric roguelike, is no different. It relies on the mechanics to bring you in, the loop to keep you hooked, and the boss fights to keep you engaged.
This game technically only has four boss encounters in each run. However, minibosses, elite fights, and a hidden boss are sprinkled throughout the game to keep it interesting.
8 Bone Hydra
The first few times you face the Bone Hydra, it's an alright boss. The multiple phases are a bit annoying. And fighting its multiple heads over and over again is a bit repetitive, but overall not too bad of an experience. However, when you face it for the tenth, twentieth, or even thirtieth time, that's when it starts to get really annoying.
Unlike the fury sisters, you can't plow through it with sheer damage and different status effects because of its invulnerable phases during which it summons its other heads. There is some variation in its moveset, but it's minimal to the point of being irrelevant.
7 Maegara
The first boss you face in the game, Maegara, is a solid 6/10. Good mechanics, no long invulnerability, and good dialogue. She has a handful of attacks that she cycles through and unlocks, depending on her health bar, making her a predictable yet enjoyable boss encounter.
The biggest factor making her a more enjoyable fight is the cheese-ability of the fight. It's quite enjoyable seeing your skill level rise enough to take on the venerable Fury herself in just under a few minutes.
6 Theseus
The Theseus and Asterius' fight at the end of Elysium is one of the harder fights in the game. As a big portion of the player base will rush to inform you, shields are annoying. Give one to a boss with a decent move set, an in-your-face companion, and a holier-than-thou attitude, and you get this boss fight.
Although the mechanics of the encounter are challenging to master at first, once you have the core moveset memorized and manage to figure out how to deal with shields, this fight isn't too hard. Of course, that's like saying once you know how to make a cake, it's not hard to make at all. The drop you get by killing this boss with different weapons, Ambrosia, is largely irrelevant and only comes in handy for a small subset of people who're pursuing close relationships with different characters.
5 Alecto
The second Fury sister, Alecto, isn't significantly harder than Maegara in any way. Her moveset is slightly different but similar enough that you won't feel cheated when you face her instead of Maegara. It is a bit of a challenge to acclimate to her moves after her sister's. But if you have some health to spare, it's only the first boss, after all; you should be fine with some minor injuries.
Alecto also has a few different phases, the most prominent of them being her Permanent Rage phase. Her dash is similar to Maegara's, and she has a unique move that unleashes a spinning blade that stays in the arena for a decent amount of time. The number of blades that she can release increases as her health bar ticks down, with the maximum being three at one time.
4 Tisiphone
The third Fury sister isn't much of a conversationalist. Her vocabulary is limited to "Murder" and "Murrderr." What Tisiphone lacks in sentence formation, she makes up with an interesting move set. Once you've defeated Maegara a handful of times, you will also start to encounter the other Fury sisters at random.
Unlike the other two sisters, Tisiphone plays with the environment a lot more. With each milestone on her health bar, she shrinks the arena and forces the player to toe the line when dealing with her. The limited space makes for interesting combat and makes you find the most optimal way to dodge her attacks. Instead of spamming dash to get away, you have to think about each move, lest you stumble into an attack.
3 Asterius
The Bull of Minos is certainly an interesting character. An enemy of Theseus in life, he now fights alongside him in the arena of Elysium against you. However, there's a chance to encounter him before the final fight during an elite encounter as well. He has the same moveset during this encounter as he does during the boss fight.
The basic three-swing attack of Asterius is deceptively hard to dodge. Each swing covers a significant portion of his immediate surrounding, and the jump attack can hit you if you're not careful. The rush can be easily avoided if there's any obstacle nearby, and the second phase is much of the same, with shockwaves being added to the jump attack that you'll have to watch out for.
2 Hades
The final boss of the game, Hades, is definitely someone to be careful of. The Master of the Underworld comes out at you swinging with his signature Bident with a slew of different attacks. A powerful thrust, a projectile that weakens, and a lunging rotation attack are his main moves.
Choosing the right keepsakes and boons can go a long way to helping you win fights, not only against Hades, but in general as well. The key to defeating Hades is paying attention to the timing of his attacks, anticipating which one he'll perform based on his movements, and remembering to stay calm. Though he might be quite hard to beat, once you have the moveset memorized, half the battle is won. The second phase of Hades adds a bit of variation, but it's nothing you can't adapt to. What's life without a little bit of spice?
1 Charon
After defeating Hades at least once, there's a decent chance to trigger a fight against Charon himself in one of his shops. There won't be any spoilers here on how to trigger this fight; you should figure that out on your own.
The mysterious Charon is a great choice for a hidden boss. He has a unique art style, the fight is distinctive, and the encounter is memorable. The first time you trigger it, you will most definitely die. However, the reward for clearing it is good enough to lure you right back in.