"Greek mythology"

2020 · Action Roguelike · PC / Steam

Hades solved the roguelike genre's biggest problem by making failure feel like progress, and it did it with some of the tightest combat and most charming writing in any game of its era. Supergiant Games built a game where dying sends you back to the start but moves the story forward, turning repetition into something you actually look forward to. The weapon variety, the boon system, and the sheer personality packed into every interaction keep runs feeling fresh for far longer than they should. If you've ever bounced off roguelikes because they felt like a grind, this is the one that might change your mind.

2012 · Madeline Miller · 378 pages · Literary Fiction

Madeline Miller's debut novel retells the story of Achilles through the eyes of Patroclus, and the result is one of the most emotionally devastating love stories published this century. Miller writes about the Trojan War with the authority of a classicist and the tenderness of a poet, and the relationship at the book's center is rendered with such care that its inevitable end hits like a physical blow. The supporting cast is thinner than the leads, and readers deeply familiar with the Iliad may find Miller's interpretive choices limiting. But as a novel about love, glory, and the terrible price of both, it is extraordinary.

2018 · Madeline Miller · 400 pages · Fantasy

Madeline Miller's retelling of Circe's story transforms a minor mythological figure into a fully realized woman whose journey from powerless nymph to self-determined witch feels both ancient and thoroughly modern. The prose is gorgeous without being heavy, and Miller's command of Greek mythology gives every scene the weight of something that has been told before but never quite like this. The episodic structure can make the middle section feel scattered, and readers looking for fast-paced plotting will need to adjust their expectations. But as a portrait of a woman building a life on her own terms in a world run by capricious gods, it's one of the best mythological retellings in recent memory.

2016 · 2-4 Players · ~20 min · Competitive / Abstract

Santorini is one of the sharpest abstract strategy games you can buy, hiding real competitive depth beneath a Greek mythology theme and a ruleset that takes less than a minute to explain. The god powers give it a shelf life that most abstracts can't match, and the short play time makes rematches almost automatic. It stumbles a bit beyond two players and a few power matchups feel lopsided, but those are minor marks against what is otherwise a near-perfect gateway to competitive two-player gaming. If you want a game that rewards thinking ahead and punishes sloppy moves, all wrapped up in twenty minutes, this is it.

2009 · 2-5 Players · ~60-90 min · Competitive

A confrontational auction-and-conquest game set in the Greek islands, Cyclades rewards aggressive bidding and tactical flexibility but demands a group that enjoys direct conflict.