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Greek Mythology in Modern Gaming

Are you comfortable, safe, clean and healthy? Well you can thank the Ancient Greeks for that. Okay, okay: we can’t know for sure, but there’s an argument to be made that without the countless advances made by the Ancient Greeks, we’d never have developed intellectually quite as much as we have. Medicine, democracy, philosophy, mathematics and much more are all fields which were invented (or else reinvented) by Greek geniuses thousands of years ago. The Ancient Greeks even gave widespread entertainment a solid boost, inventing organised sports and helping to popularise casino-type gaming, both of which are still pursuits which are going strong today—just head down to your local football stadium or check out American Casino Guide’s top-rated casinos with a free online casino bonus to see what we mean.

With everything the Ancient Greeks have done for us, it should come as no surprise to see them form the foundation of so many works of fiction. We want to celebrate and honour the Grecian pioneers of yesteryear, and celebrate them we have! Through films, TV shows, books and — yes — even games, we’ve reimagined the gods, heroes, titans and fables that make up Greek mythology. Here are some of our favourite examples of modern videogames paying homage to the immortal Greek tales.

God of War

While Kratos’ most recent game saw him taking a trip to the snowy land of Nordic mythology—the land of Thor, Baldur, Loki and more—his earlier games stayed planted firmly in the realm of Greek mythology. Through three mainline games and three spin-off titles (as well as one obscure mobile title), Kratos tore through the Greek Pantheon like a fiery, rage-filled wrecking ball. Ares, Poseidon and Zeus? Ha! No match for Kratos when he’s in the mood for vengeance. It may not be the most sophisticated series of games around, but the God of War series has been entertaining players and honouring Greek mythology for years.

Hades

The latest title from Supergiant Games, Hades is a roguelike which delivers quality in spades. Combat, story, character and style—it’s got it all. What’s more, it’s a great introduction to Greek mythology too; while it puts a new spin on several gods, demigods and characters, their core character traits are left largely untouched, meaning that even someone unfamiliar with the Greek pantheon can step into this and come out with a working knowledge of what the main players in Greek mythology are like.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

It may be unafraid of showing a sense of humour around its source material, but Immortals Fenyx Rising, the latest open world title from Ubisoft, still treats Greek mythology with a lot of respect. Throughout its Breath of the Wild-inspired campaign, players will spot numerous references (sometimes quite obscure ones) to the tales that define Greek mythology. Of course, that’s all in addition to the fact that the game is entirely centred around gods, titans, demigods and mythical creatures. If you’re in the mood for a little bit of silliness, there’s a lot of genuinely solid mythology in here.

Apotheon

The most striking aspect of Apotheon is, without a doubt, its art style. Inspired by ancient Greek tapestries and pottery, it’s an absolute pleasure to look at and perfectly captures the tone of a lost mythological tale. The game tells a tale of a lone human, tasked with ascending Mount Olympus and stealing the gods’ powers in order to save humankind. The developer, Alientrap, tries to stay true to the source material, including extracts from texts like the Iliad which players can read (or not) at certain points in the game.

Summing Up

These are just a few recent examples of games which have lovingly pulled from Greek mythology. There are countless more, though: Titan Quest, Age of Mythology, Kid Icarus and even SMITE. It’s clear that players can’t get enough of gods, myths and monsters in their games, and we can’t either. Here’s looking forward to even more Greek games in the future!