| Saint Seiya: The Hades | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Dimps |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| Series | Saint Seiya |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Singleplayer, multiplayer |
Saint Seiya: The Hades is a three-dimensional fighting video game developed by Dimps and published by Bandai for PlayStation 2. Released on December 20, 2007, in Japan and November 27, 2009, in France , it is the seventh video game based on the Saint Seiya franchise, a manga series written by Masami Kurumada.
The game features the Bronze Saints, holy warriors dedicated to protecting the reincarnation of the goddess Athena, led by Seiya, as playable characters. Following an assassination attempt, Athena's life is in danger, and the Bronze Saints must travel across the Sanctuary, the sacred home of the Saints, to restore Athena to her throne, usurped by the mastermind of the assassination attempt, the Great Pope. Along the way, they face various adversaries, including the Gold Saints, most of whom are unaware of the Great Pope's betrayal. After saving Athena, the Bronze Saints must confront Hades, the god of the Underworld who has resurrected the Saints who died in the battle for Sanctuary. The latter wish to take revenge on Athena, leaving it up to the surviving Bronze and Gold Saints to protect her.
A direct sequel to Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary, and developed by the same team, Saint Seiya: The Hades uses the same graphics engine as its predecessor, as well as a substantial part of its storyline, while improving certain criticisms of gameplay and adding a new narrative arc.
The game received mixed to negative reviews from critics upon release, particularly for its gameplay and graphics.