Hades player Angel1C (also known as Jade on YouTube) has managed to beat the game on Heat level 64, which was previously thought to be nearly impossible.
You might think that since Hades has been out for several years now that its community had managed to beat it in every way possible, but you'd actually be wrong. Once you've finished the game for the first time, you unlock a new mechanic called Heat that can be adjusted whenever you start a new run to make things harder for Zagreus and the player but also increase the potential rewards.
Until recently, the highest Heat level that players have legitimately managed to beat is level 63 out of 64. Why not 64, you ask? Well, as illustrated in this video from top player Haelian, beating the game on Heat level 64 was previously deemed near-impossible and would take 85 hours to beat due to how difficult it is. This is because Heat level 64 includes some tough-as-nails modifiers that don't let Zagreus heal or resurrect during the run, something that's made worse by enemies hitting twice as hard and there being a time limit between zones.
All of this and more was pointed out by Haelian just a few days ago to make the run nearly impossible to beat but, as reported by GamesRadar+, that's apparently not the case at all as one incredibly skilled player has managed to do it in just half an hour. That player is Angel1C, also known as Jade on YouTube, who seemingly took the "nearly impossible" claims to heart and proved everyone wrong.
As you can see from this video uploaded to their YouTube channel, Angel1C manages to get through the 64 Heat challenge without seeding any specific powerups or items or modding the game, which has previously never been done and makes them the first person to ever truly finish Hades. The run itself, which was completed with the Shield of Chaos, is worth a watch if you want to see how tough Hades can truly get, even if, like me, you don't understand just how lucky Angel1C gets with their pickups and room layouts.
On the run, Angel1C said, "I am a fucking legend at this videogame. 51 minutes of attempts, to get luck that is arguably unachievable in thousands of hours. Never say never I guess".
After the feat was achieved, Haelian went back and updated the description of his YouTube video, saying, "Congratulations to AngeL1C for proving me dead wrong! They destroyed 64 heat without mods or seeds just 8 days after this video was posted. A true god gamer. Bear in mind all of the math in this video is still correct, Angel was just able to prove that they had the determination to get it done".
Let's hope that Supergiant responds by adding Heat level 65 so we can see just how far the community can go.