No Escape

Lessons in Failure.
(Or what playing Hades taught me about learning German)

You are not meant to succeed the first time. And you probably won't get very far the next 10 tries.

In the game Hades the premise is failure. You play as Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, who tries to escape the Underworld to find his mother. However, the realm of the dead is designed to keep those in it, inside it. You are not set up for success—everything is trying to kill you, and it will. Over and over again.

It took me more than 30 tries just to see the surface. I would spend an hour slashing skeletons, evading deadly spikes, and spilling Titan blood everywhere—only to be absolutely skewered by an ancient Greek hero (Theseus, you are lucky the Gods are helping you). But I kept coming back, I kept trying. It didn’t matter—every time I played I knew I was going to fail, and I was having fun.

But how does this connect to learning German?

Beyond how difficult it can be, learning a new language is about getting comfortable with making mistakes. There is no escape from that.

No questions about why I have sword, please.

Before we dive into the current hell I’m trying to escape, I have to let you know—I’ve "escaped" other hells before. Aka, German isn't my first rodeo.

Spanish is my mother tongue, and I grew up speaking English since my dad was an English teacher. Over the years, I’ve studied French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and even a bit of Swedish—to various degrees of success. I feel most comfortable switching between English and Spanish, but I love to gossip in Portuguese, and my French is enough to get by in restaurants and shops. Whether it was formal classes, the app with the green owl, or simply listening to endless YouTube videos (shoutout to Brazilian YouTube), I had found strategies that worked for me to practice and learn.

And although German has humbled me and frequently brought me down to my knees, I’m trying to translate some lessons from Hades into my classes.

“One must imagine Sisyphus is happy” - Albert camus, The Myth of Sisyphus

Lesson 1: There Is No Escape

Every time you lose in Hades, you are dispatched back to the starting point with this gentle reminder. You can't expect to win the first time—you will lose. You have to get comfortable with that idea. I will make mistakes in German, I won’t be perfect the first time, and for the life of me, I won’t be able to pronounce Monat without it sounding like Monet.

I try to stay positive—I will always fail, but I will always have the chance to try again. Like in the game, each time I will get a bit further… or not. But every try has a new mini reward. Okay, I am back to square one, but not quite. Sometimes, it’s as huge as getting a new power-up, or simply noticing a new enemy. It’s leveling up what counts.

German lessons feel like this. Sometimes, I come back to my notes and realize only one new word has stuck in my memory. Other times I am defying the gods, when I finally understand different between möchten and mogen. It’s the accumulated knowledge what counts.

I changed the game to German

Lesson 2: Choose the Right Weapon

In the game, you can choose which weapon you will use to battle off the endless wretches waiting for a chance to sip on your blood. Sword, spear, bow, shield, gloves, and even a gun—which of these legendary weapon should I use to defend myself against German declensions? I had to try them all.

In this analogy, weapons are learning methods: classes, apps, videos, exercises, discussion groups, etc. My best runs have been with a gun—and surprisingly, the times I’ve made the most progress in German were when I combined one-on-one classes with quiet study time. Turns out in game I shoot to kill from a distance and in real life I sit in silence doing simple grammar exercises. It’s kinda the same, no?

Lesson 3: KNOW Your Strengths and Weaknesses

The first time I faced the Bone Hydra, I died less than 2 minutes in—as expected. But after playing for a few days, I had this monster figured out vertebra by vertebra. Now, I can clear this boss fight without much trouble. But Theseus and his Minotaur buddy? They kill most of my runs. I’ve come to accept this. I know where I’m likely to fail and where I’ll succeed. So I build my strategy around that—I know where I’ll need to invest extra resources to make it through.

Spoken German, for some strange reason, seems okay to me—I can string together simple sentences when I need to set up a doctor’s appointment. Reading comprehension isn’t the worst either—my English helps fill in some knowledge gaps. But writing and grammar? It’s Theseus and his Minotaur sending me back to the start.

Here is where I need to concentrate and try to find some strategies around those giant words that seem like spears. It’s just a matter of memorizing patterns.

Again, please no sword questions.

Language learning is like a video game—some levels are easy, some are difficult.
Some games are similar to others you’ve played before, so skills are transferable.
Other games are completely different, and you will find yourself going back to the tutorial frequently. You level up and get better—stop playing, and you forget the combos you committed to memory. It’s about skill, it’s about patience, it’s about practice.

I have my A1 exam in a few weeks, and I’m starting to feel the pressure. I won’t be able to get a perfect no-damage run, but I can set a realistic milestone—maybe make it out of the first circle of hell alive.

I’m sure I’ll pass, but I want to be confident enough to enjoy the process. It’s time to put on the Hades soundtrack, open Grammatik and get good.

May the gods help me.

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That’s Enough About Me!

What do you think? What should I focus on next?

Have you played Hades too? Who is your favorite character?
What hell are you trying to escape currently?

Let me know! Write a comment below or shoot me an email! 😊
📩 sifuentesanita@gmail.com