Last night at The Game Awards, Supergiant Games released the reveal trailer for Hades II and it is about to become my entire personality.
Hades II‘s main character is Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. She is described in the official FAQ as “an immortal witch and sorceress with powerful magical abilities, deadly skill with a variety of shadowy weapons, and a score to settle.” In Greek Mythology, Melinoë is a chthonic/underworld immortal who is seen a bringer of nightmares and madness. She has connections to Persephone, the witch goddess Hecate, and the Furies. Like Zagreus in the myths she is considered to be the daughter of Persephone and Zeus, but we won’t get into all the reasons that is gross today.
The FAQ explains that this title is a sequel to Hades and takes place after the events. You also do not have to have played Hades to play this game. You play as Melinoë to battle Chronos, the Titan of Time, and worst dad/grandfather ever, who has escaped his imprisonment and has seemingly imprisoned Hades if the trailer is any indicator.
With Melinoë and this game, the creators were looking to explore and highlight magic in greek mythology and its often misunderstood connections. They allude to Hecate a lot, which as a pagan makes me very excited.
Witchcraft is integral to numerous Greek myths, including some of the most famous, as well as many that inspired the original Hades and of course this sequel. Central to this ancient and oft-feared and misunderstood practice is Hecate, the secretive goddess of witchcraft and the crossroads. She plays a significant role in classical mythology surrounding Hades and the Underworld, and has been an influential and deeply compelling figure in witchcraft, myth, and folklore in a variety of cultures for thousands of years… so much so that we felt we needed a whole new game to try and do her justice. As with the original game, our aim is to be faithful to the spirit of the classical sources that inspired us, from Homer to Hesiod. This extends to our portrayal of witchcraft in this game, given its strong ties to many of the myths and characters at the heart of both Hades and Hades II. Mythological tales of ancient gods and heroes live on by being told and retold, adapted, and filtered through new points of view across time; we’ll be excited to share ours once again.
We will find out more as the game goes into Early Access on the PC and Steam (thank goddess for my SteamDeck). However, until then, let’s speculate about who will be showing up in this new game.
What characters might appear in Hades II?
The trailer shows us Apollo, the poet, rapist, and God of Light, who was absent from the first game; Moros, Doom Incarnate; and Nemesis, Retribution Incarnate. Can’t wait to romance Moros and Nemesis. I just know I can!
Of the figures who were absent from the first game that I hope will show up I defiantly must say Hestia and Hera. The eldest daughters of Chronos were not in the game and as a Hera-stan, I missed my vengeful queen. If revenge is an aim, Hera will be there. As the firstborn of Chronos and Rhea, Hestia would also be a huge figure to include narratively. While mentioned, we also don’t see the Fates in Hades and it would be cool for them to get an appearance. Eris, the Goddess of Discord would also fit well in this setting.
Now of the witches, we are clearly going to get Hecate, but I don’t think this game would be complete without the niece and aunt duo of Circe and Medea. Circe is the archetypical witch in Greek Mythology and as she is the daughter of the Titan God of the Sun, Helios, she also links the Titans to the gods in the story. Her niece, Medea, is also an iconic witch who is best known as the scorned woman, but was also a powerful sorceress who was willing to do what was necessary (in her mind) to survive.
Hades is one of my favorite games ever and was the game that got me back into not only wanting to beat a game, but unlock all the side quests. It has been a joy to play and I can not wait to have a new story from this team that not only brings back everything that I love—but adds magic to it.
(image: Supergiant Games)
