Anyone who was dedicated to busting Zagreus out of Hades had to struggle. As someone whose fingers turned to pretzels during my Hades runs, I’d say it was worth going through the levels of Hades over and over again if it meant reuniting Zagreus with his whole family.
But Greek gods have generational trauma. I wager the term ‘generational trauma’ was invented the moment Chronos ate his children and was then subsequently chopped to bits by Zeus. It doesn’t end there, though, which is what led us to the story of the Hades series. Now that Hades II is in early access, we know Chronos is alive and that Melinoe’s trained all her life to end him once and for all.
The ending of the first game subtly hinted at a sequel. At the final final end of Hades, after exhausting all of Zag and Persephone’s dialogue options and taking down your dad 10 times, the Olympian gods accept Persephone’s return to the Underworld, and Hades throws a party for his estranged, extended family. After the festivities, the narrator says that the revelry of this scale is “unbecoming” of the Underworld’s reputation as a terrifying place. I quote, “For if mortals were to have no fear of death, then they would have no fear of anything at all.”
Hades’ family ruled in peace, and they would welcome Melinoe during this time. This was until Chronos usurped the Underworld and took Hades, Persephone, and Zagreus with him. It would make sense that the God of Time would be the only one who did not fear death among the gods. It’s unknown how this came to be, but that’s exactly what we’ll be exploring in the next Hades game.
(featured image: Supergiant Games)
