Pixel Sundays: Hades 2 is Blowing Up, But Have You Played the Original?
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Summary |
What is the Hades series?
The Hades series comprises a total of 2 games, with one having been released just a few days ago. You play as Zagreus, the son of the Lord of the Underworld Hades, and what better scenario for a roguelike than Hell itself.
Hades Games
There are two Hades games in total, both developed by the indie studio Supergiant Games. Hades was released on September 17, 2020, for PC, macOS, and Nintendo Switch. A year later, on August 13, 2021, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. However, this game was already released in December 2018 in Early Access.
Overall, Hades won over 30 awards. In 2020, Hades won Best Indie Game and Critics Choice Award at the Golden Joystick Awards. But also at the Game Awards, it won the prize for the best indie game and the prize for best action, and many more followed.
Hades 2 is the latest game in the series. Hades 2 was released on May 6 exclusively for PC in Early Access. It’s available for purchase on Epic Games and Steam.
Story of Hades
The following part is full of spoilers for both Hades games and their endings. So if you want to experience the story for yourself, it’s best to skip the following part. Click here to skip the following part.
You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades and thus the prince of the underworld. Your goal is to escape from the underworld. You get help from your adoptive mother Nyx. From her, you get a mirror that grants you various abilities through collected darkness. But other gods of Olympus also want to support you in your endeavor.
Through your mentor Achilles, you get underworld weapons with which you fight your enemies. You only have enemies because your father, Hades himself, tries to prevent you from your plan. He sends his minions after you to ensure you never escape from hell. Hades also sends, for example, the Fury Megaira after you, who is your ex-lover. Later, her sisters are also sent after you. More enemies come, and at the end of the game, you even have to fight Hades himself.
The reason Zagreus wants to leave the underworld becomes apparent. He wants to find his biological mother Persephone. Hades does not speak about Persephone and has even strictly forbidden it. But Nyx, your adoptive mother, wants to help you meet your true mother. She helps you make contacts with Olympus.
After defeating Hades, you find yourself in Greece, where you also find Persephone. The meeting with his biological mother is quite emotional, but unfortunately, Zagreus, like Hades, is bound to the underworld and can only stay on the surface briefly. But then you decide to see your mother again and again and to escape from hell repeatedly. This is how you want to find out the truth about your mother’s disappearance.
Each time you surface, you learn more. Originally, Hades and Persephone had a loving marriage. But this marriage did not initially arise out of love. Persephone was given to Hades by Zeus as a wife, something Zagreus can never forgive him for. Unfortunately, Zagreus was stillborn because Hades was cursed not to conceive offspring. Subsequently, Persephone left the underworld, but she also did not want to return to the gods on Olympus, so she settled on Earth.
Through Nyx’s powers, Zagreus was brought back to life. Nevertheless, Persephone did not want to return to the underworld because she feared retaliation from the gods of Olympus once it was revealed that she had borne a child.
But Zagreus can remind his mother of the bonds of family, causing her to return to the underworld as queen. Then your father Hades also shows more respect and allows you to undertake further escape attempts. But only under the pretext of uncovering security vulnerabilities.
Story of Hades 2
The story of Hades 2 takes place after the events in Hades. But you are no longer Zagreus as in the predecessor. Now you play as Melinoe, the immortal princess of the underworld. Additionally, there is now also a brand new antagonist, Chronos, the Titan of Time.
Chronos was actually locked in the underworld, but he managed to escape. He then captured Hades and now wants to go to war against Olympus. Your task as Melinoe is to go into the underworld and defeat Chronos, your grandfather, along with his followers. Of course, Olympus supports you in this endeavor and grants you its powers.
Game Mechanics of the Hades Games
The Hades games are roguelikes. So games where you start individual runs repeatedly and can either win or lose them. When you win a run, you unlock new story elements and abilities.
In Hades, you’ll encounter fast-paced battles where you always need to be careful not to get hit unnecessarily. Additionally, the game offers a very fitting atmosphere and exciting dialogues that drive the story forward.
Through the gods, you get abilities that you can use in your runs. But not only that, your weapons can also be enhanced by various powers. Thus, in Hades 1 alone, over 1000 different builds are possible. All the gods, spirits, and monsters you can encounter have their own voice, making the dialogues feel even better. You can build relationships with the characters over time and thus get more than 1000 unique story events.
Through your mirror of the night, you can also become stronger over the different runs and thus defeat bosses even more easily.
In Hades 2, the feature of magic is now added. You can enhance your underworld weapons with magic. But features like the powers of the gods are retained, so you can still get unique abilities through them.
Just like in the predecessor, there are many characters you can talk to. Even more than in the predecessor. The dialogues change depending on how your story evolves.
Future of Hades 2
First of all, Hades 2 will remain in Early Access for a longer period. During this time, fans can report bugs or suggest improvements, thus actively helping to make the game better. When Hades 2 is officially released, it will also be available for all other consoles like its predecessor. But this could take more than a year with bad luck. In the meantime, new updates and improvements for the game will continue to come for PC.
Save on Purchasing Hades & Hades 2
Until tomorrow, May 13, Hades is reduced by 66% on Steam to €8.33. For this price, you can make nearly endless runs in Hades and discover something new with each one. But unfortunately, the offer ends soon. But luckily, there are other ways to save on purchasing Hades and Hades 2. Namely, AllKeyShop. AllKeyShop compares prices from over 60 verified key sellers for you and can always show you the best price for video games.
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By 
Kilian
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Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
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