Summary
Hades 2is a departure from its predecessor in that its story is far darker and more serious. WhileHadeswas serious in its own way, with Zagreus attempting to escape the Underworld to find his mother and escape his abusive father,Hades 2instead takes on a story that’s larger in scale. Early Access allows players to experience the first two acts ofHades 2, leaving its final third act a mystery, but it needs to deliver the same gut punch thatHadesdid in order to be successful.
This article contains story spoilers for Hades and Hades 2.
Hadesfeatured a smaller and more intimate story that involved thepersonal story of Zagreussearching for his mother. Including an emotional payoff in act three was a given because of this more emotional and internally driven story. In contrast, Melinoe’s story is largely driven by external factors, and her internal conflict doesn’t impede the events of the story nor carry them forward. Act three may be the chance to bring Melinoe’s internal conflict outward to affect the external plot.
Hades 2 Must Succeed in Its Final Act
Hades 2follows Melinoe as she attempts to overthrow Chronos, the Titan of Time. In contrast to her brother Zagreus, Melinoe has never met any member of her family, and is instead fighting for their freedom. Melinoe journeys to both theHouse of Hades in the Underworld and to Olympuson the surface. While this gives Melinoe freedom and variety that Zagreus never had, Zagreus' story was far more intimate and smaller than Melinoe’s, which gave him the perfect setup for an emotional third act.
ForHades 2to succeed, it needs to give Melinoe a similar emotional moment. Some aspects of this have been set up for the third act, with Melinoe doubting her capabilities, her relationship with her guardian, Hecate, and other characters questioning why she’s fighting so hard for a family she’s never met.
The Olympus Boss Must Deliver Hades 2’s Best Fight
Another aspect thatHades 2needs to do well is the final boss in the surface route inHades2’s third act. The first two bosses, Polyphemus and Eris, both nail their roles, so the final unrevealed boss forHades 2and the boss for Olympus needs to land as well. Defeating them also needs to bring the emotional hit thatHadesbrought whenZagreus defeated the final boss ofHadesfor the first time. This means thatHades 2will likely show Olympus on screen for the first time.
Completing the Underworld Route in Hades 2
Hades 2 Must Include Emotional and Story Payoff
The Underworld route will likely have an emotional fulfillment of a different kind, as it will probably involve the freedom of Melinoe’s family. Melinoe has already met Cerberus and her father, Hades, but the rest of the former inhabitants of the House of Hades are locked in time. Freeing them will probably only happen in act three after the full version ofHades 2is released, which will hopefully result in an emotional reunion. As theunfinished portrait in Melinoe’s tent remains a focal point forHades 2, her reunion with her family is something that needs to be paid off.
Barring that, there may be aplot twist that involves Chronos. Due to the nature of a rogue-like game, Chronos will have to continue to feature as the final boss of the Underworld route even after Melinoe defeats him for good and frees her family. Melinoe may reconcile with Chronos, or there may be some other twist that allows him to remain asHades 2’s final boss.
