Together we shine
There’s no bigger act of camaraderie than standing together against impossible odds. Melinoë’s odyssey in Hades II is a living reminder of this sentiment, with peers tagging alongside her to show support, even for a short moment, as she repeatedly plunges through the Underworld’s depths. In a way, witnessing these attempts is a parallel to the experience of playing in Early Access, sharing my feats and frustrations with others. Despite knowing that Melinoë, and us, are currently unable to succeed in her mission, we still choose to support each other.
The queen of the Underworld is tasked with the rescue of her own family, as well as killing the culprit, Chronos, the representation of time itself who’s easily in the top 3 of shitty grandfathers. Her aunts and uncles provide aid in the form of boons, as they did with her brother Zagreus in the first game, granting the occasional ability or buff. But they’re still a dysfunctional bunch who are yet to learn how to get along. Words of encouragement are often backhanded. Half of the conversations include snark against a fellow relative. It doesn’t take long to realize a pat on the back from Zeus or Poseidon is merely wishful thinking.
Receiving boons is helpful enough in the mechanical sense. Melinoë becomes stronger, more resilient, and damage numbers go up in bright colors. Yet, your interactions with most gods are fleeting. Chances are that, once you’re further enough into a run, you might not even get a conversation blurb when you pick up a boon altogether. Thankfully, there are others who offer actual companionship, showcasing a willingness to experience what Melinoë does from up close.
In Hades, Zagreus can sometimes encounter Thanatos, the personification of death, upon entering a room. Such moments play out as a competition amongst very good friends where you have to take down more enemies than him within a set time. It’s one of the many clever ways in which developer Supergiant Games adds variety to the roguelite structure, while pushing the narrative a bit further each time.
The sequel doubles down on these occasional encounters with characters during runs. Familiar faces like Artemis and new ones like Nemesis, Icarus, and Heracles can appear at random, each with a different behavior. Artemis and Icarus use ranged attacks to weaken or take down enemies as Melinoë fights on the ground. Once the dust settles, they show up to offer a boon or special ability, as well as a friendly conversation afterward. Heracles is closer to Thanatos from a gameplay perspective, forcing a brawl to see who gets to defeat more foes before time runs out. In a way, it’s how he gets to know Melinoë, acting hostile at first before progressively letting his guard down to see her as a peer, not an adversary.
Nemesis, then, is a curious case, as one could argue she encapsulates all of the above, but in a far more erratic manner. She’s prone to offer a competition to defeat enemies, too, while sometimes taking care of an entire room before your arrival instead. When she’s not offering you to trade items in exchange for gold, a boon in your possession, or a percentage of your health, she’s grabbing items at merchant shops and opening doors at her will, robbing you of the choice before you can react.
Despite her antagonistic demeanor, Nemesis also lets her guard down. You can reject her trade offers to avoid penalties or exchanges you’d rather pass on. One time, despite finishing an enemy encounter before I could get to the area, she still gave away an item as compensation. Hades II continues to be a single player game, but Nemesis’ actions create the illusion that she’s simultaneously attempting to kill Chronos, occasionally bumping into Melinoë. These moments play out organically, leading to an illusion that’s easy to believe in.
Such instances, far from being mere elements of surprise, capitalize on the sense of camaraderie that the sequel reinforces. Zagreus received the help of many, but his journey, and task, were more solitary in nature. In Hades II, there’s a common enemy. It’s always comforting to be reminded that Melinoë is not alone in her attempts to beat Chronos when a familiar face shows up to offer aid, in whichever way they know how.
The mutual support isn’t unbeknownst to me, as someone who’s spent over 34 hours playing Hades II since a few days before the Early Access launch. During that time, I’ve been sharing my experience with a few friends and peers via Discord, slowly uncovering everything that Supergiant added in the sequel. It’s gotten to a point where there’s almost a newfound chat etiquette to avoid spoilers — using vague emojis or asking subtle questions like “Have you met S?” — or interrupting a conversation to update the other person of the current progress, such as typing down “sirens brb” when reaching the end of Oceanus, the second area of the Underworld.
It’s interesting to see how some of these interactions are happening with folks I don’t usually talk very often. Helldivers 2 was a similar case for me, in which I’d either help a friend during their first few missions or another would unexpectedly join my session for a couple of hours before storming off. Much like my DMs about Hades II, there’s no need for a long catch-up beforehand. We just get straight into the matter at hand, providing guidance or just commiserating about our attempts.
The key difference is that Helldivers 2 was originally designed as a co-op experience that encourages you to band together with others. Hades II is not. Instead, the roguelite sparks its communal camaraderie thanks to Early Access. The model’s structure, which was already the subject of Supergiant’s narrative-driven touch for the first game, is thematically mirroring the protagonist’s journey once more.
Being able to actually finish a run in Hades once the 1.0 launch happened, after dozens of successful attempts prior that didn’t result in an actual victory, gave me an unmatched catharsis that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. The sequel is already on a similar path, albeit with a greater feeling already brewing in place. A lot more people are playing in Early Access this time around — an unsurprising fact considering its predecessor’s resounding success — and sharing their feats and frustrations with one another.
Only time will tell how the story goes for Melinoë, and how Supergiant tries to surprise again. Much like the queen of the Underworld, it’s comforting knowing I’m not alone in my attempts to defeat Chronos, despite the impossible odds. Both familiar and new faces are lending me their support, strengthening our bonds in the process as we take part in a fleeting experience that, one day, will never be the same. Despite only being in Early Access for a few weeks, I can safely say that this newfound sense of camaraderie is teaching me th- wait, sirens, brb.
