But I have been given strict editorial directions not to kill any more small creatures for gambling purposes.
Fine by me, the approach is no less stabby.
The pacy dash ‘n’ slash of the previous game is alive and well, unsurprisingly.
So worry not, the basic sensation of being a slick little hell-fencer remains intact.
What’s new is extra.
Long lines of powerful purple will spill forth when you hold down the basic attack, for example.
A glowing orb of hurt will bowl across the arena when holding down your ranged attack.
And this is all for one weapon, a witch’s staff.
The magick of other weapons will be distinct.
It’s classic risk/reward stuff, as magick-bolstered attacks also momentarily slow our witchy hero to a crawl.
And what of this new gal?
Melinoe is the younger sister of moody smirker Zagreus, he of the first game.
The unlucky fate of Zagreus, Persephone, and Hades himself is hinted at but not fully revealed.
For now, Melinoe is introduced as a capable but naive assassin.
In this she is aided by a bunch of returning characters.
Others show up in more fun ways; Artemis taking potshots at enemies from off-screen to help you out.
There are new faces too.
Apollo, conspicuous in his absence during Hades the first, shows up to give boons of light.
Hestia, the Goddess of fire, is another boonifier.
Others seem there for fun and games.
Dora is a shade haunting your tent who flips between adorable housemate and FURIOUS HARBINGER OF THEDARK.
In other words, there is no shortage of horny deities and cute pals.
I think we can all sense the strange ships coming into harbour here.
You grow nightshade in a herb patch.
Your “headmistress” hangs out at a big cauldron where you concoct potions.
In one fight you are briefly transformed into a sheep.
You may or may not routinely kiss a frog who welcomes you home after each death.
These have the kind of names that belong in a Rider-Waite desktop folder marked “unused Greeks”.
The Huntress, The Furies, The Wayward Son, The Titan, and so on.
It’s a simple but effective skill tree.
There are simple things I appreciate in combat too.
name of “Schelemeus”.
So, it’s shaping up to be more of what fans like.
The differences in movement, in attack and escape, feel subtle.
while renovating the cast and their mythical misgivings.
And this is what I find most interesting about Hades 2.
But with the cast of Hades, that is bound to happen.
People will yearn for Meg or Zagreus or the Minotaur or whoever.
If and when such beloveds show up, this will act as payoff, as relief, as joy.
And if they don’t?
A continuous yearning, a new perspective.
Either way, the omens look good.
The potential is here for another emotionally resonant Supergiant tale.
