Hades 2 is all about witches and feminine power
During the first few minutes of playing as Hades 2’s Melinoë, players encounter sights like a bubbling cauldron, the silhouette of a pointed witch’s hat, and the glowing lines of a summoning circle. Between the new gameplay and the story, Hades 2 goes all in on the dark magic — and that’s one of the biggest differences between it and its predecessor, Hades.
The original Hades followed Zagreus, the strong but brash son of Hades who sought to escape the underworld. Now, the series turns to his sister, Melinoë, a warrior raised and trained by the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, Hecate. It’s a dramatic shift from Hades, but a welcome one. The setting and tone of Hades 2 could have tiptoed into the territory of a Halloween cliché, yet the game subverts those expectations: Melinoë doesn’t cast with a wand but the sharpened edge of a spear, and the cloaked figure wearing the pointed hat just so happens to have a bare midriff that’s shredded with six-pack abs. That’s because Hades 2 presents us with a witch that is savvy, strong, and perhaps most importantly, fun.
Hades 2 shares some structure with Hades. Every time Melinoë dies and restarts a run, she returns to the hazy green waters of The Crossroads. There, she shares a cozy candle-lit room decorated with books, jars, and layered rugs with a jovial ghost named Dora. It’s a somber life in the shadows, but she and her allies stand resolute in their mission to kill the Titan of Time, Chronos. She can prepare for each attempt to kill Chronos with several different kinds of items and upgrades, all witch-themed (unlike her brother Zagreus). She concocts incantations using the base’s cauldron and can pick from a variety of astrology-esque cards that give her unique abilities, like Death Defiance — which revives her the first time she dies — and an enhanced sprint.
The game’s witchy flourishes bring Melinoë and her will to life. During dialogue, her character art glows white in the moonlight, and the light waves with a
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