The witches are back baby!
Hades 2 – Wish I Knew Before | Tips, tricks & Game knowledge for new players
Within 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 tried to escape from 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 veered into Halloween cliché territory, but the game subverts those expectations: Melinoë doesn't throw a wand but the sharpened edge of a spear, and the cloaked figure wearing the pointy hat just happens to have a bare midriff that's shredded with six-pack abs. That's because Hades 2 gives us a witch who's knowledgeable, 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 misty green waters of The Crossroads. There, she shares a cozy, candlelit room decorated with books, jars, and stock rugs with a jovial ghost named Dora. It's a bleak life in the shadows, but she and her allies are determined in their mission to kill the titan of time, Chronos. She can prepare for each attempt to kill Chronos with several different types of items and upgrades, all witch-themed (unlike her brother Zagreus). She concocts spells using the base's cauldron and can choose from a variety of astrology-like cards that grant her unique abilities, such as Death Defiance – which revives her the first time she dies – and an enhanced sprint.
