Huge announcements for Final Fantasy 16 and Death Stranding 2 may have been the big headlines from this year's Game Awards but, for many, it was a reveal trailer from indie studio Supergiant Games that caused the most excitement. Not only is the follow-up to Hades finally officially on the way but Hades 2 promises to come with a whole host of entirely new gods.
Headed up by the striking Melinoë, described as the immortal Princess of the Underworld, the new cast features new gods like Apollo and a new terrifying villain in the form of the titan Kronos. Although Hades 2 will undoubtedly put its own spin on the characters, their roots in Ancient Greek mythology can help to uncover some hints about what their role in the game might be.
Melinoë
Featured prominently in the reveal trailer, Melinoë will be the protagonist of Hades 2 on a mission to take down Kronos with the help of Hecate and other Olympian gods. In the game, Melinoë is the daughter of Hades and Persephone but, in contrast to Zagreus, her powers appear to be centered around witchcraft as well as her use of mysterious shadowy weapons, as outlined in Supergiant's Hades 2 FAQ.
According to Theoi, Melinoë is a powerful goddess known, among other things, for wandering the earth at night accompanied by ghosts in order to terrify humans. Interestingly, her one light limb and one dark limb in the game may be directly connected to her mythology, where her dual colors reflect her connections to both the Underworld and Olympus.
Hecate
Witchcraft is always an interesting subject in games and it's likely to be a major element of Hades 2 so it will be interesting to see how big of a role Hecate has to play in the game. Based on the reveal trailer, she appears to be acting as a mentor to Melinoë on her mission into the underworld. Like Melinoë, she has her own section in Supergiant's Hades 2 FAQ, which describes her as "the secretive goddess of witchcraft and the crossroads."
Like any major figure in Greek mythology, there are different and contradicting accounts of her meaning and lineage but witchcraft is often central. According to World History Encyclopedia, Hecate is capable of good and evil and is often depicted as having three heads, which can be seen in the Hades 2 reveal trailer. Like Melinoë, she has strong connections with ghosts and the night, cementing the link between the two.
Kronos
Kronos didn't need to have a single spoken line or even be shown visually in the Hades 2 reveal trailer to get the attention of fans. With Hades' warning that the figure represents time itself and can't be stopped, along with an ominous ticking sound, Kronos looks to be an intriguing and powerful antagonist already.
If his place in Greek mythology is anything to go by, it's fair to consider Kronos a force to be reckoned with. Encyclopaedia Britannica identifies him as the youngest of the first generation of titans who, after becoming their leader, fathered a whole host of gods including Hades himself. After losing to Zeus, Kronos became imprisoned in the underworld from which he escapes in Hades 2's reimagining of the mythology, apparently chaining Hades up in retaliation.
Dora
In Hades, Dusa is the shade that won the hearts of so many players thanks to her sincere and well-meaning personality. In Hades 2, a new shade may well feature prominently, though it's hard to imagine her becoming as beloved as Dusa. That shade is Dora, a "Listless Shade," that seems to switch between an intimidating shrieking guise and a cheeky smiling one.
Shades are the resident spirits of the dead that inhabit the underworld in Greek mythology and Hades alike. As they're generally background figures in both, there's little to indicate what the story behind Dora and her different personalities might be but, according to The Gamer, a popular fan theory suggests she may be Pandora, the very first human woman according to Greek myth.
Moros
As well as the central characters, it was the distinctive gods that appeared to bestow boons upon Zagreus that helped make Hades an iconic game. Hades 2 is likely to be more of the same, with the reveal trailer showing several of the figures that will likely perform the same role in the sequel.
One of these was Moros, who carries the title "Doom Incarnate." That reflects his position in Greek mythology where, according to Theoi, the figure is a sibling of Thanatos but who brings death in violent and unpleasant ways instead. Despite that, he speaks gently and optimistically in the reveal trailer, meaning it will be interesting to see how the game handles his dark nature.
Apollo
Considering Apollo's one of the more well-known Olympian gods, his absence in the first Hades game was a notable one. Hades 2 puts that right by introducing the god and in some style too. Despite his title being "God of Light" in the game, that's perhaps not what Apollo is most associated with in Greek mythology.
In World History Encylopedia's summary, Apollo is primarily a god of archery and music though he's described as being a source of life and as bright as the sun itself, which explains why he's connected with light in the game. Hades 2 appears to reference Apollo's other meanings as a god with the object held in his right hand, which appears to be a unique bow with multiple strings.
Nemesis
As "Retribution Incarnate," there's seemingly no more appropriate a character to offer help to Melinoë on her way to settle a score in Hades 2 than Nemesis. Though many great games have centered on Greek mythology, it's surprising how few have chosen to feature this goddess given her distinctive name and intriguing background.
According to Theoi, Nemesis was a goddess who took a keen interest in human affairs. Though she is sometimes considered to be a goddess of revenge, it seems her task was more about balancing out fortunes by taking retribution against people who committed evil deeds or benefited from undeserved good luck. She was also sometimes depicted as a winged goddess, which Supergiant Games took full advantage of in her character design for the Hades 2.