Found em'!

(Spoilers ahead for Hades II end game--read with caution!)

My ultimate goal in Hades II was to locate the missing three fates.  Chronos, in his fit of evil, cast the weavers into the timeless abyss and intimated that there was really no way to find them.  As a result, Melinoë has to cast about killing fragments of Typhon and Chronos that are still lurking in other timelines.  I killed them both repeatedly and there were very few conversations about locating the fates.  I supposed that I just needed to continue venturing into the underworld.

It turns out that finding the fates is tied to one of the tasks on the fated list of minor prophecies.  Unfortunately, I have no idea which one--I think its one related to befriending various characters and especially Lord Moros.  It was after I had completed that task that I randomly noticed that the prophecy about the fates had changed--before it had simply said that you needed to find the fates and now it actually had instructions on how to do it.  It's not a matter of just repeatedly killing the big baddies, but rather a specific sequence where you need to equip Moros's keepsake (the engraved pin), activate it (by bringing you health down to 0 and then clearing the room within 10 seconds) in three successive chambers within Oceanus.  Then, you simply die and voila, there's a new cutscene where you meet the mysterious fates.  The fates decide that they're just going to leave the humans alone and let things happen without any intervention or prophecies.  There's a nice ending cutscene and an achievement about reaching the epilogue.

A magnificently inaccurate statue.

Now that I've completed my main goal, I'm not sure how much more I'm going to continue with Hades II.  There are still plenty of story and combat achievements that I am somewhat interested in seeing how they play out.  I decided to go for the first "champion of the night" challenge (it requires you to complete the surface and underworld with a certain amount of fear from the Vows of the Unseen) and managed to complete it fairly easily.  The reward?  A rather unrealistic statue of a very muscular Melinoë.  I haven't managed to develop deep bonds with everyone and somehow have wound up in a sort of romantic relationship with Lord Moros.  This whole "romance" thing is something I don't remember from Hades, but I guess it adds some flavor to the characters in the game.  I'd like to discover why Hecate seems reluctant to fully open up to Melinoë and figure out how to life Arachne's curse...so maybe I'll keep playing.

When it's all said and done, Hades II has turned out to be a great second entry.  The combat is challenging and enjoyable and the characters, voice acting, and story are well-designed to keep you playing even after you've accomplished your main goal.  I expect that it will take home some hardware in the upcoming gaming awards...and it's definitely well deserved.

Ascent

(Spoilers about the ending of Hades II ahead!  Read on with caution!)

To finally see the gleaming peaks of the temple of Zeus in Hades II felt like a real victory.  Granted, it undoubtedly took me much, much longer to defeat Typhon, the father of all monsters, than it should have.  I was actually very surprised that I had taken him down because the run had not gone very well--I had been sloppy on Eris and lost at least one instance of death defiance.  The boons I had cobbled together on that particular run had felt pretty epic though, so I guess it balanced out.

Actually making it to the Temple of Zeus feels epic.

Of course once you take down Typhon you are only partially done--it's back to Erebus and the underworld to finally take down Chronos.  Luckily though, I had the Chronos fight down pat (although I was surprised when he launched into a new third phase that I hadn't encountered before--apparently it's just part of the story though as I quickly noticed that I wasn't dying and my death defiance had an infinite symbol).  The actual ending surprised me a bit--I figured Melinoë would slay Chronos and it would be (mostly) game over.  Instead, it's up to Zagreus to convince past-Chronos to reconcile with the family who cut him into tiny pieces and sprinkled them throughout Tartarus.  Shockingly, Chronos decides to take the reconciliation path and in the current-time Melinoë experiences a rush of memories about what her childhood with this kinder, gentler, and grandfatherly Chronos would have been like.  She also finally gets to meet the entire Hades clan in the flesh--it's a fun jog down the original Hades path to be back in the House of Hades and be chatting with the old crew--Achilles, Nyx, Zagreus, Cerberus, and Persephone.  After that the credits roll--there's a great song to cap it off (I take back what I said about the music, it's definitely up to the Hades standard).

This doesn't mean that Melinoë's adventures are done--there's still the matter of the missing three fates.  Grandfather Chronos, who has slipped into a helpful role, has no idea where they ended up...he just cast them out into some random point of time and space.  So now it's up to Melinoë to continue investigating random pockets of time (a nice story mechanic to keep you fighting against the big bads that you have already defeated) in order to locate the three fates.  I have no idea how long it will take and there haven't been many conversations with other characters about the potential of finding them.  I guess I'll just keep on clearing until it happens...or until I get bored.

Overall, I've greatly enjoyed my experience with Hades II.  I can definitely see how it is a contender for game of the year.  I think the boss fights were slightly easier--that three phase fight with Hades in the original game always felt like a toss up--but I can generally take down Chronos and Typhon without a ton of consternation.  The story (so far--I'm waiting to see if things take a turn when/if I finally locate the three fates) has a happy ending and I like the way they managed to make re-playing the runs tie-in with the story aspects.

Hopefully next week I can report on finding the three fates and whether or not Chronos is legitimately the friendly, grandpa-sort that he seems to be.  Happy weekend and happy gaming!

Stumbling Ahead

You know a game is good when you can make limited progress but still want to play.  That's my current situation with Hades II--I've hit a Typhon-sized roadblock, but oddly, I'm still having fun.  I think I'm chipping away at him, but it's hard to tell.  (FYI: some Hades II spoilers ahead).

My trip to the top of Mount Olympus in Hades II became much more thrilling when I finally took down Prometheus.  It was partially luck--I just ran around like a dummy while Aeto the eagle swooped down with his fire-attack of instant death and somehow managed to avoid getting hit (I think I had Athena's dodge buff and another one and managed to dodge at least one).  It feels really dumb that I STILL haven't fully mastered avoiding the dang fire attacks!  I've definitely improved and can generally avoid most of them, but I need to come up with a solid strategy for completely avoiding them.  Quite frankly, it's a mechanic that shouldn't feel as difficult as it does--you just have to remember the pattern of attacks...something that we do all the time in video games but for some reason it seems overly difficult.  Maybe our brains really are turning to rot thanks to screens?  I don't know, but I am determined to get it down.

One time I managed to take Prometheus down and still had ALL of my death defiance in place (I think 3).  I made it past the monster minions on the way to the top of the mountain and finally got to face off with Typhon.  The father of all monsters is a giant, looming baddie with another very annoying mechanic--his health bar totally disappears and you have no idea how much you've chipped away.  There are a few indicators--at one point (I'm assuming 50-60%) Zeus shows up and encourages all the Olympian gods to unleash on Typhon. They all zap him and you get the chance to briefly unload on an unconscious Typon.  After his nap, Typhon wakes up and enters into a phase that can only be described as bullet hell chaos--tentacles emerge from random parts of the platform, he launches his wind storm and crashing object attacks, and it's total pandemonium just trying to avoid everything that's going on.  I think I lasted all of 10 seconds during this phase.  I haven't managed to make it this far again, sadly.

Mel's bedroom area is starting to look fancy.

I'm definitely not done though, I'm still putting Melinoë through her paces in an effort to build up her skills and weapons to make up for my own lack of ability.  One aspect of Hades that I thought was conspicuously missing was the ability to add new decorations to your home base.  It's still there, it just takes awhile for it to pop up as an incantation.  Dora, the friendly shade, offers a range of new decorations to spruce up the Crossroads.  You can also perform an incantation that will make bosses drop gems that can be cashed in with the Wretched Broker for the currency to buy decor.  I've spruced up Mel's bedroom area and bought a few decorations for other areas.

Next week I'm hopefully going to be reporting about how I've taken down Typhon and maybe gotten to a truly happy ending.  Fingers crossed.

Utterly Bewitching--Hades II

I've been spending almost all my gaming time thoroughly engrossed in Hades II.  I've taken a few brief diversions into the recently released PowerWash Simulator 2 (which I will likely write about next week), but my failure to accomplish the ultimate goal in Hades II has kept me invested.  I'm happy to report that I have finally vanquished Chronos (I will fully admit that it probably took me waaaay too long) and just last night was able to defeat Prometheus for the first time!  While I still haven't reached the "true ending," I 've gotten a good feel for the game and feel like I can write my review.

What is it?

The second installment of Supergiant Games hit roguelite Hades.  You play as Melinoë, the younger sister of Zagreus, the protagonist of the first game.  Melinoë was hidden away with a coven of witches for her protection as a baby and has been raised by the legendary titaness Hecate.  As a result of this, Melinoë possesses a special "magick" ability that allows her to utilize new attacks.  The gameplay in Hades II has remained largely the same as in the original game--Melinoë must navigate an everchanging set of rooms filled with various enemies to eventually face off against a powerful guardian.  Defeating that guardian will advance her to a new area where she must repeat the process until she eventually reaches her goal of facing off against the ultimate big baddie, the titan of time, Chronos.

How much playtime can I expect?

Because of it's roguelike/lite design, you could technically play it forever.  Realistically though, if you want to reach the true ending (which I haven't reached) my best estimate would be 30-50 hours (*which is highly dependent on your skill level--I'm not great and I am already at 35 hours).  Honestly, the price to value ratio is great.

Pros:

+The core gameplay has remained largely the same.  Melinoë starts each night at her home base of the Crossroads and can spend time chatting up its various denizens and establishing relationships with them.  Then she can head over to the combat preparation area and pick out her keepsake, weapons, and companion before choosing a path.  Like the previous game, you get to choose boons from various gods and goddesses and utilize those buffs to fight through multiple levels of everchanging rooms filled with foes.

+ Combat is still highly enjoyable and challenging.  Melinoë can utilize powerful magick abilities that consume magick--a new resource that automatically refills at the beginning of each room.  This adds in another layer of strategy because there's no reason not to spend your magick.  Mel has a special ability that lays down a circle that can stop or slow enemies and it can even be enhanced by certain boons to do damage.  One change that seemed to bit a bit controversial during early access was the fact that they have increased the cooldown on dashing.  I found it to be barely noticeable and there are boons that allow you to dash more quickly and more frequently.

+ A great cast of new characters to befriend.  The Crossroads base is filled with various close associates of Melinoë--the head witch, Hecate; the famed adventurer, Odysseus; the broody Nemesis; and many more who appear as the story progresses.  And, of course, you can always practice your moves on Schelemeus (who has been promoted to commander Schelemeus).  The voice acting is great, as always, and befriending everyone is a relaxing part of the game.

+ New boons!  Many of the original gods and goddesses make an appearance with boons that are similar to what they offered in Hades, but a few new faces pop up.  My personal favorite is Hestia, goddess of the hearth (fire), who offers up various boons that will enhance your various attacks with a scorch debuff that is a damage over time ability.  There's also Hephaestus, god of the forge who can enhance Melinoë's circle attacks with very powerful damage that is on a longer cooldown.  Hera, the wife of Zeus, also makes an appearance and her boons cause a debuff called "hitch" that will share damage among all afflicted enemies.

+ A wider variety of infernal arms to choose from.  There are six different weapons that range from slower, more powerful melee abilities to fast, quick ranged attacks.  :Like the first game, each weapon also has special "aspects" that can be unlocked.  It's a lot of fun finding a new favorite weapon and experimenting with the various abilities of the new aspects.

+ One new feature of gameplay is resource gathering.  Sprinkled throughout the various zones are various plant and mineral resources that can be gathered and are used to unlock incantations at the cauldron in the Crossroads.  These incantations unlock some of the gameplay features that were purchasable with gems in the first game--things like infernal chests, additional fountains for each level, and even new areas of the Crossroads.

+ Companions are available early in the game.  Melinoë can choose to take an animal sidekick on her adventures (once she has located them and offered them a treat).  Each companion offers a different buff to enhance combat abilities and can shorten the amount of time it takes to gather certain resources.  For example, Toula, the cat companion will periodically attack foes and can automatically catch fish (she also adds an instance of death defiance).  I never unlocked companions in the original game (I believe it was something that required a bit of late game activity that I never completed) and I am loving it.  Pets are the best in games!

+ Boss fights that are challenging, but enjoyable.  You'll be facing off against a set of big bads with a range of combat abilities.  My personal favorite new boss fight is with Scylla and the Sirens.  When I first heard the haunting singing in Oceanus I was positive that it would be sirens...I just didn't expect them to be the version they are in the game.  I expected a big nasty monster fight, but instead found myself facing off against a wannabe band featuring three members--a drummer, a guitar player, and on vocals, Scylla the legendary siren of lore.  Scylla is a bit delusional about making it big and her dialogue is humorous.  She also sings a fun song titled "I want to drown you and rip out your eyes."  The fight itself isn't too bad once you figure out the various attacks that each band member is capable of and it provides some humor.

+ Features to keep you playing even after you've defeated the big bosses.  Similar to the first game there are combat modifiers that can be activated to make each run more difficult.  Upgrading the special aspects of the infernal arms requires utilizing a special resource that is only unlocked if you activate these multipliers and defeat the big boss.  They've also added a set of specific combat challenges that lock a certain set of abilities and weapons and reward a special resource--these challenges range in difficulty from simple to very difficult and the amount of resource awarded depends on the difficulty.

+ An enjoyable story that plays out in pieces as you complete each run.  I'm not going to spoil anything, but the story aspects of the Hades series has always been great.  The plot thickens more and more as you progress.

Ah, Lord Moros...so beautiful, but is doom itself.

+ Pretty new gods, goddesses, and others to thirst over.  They're immortal gods...and they look like it.  One of my new favorites is Moros, the embodiment of doom.  He's responsible for all the disasters that happen on earth and has the creepy task of being present when they occur and many humans die.  But hey, he's very pretty and soft spoken.

+ Arcana cards that grant Melinoë a specific set of abilities.  Melinoë can upgrade her "grasp," which grants a certain number of points that correspond with the number of arcana cards that she can utilize.  At the beginning of each run you can choose your set.  The cards are upgradeable (with specific resources).

+ A major difference in Hades II is that there are two combat paths that you can choose from.  There's the default path where you ultimately face off against Chronos and another path that requires you to travel to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.  The foes you face are different in each area and it provides more variety to the gameplay.  (No spoilers here though)

Cons:

- The music in this game seems less memorable that in the first game.  I loved the Hades soundtrack and its music is great.  I find myself noticing the music much less this time around.  It's a minor gripe, but Supergiant generally does music in a big way in its games.  I still like the music in the game, it's just not as epic. (*EDIT:  The music is growing on me and I'm re-thinking this gripe a bit.  It's just that the Hades main theme was so memorable--and yes, they've basically reused it in Hades II, so maybe I should just enjoy it.)

- There's one particular boss fight that I hate.  It's a bit of a spoiler, but it involves a mechanic that I (stupidly) have not been able to overcome.  What is that mechanic you might ask?  Well, it's a bit like a memory game where a path for attacks will appear on the ground and you have to remember the sequence or else each attack will almost (or entirely depending on your health) kill you.  It happens at 66% and 33% of this boss's health and is first in a sequence of three paths and then five.  So far the only way I've managed to overcome it is by stacking death defiance and hoping I get slightly lucky.  I hate it and hate the fact that I just can't seem to figure it out.

Recommendation:

Just go buy it.  It's completely worth the full price and is another fantastic installment in a series that is definitely one of the best roguelites on the market.  Seriously, it's money well spent.