Highlights

  • Hades 2 doesn't stray too far from the first game, focusing on familiar features like addicting combat and Greek mythology.
  • Fans can expect high replayability with story-driven content and new challenges, but it would also be nice to see Hades 2 draw inspiration from Hollow Knight. Specifically, its colisseum.
  • Arena experiences could enhance Hades 2's replayability and offer a new way to challenge players, especially if they get control over the arena and can customize parts of it.

If there's one thing players learned during the Hades 2 technical test, it's that it didn't steer too far from the first game. Hades 2 has a lot of returning features, such as the combat mechanics and the Greek God family drama, while also highlighting Melinoe's unique abilities and new characters. Things might still change once Early Access begins, but Hades 2 looks promising so far.

Many fans will agree that the first Hades game has high replayability because of its story, especially the post-credit content, and challenges, which will most likely be present in Hades 2 as well. At the same time, there are high hopes for the sequel to introduce new challenges -- something similar to Hollow Knight's Colosseum of Fools.

Hades 2 - Zagreus and Melinoe Comparison Header Image
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With players now able to get their hands on Hades 2 through the Technical Playtest, they can find out how different Melinoe & Zagreus are.

How Hades 2 Can Follow in Hollow Knight's Footsteps

Hollow Knight follows the Knight, as they explore Hallownest's ancient cities and deadly caverns to uncover the secrets of the fallen kingdom. One popular area is the Colosseum of Fools, located at the top of Kingdom's Edge, which has an arena where the Knight can participate in three Trials: Trial of the Warrior, Trial of the Conqueror, and Trial of the Fool.

In each Colosseum of Fools Trial, the Knight has to battle waves of enemies, which become more difficult as Hollow Knight players go through all three stages. Once they accomplish the Trials, the Knight is rewarded with items and Geo. Once they finish the Trials, players are free to come back to the Colosseum to farm Geos, or use the Trials as an opportunity to warm up.

  • Trial of the Warrior: The first and easiest stage, with slower enemy waves.
  • Trial of the Conqueror: More difficult, and introduces wall-jumping and midair combat without healing.
  • Trial of the Fool: Enemies are tougher to beat, and waves come at a brutally fast pace. It also combines the mechanics of the first two Trials.

A survival game mode similar to Hollow Knight's Colosseum of Fools can certainly fit right in with Hades 2. The first game already did this with Survival Encounters, where Zagreus has to fight and survive for 45 seconds in order to exit a room. Hades 2 has a great opportunity to expand on this with its own arena, where players can attempt to battle endless waves of enemies anytime they want.

A game mode like this could greatly increase Hades 2's replayability as it could allow players to choose Boons after each wave, giving them the opportunity to experiment with combinations. Plus, players would get a chance to set and beat personal records every time they go into the arena, and it could serve as a warm-up before continuing Melinoe's journey.

Customizing Hades 2's Arena Experience

What makes Hades so interesting to play is the Pact of Punishment, which lets players increase the difficulty of Zagreus' escape attempts. While it can get extremely difficult as the Heat gets higher, it is quite satisfying to be able to overcome such challenges from start to finish. For instance, one Hades speedrunner successfully completed an impossible Hell Mode run, and was celebrated by the gaming community.

If Hades 2 adds an arena mode, it should give players the chance to customize enemy waves and overall experience to keep the game mode interesting. The Pact of Punishment system is a great way to play around with challenges, such as having higher volumes of enemies, giving enemies sturdier armor, and receiving double damage when hit. Applying this to a wave-based arena mode could make for an excellent experience.

Hades 2 is still in development, so there might be enough time to complete an arena mode before the full game releases. Supergiant Games could even add this game mode in a future DLC, giving players a reason to come back long after they have finished the story.