With Hades II now obtainable in Early Entry, my colleagues have been tucking into Supergiant Video games’ first sequel. However whereas some had been coming to phrases with new weapons, boons, and a few new crafting components, I charged headfirst into seeing the brand new Hades II boss fights.
And an early one blew me away due to its playful nature and theatrical spectacle. It caught in my head like a siren track that simply would not let go.
Word: This text comprises spoilers for a Hades II boss battle that takes place past the primary space.
The Hades II Boss Combat In opposition to Scylla and The Sirens
After numerous makes an attempt, you lastly get by means of the primary boss struggle and enter a brand new stage referred to as Oceanus. It’s this industrial maze of pipes, drains, and water. It’s such a visually distinct stage in comparison with something on this recreation or its predecessor.
However for those who cease and hear, there seems to be music echoing by means of its depths. Lyrics may be heard. This music slowly will get louder and fuller as you undergo every ground. Lastly you attain the door to the boss. It appears much less like the doorway to a horrible enviornment however extra a venue for a present. You’ll be able to even see a line of shades and two bouncers.
Since Hades II is closely primarily based on Greek mythology, it’s not a shock that the boss of this ground is a trio of sirens. A drummer, a guitarist, and a lead singer shaped the group Scylla and The Sirens. The cherry on high? The boss enviornment appears like a sound stage.
Then the boss struggle begins. And it goes from nice to transcendent inside seconds. The boss music is a rock ballad, full with lyrics. As every siren falls within the struggle, their half within the track drops.
Take out the drummer? Now it is simply guitar riffs and backup vocals. Take out the guitarist subsequent? It is simply the lead singing solo. Then there’s the second part the place one of many sirens is marked because the Featured Artist, which makes their half within the track extra distinguished. Lastly, it culminates in applause when the band is slain, ending your complete stage on a excessive notice.
Hades II and Supergiant Video games’ Musical Historical past
On paper, the Hades II Scylla boss struggle is simply one other entry in a rising development. Video games have been playfully implementing music into their core design for some time.
There are rhythm motion titles like Metallic: Hellsinger and Hello-Fi Rush that flip combating to the beat right into a predominant mechanic. Stray Gods is an interactive stage musical the place ranges and roleplaying selections are handled as elaborate musical numbers. The in-development musical platformer Billie Bust-Up blends energetic stage design with catchy Disney Renaissance-esque compositions. There’s even an identical musical boss struggle in Baldur’s Gate 3 drenched in theatrical drama.
But, by the point this boss struggle was over, I used to be pumping the air in triumph. Not solely was it a spectacle of a battle, it felt like an acknowledgment by Supergiant Video games of how necessary music has been to their complete physique of labor, letting it take centerstage.
Music has been a part of Supergiant’s releases since their debut in 2011. Darren Korb’s command of blending completely different genres brings vibrant pleasure to every recreation’s rating. Electrical bluegrass, journey hop, symphonic rock; Korb’s music blurs the traces between these types. However it’s the tracks involving lyricist Ashley Barrett the place the music informs narrative and character.
Construct That Wall from Bastion hints on the geopolitical divide on this planet earlier than the Calamity. Transistor’s predominant theme, We All Change into, is an anthem for protagonist Pink and her wrestle towards a world that’s dropping its sense of id. Hades‘ duet observe, Good Riddance, is a microcosm of the sport’s themes of breaking free from merciless circumstances by means of the reunion of Eurydice and Orpheus.
All of those examples aren’t simply expertly applied, they illustrate how the music has blended increasingly more with gameplay and narrative. In Bastion, the observe was utilized in some scripted vignettes; audio set dressing. In Transistor, it embodied the protagonist’s spirit. In Hades, it punctuated the completion of a subplot that the participant needed to work towards.
Now we have now the Scylla boss struggle. The music strikes effortlessly from constructing ambiance to changing into an impediment the participant should overcome on the crucial path. It’s a welcome intertwining of musical and interactive artwork that has been constructing for years.
At time of writing, one sincere criticism I do have of the Scylla musical boss struggle is the observe itself. Total, it is a generic siren track, and the artists appear extra like inconveniences to protagonist Melinoe. Clearly, this dynamic could change as Hades II’s narrative evolves and new components are launched. However as of now, it is one minor hiccup in an in any other case good situation.
This is only one of many surprises that Supergiant has hidden away on this great recreation. However for somebody that has all the time liked this studio’s musical id, combating Scylla and The Sirens felt like a sly acknowledgment of the evolution of Supergiant’s sound and the way it has entranced its viewers all through the years.