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 parts, I charged headfirst into seeing the brand new Hades II boss fights.
And an early one blew me away because of its playful nature and theatrical spectacle. It caught in my head like a siren music that simply would not let go.
Observe: This text comprises spoilers for a Hades II boss battle that takes place past the primary space.
The Hades II Boss Battle In opposition to Scylla and The Sirens
After numerous makes an attempt, you lastly get by way of the primary boss struggle and enter a brand new degree known as Oceanus. It’s this industrial maze of pipes, drains, and water. It’s such a visually distinct degree in comparison with something on this recreation or its predecessor.
However if you happen to cease and hear, there seems to be music echoing by way of its depths. Lyrics might 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 may even see a line of shades and two bouncers.
Since Hades II is closely based mostly 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 music 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 music extra distinguished. Lastly, it culminates in applause when the band is slain, ending all the degree on a excessive be aware.
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 principal mechanic. Stray Gods is an interactive stage musical the place ranges and roleplaying choices are handled as elaborate musical numbers. The in-development musical platformer Billie Bust-Up blends energetic degree 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 totally different genres brings vibrant pleasure to every recreation’s rating. Electrical bluegrass, journey hop, symphonic rock; Korb’s music blurs the strains between these kinds. 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 the planet earlier than the Calamity. Transistor’s principal theme, We All Turn out to be, is an anthem for protagonist Pink and her wrestle towards a world that’s shedding its sense of identification. Hades‘ duet monitor, Good Riddance, is a microcosm of the sport’s themes of breaking free from merciless circumstances by way of the reunion of Eurydice and Orpheus.
All of those examples aren’t simply expertly carried out, they illustrate how the music has blended increasingly with gameplay and narrative. In Bastion, the monitor 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 turning into an impediment the participant should overcome on the vital path. It’s a welcome intertwining of musical and interactive artwork that has been constructing for years.
At time of writing, one trustworthy criticism I do have of the Scylla musical boss struggle is the monitor itself. General, it is a generic siren music, and the artists appear extra like inconveniences to protagonist Melinoe. Clearly, this dynamic could change as Hades II’s narrative evolves and new parts 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 cherished this studio’s musical identification, 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.