With Hades II now out there in Early Entry, my colleagues have been tucking into Supergiant Video games’ first sequel. However whereas some have 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 tune that simply would not let go.
Be aware: This text accommodates 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 via 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 should you cease and pay attention, there seems to be music echoing via its depths. Lyrics may be heard. This music slowly will get louder and fuller as you undergo every flooring. Lastly you attain the door to the boss. It seems much less like the doorway to a horrible area however extra a venue for a present. You may 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 flooring 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 area seems 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 tune 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 tune extra outstanding. Lastly, it culminates in applause when the band is slain, ending your entire 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 pattern. Video games have been playfully implementing music into their core design for some time.
There are rhythm motion titles like Steel: Hellsinger and Hello-Fi Rush that flip combating to the beat right into a foremost 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 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 total 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 traces 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 earth earlier than the Calamity. Transistor’s foremost theme, We All Grow to be, is an anthem for protagonist Crimson and her battle 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 via 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’ve got the Scylla boss struggle. The music strikes effortlessly from constructing ambiance to turning into an impediment the participant should overcome on the essential 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. General, it is a generic siren tune, and the artists appear extra like inconveniences to protagonist Melinoe. Clearly, this dynamic might 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 sensible situation.
This is only one of many surprises that Supergiant has hidden away on this fantastic recreation. However for somebody that has all the time beloved 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.
