Hades II just dropped, and its roguelike loop mirrors the oldest pattern in myth: descent, ordeal, return, repeat. It’s a brand new game, but it’s also the underworld story we’ve told for millennia, fighting its way back into the modern consciousness, much like the game’s protagonist, Melinoë, who works to wake Hypnos from his deep slumber.

Why this modern game awaken ancient patterns (other than the obvious)

For those familiar with Greek mythology and ancient sources like The Odyssey and classical tragedies, it’s easy to spot names like Zeus, Apollo, and other characters in the game. However, the game resonates on a much deeper level beyond its storyline and cast of characters.

Stories, retold in varied versions over millennia, evolve into myths that leave a mark on all of us. Some myths become canonized and written into scripture, such as Christian myths. Others, like Greek myths with their pantheon of gods, no longer live through worshippers as they once did in ancient times, yet these stories continue to be studied and retold thousands of years later. This retelling power leaves a mark, too. This mark shapes the way we view the world because they are the lens through which we see existence.

I truly believe that myths are like veins connecting us in the modern day to the wisdom of our ancestors. Like veins, these old stories can provide vital nutrients, even if we’re not conscious of it—or don’t believe the characters of these myths actually exist.

Why Greek myths in Hades II still resonate today: the cycles of kleos and nostos

The roguelike style of Hades and Hades II perfectly captures the cyclical nature of human experience and the underworld itself. These games cleverly explore the life-death-life cycle as you descend further into the underworld or battle your way up toward Mount Olympus, only to fall to enemies and begin your journey anew.

As Homer calls the earth “life-giving” in the Iliad, anything dead returns to the soil, and new life emerges from that death. Similarly, when Melinoë journeys out and is vanquished by foes, she returns to the fertile ground of the Crossroads to tend her garden and nurture relationships with the inhabitants there. After regaining her strength, she sets out on the same journey the next night to pursue her ultimate goals: saving her family and defeating Chronos, the Titan of Time, once and for all.

The narrative arc for Melinoë in Hades II mirrors that of many heroes in ancient epics: claiming glory (or, in Melinoë’s case, reclaiming her family’s status as royalty in the underworld) and achieving a homecoming with family.

In Ancient Greece, epic stories, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, would usually revolve around either war, where the heroes searched for kleos (Glory), or a story depicting a hero’s return home after the war: nostos. In Hades II, we see Melinoë cycle through the descent into battle and return to her home in the crossroads over and over in this roguelike game.

Myths are alive today: retellings and modern reworkings

Myths are like living organisms: they grow and adapt with each culture and its values. It’s easiest to see what a culture values by what the heroes of its myths embody. In Mesopotamia, we see one of the heroes, Gilgamesh, is the embodiment of a manly man with his muscles that are “like rock” and the hundreds of women he has had sex with. Or in Ancient Rome, Aeneas from Virgil’s Aeneid is pious, with the Latin pietas being applied to his name so often, you may as well think of the word as Aeneas’s alternate name.

In patriarchal societies like these, it’s unsurprising that their myths feature strong male protagonists who demonstrate dominance over women (like Gilgamesh) and devotion to country (as with Aeneas). Those in power strategically use myths and religious stories to maintain their authority. One particularly effective method is establishing what the dominant group defines as heroic, then reinforcing this definition through repeated character descriptions and storytelling examples.

The myths of Ancient Greece follow the same pattern. Ancient Greece was misogynistic and patriarchal, so their mythic heroes embodied what they thought a hero is: the ideal strong man.

Hades II, however, transforms these myths, introducing equity and respect for diverse genders and backgrounds that were absent in the original stories.

Both Hades II and its predecessor serve as excellent examples of myth growing and adapting to the values of today’s culture. It’s in vogue with media today (like in novels that retell myths) to look at the few female characters of myth and reimagine their stories with them as the Hero. Suddenly, characters like Atalanta are looked at as heroes, or women like Medea go from being a monstrous sorceress to a human being with a point of view that is worthy of being explored.

Melinoë is a woman on a mission—fierce and deadly, yet compassionate and respectful toward those who deserve it.

As you kill Time itself in this game, you can’t help but root for her.