Receiving boons from Olympian gods is a vital part of Hades, as it adds a level of randomness that makes repeated escape attempt fun and they are all but necessary to escape the Underworld. Despite the importance of these boons and the gods themselves, there are still several major Greek Gods missing from the game. Some of these gods and goddesses are mentioned offhandedly or are featured as weapon aspects within the game, but fans would love to see the list of available gods on a run expand and introduce new boons to help Zagreus escape. Of the major Greek Gods, there are four notable ones missing from the boon pool.
Obviously, Hades players can’t get boons from the titular Hades himself, as he’s doing everything he can to prevent Zagreus from escaping. For that purpose, he isn’t being taken into account here, but other Greek gods are fair game. As with many polytheistic religions, there are actually more Olympians than any average person could keep track of, but fourteen gods in specific remains household names that many people are likely familiar with. The nine currently available Olympians and Hades make up 10 of these 14 gods, but the other four are inexplicably missing from the game.
Apollo is an interesting god because on the surface it may appear that his purpose overlaps that of Artemis since both are talented archers. Fortunately for fans of Hades hoping to see him join the game, that’s about where the resemblance ends. Whereas Artemis is very introverted, Apollo is the complete opposite. As the god of Music, Light, Archery, and the Sun, Apollo occupies a very different space than his twin sister Artemis. Even so, if Supergiant Games wanted to avoid the two being too similar in terms of boons, all it would have to do is focus on other aspects of Apollo’s portfolio.
Apollo boons could take numerous forms, but one of the cooler potential options would be musical themed boons. How exactly this would work is unclear, but he would probably function similarly to Zeus or Dionysus, providing boons that apply status effects rather than directly buffing damage. Aside from this Supergiant Games could also focus in on his dominion over light and the sun, providing Zagreus with the power of light rather than darkness for once. Perhaps his cast could be a beam of sunlight, and his status effect could cause foes to be temporarily blinded.
Hephaestus is the god of Fire and Forging, and has a particularly interesting relationship with the other gods. As the direct descendent of Zeus and Hera, Hephaestus would be Zagreus’ cousin, but he chooses not to get involved with Olympian matters that much. Despite this standpoint, he is responsible for creating most of their weapons and armor, including the thunderbolts which Zeus famously hurls at his foes. Oddly enough, even though fire is a very common element in most RPG games, Hades is completely lacking in that department, and Hephaestus would be the perfect one to fill that role.
The boons from Hephaestus should focus heavily on both fire and forging. Perhaps his attack and special boons could provide damage over time from burning, and his cast could create a stationary turret that automatically fires one enemies. Along the lines of Dionysus’ Premium Vintage boon that gifts Zagreus with a Nectar and increases his max health, Hephaestus’ forging talents could manifest as a boon that gives Zagreus a Daedalus Hammer with which to upgrade his weapon. Since this would be much more powerful than a Nectar, it would likely be rarer and not provide any boost to health.
Hera is Zeus’ wife, and as queen of the gods she reigns of marriage and birth. Of all the Olympian gods, Hera is arguably the most difficult to implement in a game like Hades. Though she was known to be extremely powerful and frequently employed her vengeful wrath, most people can’t think of one particular power that is related to her. As the goddess of marriage, she was known to frequently bless or curse marriages depending on whether she deemed them to be proper, so that could play into her role in Hades somehow.
As Zagreus can’t really go around killing shades with marriage and childbirth, instead Hera’s abilities could be focused on curses and blessings. Given her disposition towards revenge, it would also make sense for her to have a vengeance boon like Ares or Zeus that is particularly potent. Hera’s boons could link enemies together, causing them to drag each other down in some way, or could even be used to link Zagreus to an enemy, temporarily converting it similar to Aphrodite’s charm abilities. Hera is by far the trickiest god to implement in Hades, but if done correctly she could be a very powerful and unique goddess.
Hestia, like Hephaestus, is also a god of fire, but her primary domain revolves around hearth and home. Like Demeter and Hera, she is a direct descendent of the titans, placing her very high up in terms of power compared to other gods. Despite this, she is known as a humble and modest god, with some myths even showing her giving up her place on Olympus for Dionysus. Hestia’s fire isn’t one of wrath, but of warmth and safety, so her approach to boons would be much different than that of Hephaestus.
Hestia’s boons could work similarly to Athena’s providing more of a defensive edge than an offensive one. Though there are several boons in the game already that help players gain health or avoid damage, they are spread out through many gods. Hestia boons could increase the player’s maximum life, reduce incoming damage from certain sources, and even directly heal the player with her call. Given Hades’ rogue-like nature, this could end up proving too powerful, but it would certainly set her apart from the other gods and goddesses.
Hades is available now on PC and Switch.
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