Hades pits Zagreus against a relentless onslaught of underworld terrors, including slain heroes, furies, and once-vanquished monsters like the hydra, now thirsty for vengeance. Ancient Greek mythology is a deep wellspring, however, and should Supergiant Games ever decide to expand on Hades, there are many beastly options to provide Zagreus with a worthy challenge.
Between the Olympian gods, heroes, monsters, titans, and other entities like muses and nymphs, there is a seemingly inexhaustible supply of storied creatures who could give the Prince of the Dead a run for his obol. But Hades is a transformative title, with a very high standard of quality, and any additions to the game would need to live up to those criteria, not only in terms of striking art and compelling mechanics, but narrative cohesion as well.
Therefore, it is best to restrict the list of potential new foes to beings who either already dwell within Hades, or those who have been banished there after death. And while there are several conspicuous absences from the Greek pantheon who could theoretically pick a fight with Zag, taking gods off the table of potential contenders will make for a more creative selection. Even bearing these constraints in mind, there are plenty of options for promising foes with unique lore that lend themselves to memorable combat.
The three furies are not the only set of monstrous triplets roaming the halls of Tartarus. According to myth, the Hecatoncheires were a trio of giants born to the titans, Uranus and Gaia. While they each have distinctive names, (Briareus, the vigorous; Cottus, the furious; and Gyges the large-limbed) their shared name translates to “Hundred-Handed Ones,” referring to their most notable feature. The Hecatoncheires’ incredible strength was said to be responsible for earthquakes and tsunamis. And while that may not seem like much in Olympian terms, during the Titanomachy, the war the Olympians fought to overthrow Cronus and the other titans, Zeus sprang the Hecatoncheires from their resting place in Tartarus to act as backup against.
Hecatoncheires appears in the Persona series as a reoccurring enemy/recruitable ally, but they have made relatively few appearances in other fiction, which is a shame, because they seem like an ideal concept for a video game foe. In terms of where Zag could fight them, the Hecatoncheires could slide in between the rotation of furies, for a total of six potential bosses at the end of Tartarus. Given their tremendous size, the fights would likely play out more like the battle with the bone hydra than the furies 1v1 duel format, but each of the many limbed giants could possess its own move set. Having the boss periodically attempt to grapple Zagreus, leaving him vulnerable to attack from adds would make for a distinctive mechanic that players do not encounter elsewhere.
Lions are not thought of as monstrous in modern day but in Ancient Greece, where lions were rare enough that they were almost considered mythological unto themselves, they commanded the same kind of awe, fear, and respect as any fantasy creature. And mythologically empowered lions existed in the same weight class as demi-gods and heroes. The Nemean Lion, for example, had a taste for the flesh of men and golden fur that was completely impenetrable by mortal arms.
Killing the lion was the first of Heracles famous twelve labors. And while he eventually succeeded (conveniently depositing the lion in the underworld for Hades‘ purposes), killing the beast was an arduous task. First he had to seal off all but one entrance to the its lair, and then he had to stun the creature with a club before strangling it with his bare hands. In the end, the only way Hercules was able to obtain the lion’s impervious pelt was to skin it with one of its own claws—one of the only things sharp enough to penetrate its hide.
The lion seems like a natural foe to appear in the Elysium coliseum, as an alternative to Theseus and the Bull of Minos, or, at high heat playthroughs, a potential encore enemy. Zagreus’ weapons are considerably more powerful than mortal weapons, so he could plausibly damage the lion without having to choke the life out of it, but a boss that makes heavy use of imperviousness, counters, and narrow windows of vulnerability could make for an interesting, thematically rich fight.
As evident from the preceding entries, Greek mythology could give the most frightening horror game enemies a run for their money, but Typhon is at the apex of the antagonist food chain. A winged, serpentine giant (pictured on the right side of the urn below), Typhon possessed ungodly strength, could breathe fire, excrete poison, fly, and was appallingly evil. The exact details about his appearance and abilities vary from teller to teller, but every poet agrees that Typhon was the worst in terms of ambitions and disposition.
According to the ancient Greek poet, Hesiod, Typhon was the progeny of the primordial deities, Gaia and Tartarus (not to be confused with the plane of Tartarus). In addition to siring Cerberus and many other monsters with his mate, Echidna, Typhon attempted to overthrow Zeus himself and seize control of Olympus. It was a close fight too, but Zeus eventually cast Typhon into the depths of Tartarus (the place) with a well-aimed volley of thunderbolts—similar to his aid in Hades.
Fighting Typhon right off the bat would be a bit much, but this big bad has “Absurdly Powerful, Optional, Secret Boss” written all over him, akin to the Ruby and Emerald Weapons from Final Fantasy 7. It is easy to imagine a multi-phase boss fight with this colossal creature at the end of a high heat playthrough.
As far as narrative framing goes, Zagreus can’t be the only entity stuck in the underworld trying to fight his way back to life, and even Hades would have trouble handling a foe that nearly toppled Zeus. In fact, even with a multitude of boons, Zagreus would have his work cut out for him. It would also provide an interesting opportunity to for Zagreus to defend his home, despite his desire to leave it.
Hades is available now for PC and Switch.
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