There are a lot of things to love about Supergiant Games' roguelike darling Hades, and much ink was spilled over the game even before it became a major presence at The Game Awards 2020. It has deep mechanics that become more challenging at a player's discretion, a very stylized art direction, and an evolving story with a tangible reverence toward its mythological source material. However, there is a more bespoke element to Hades' storytelling with a lot of future potential: the Infernal Arms.

The six Infernal Arms are Hades' weapon options, based on those used by the Olympians during the in-universe version of the Titanomachy: Stygius, the sword wielded by Poseidon; Varantha, the spear wielded by Hades; Aegis, the shield wielded by Zeus; Coronacht, the bow wielded by Hera; Malphon, the fists wielded by Demeter; and Exagryph, the gun wielded by Hestia.

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Though some liberties have been taken, as it's comical to imagine the Greeks describing their Goddess of the Hearth firing off a grenade launcher at the Titans, the idea that Zagreus can unlock new aspects for each weapon based on other owners is interesting. Varantha acts one way when it is attuned to Zagreus, but gains other unique attacks when given the aspect of Hades or Achilles - who also happens to be the protagonist's teacher and confidant. Supergiant Games took this idea one step further by introducing hidden aspects with far-reaching effects on the game's narrative.

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Each hidden aspect Zagreus can unlock is based on the mythologies and stories told by different cultures, branching out Hades' scope far beyond its Greek roots. For example, It turns out Coronacht is also Sharanga, the bow wielded by the Hindu god Vishnu. This dynamic is especially interesting because certain weapons belong to people who do not yet exist: notably Excalibur, the holy sword of King Arthur. When Zagreus uses Arthur's aspect against his father for the first time, Hades remarks it is "no name either of gods or kings of any realm I know."

Supergiant Games is not known for sequels. This is commendable, as it means the developer has a diverse catalogue of games with different mechanics, universes, and vibes for players to enjoy. While this means there is unlikely to be a Hades 2, the idea Supergiant has sewn regarding the Infernal Arms belonging to any number of historical or mythological figures could connect its future projects in a fun way.

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Should this team decide to tackle a story about King Arthur's court, for example, there could be subtle nods to the idea that weapons wielded by Knights of the Round Table are the same Infernal Arms wielded by the Greek gods in an age long past. Supergiant could tread the same ground of having each weapon's malleability play into those stories, or it could simply be a winking reference to an audience familiar with Hades.

This idea lends itself better to aspects with larger connective tissue like Mesopotamian mythology for Malphon's hidden owner Gilgamesh, or Judeo-Christian traditions for Exagryph's hidden owner Lucifer. It would likely take much more work to flesh out Aegis' hidden owner Beowulf into a Hades-styled game with multiple Infernal Arms making appearances. However, this could also extend to stories not referenced directly by Hades. After God of War (2018) and Assassin's Creed Valhalla took a stab at Norse mythology, who's to say Odin's spear Gungnir could not also secretly be an aspect of Varantha.

Differing weapon aspects are one major facet of why Hades is so replayable, because they leave room for fans to pick favorites based on playstyle. Supergiant Games' creative director Greg Kasavin told Game Rant that Aegis' aspect of Zeus is his favorite. However, the deeper storytelling of a secret connected universe based on the mythos of various cultures is no doubt one of the most interesting ideas to consider based on the groundwork this fan-favorite indie developer has laid out.

Hades is available now on PC and Switch.

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