Hades 2’s Arcana Cards Represent Everything I Love About Supergiant

Supergiant has released yet another major update for Hades 2, and as with all previous patches, it feels like the dungeon crawler is slowly but surely coming together as stories expand and mechanics are further refined. I’ve been following development from the start, putting 40 hours or so into the early access version since it arrived earlier last year. I love it, and acting as a fly on the wall as one of my favourite games in recent memory is pieced together, is an experience like no other.

I love the characters, I love the combat, and I love how everything is building on the first title in expected yet unconventional ways, and being a part of that community is the best part. In the latest update, which introduces Ares as the returning God of War, alongside several other new additions, we also received comprehensive illustrations for every single Arcana card. If you aren’t familiar with this mechanic, they are essentially unique skills and buffs Melinoe is able to equip and customise before each run. Now, they each have their own personality.

Every Arcana Card In Hades 2 Tells Its Own Story

While the new update expands greatly upon the game, I love how Hades 2 fans have opted to fixate on small pieces of artwork instead. I can’t blame them, especially when we haven’t actually seen characters like Zagreus yet due to their dark imprisonment at the whims of Chronos. Yet there he is, depicted as the wayward son holding his arms outstretched, ready to accept whoever walks his way. He seems to be standing defiantly on the cusp of the Underworld, mortal realm, and Olympus, proving that, due to his lineage, he has the right to exist wherever he so chooses.

There are other familiar faces too, like The Furies showing three of the sisters standing in profile, or The Messenger featuring Hermes running confidently towards the player. All of them are beautifully drawn and expand on the visual identities of characters we already know so well. I can’t get enough of how many of these cards also wordlessly expand on backstories many of the gods have been through that we weren’t witness to, but there is enough life in each one for us to connect the dots ourselves or make assumptions about the landscape of mythology.

Extra special shoutout to the card depicting Theseus and Asterius posing like sexy bodybuilders. Those boys can do no wrong.

It treats the player with respect while understanding exactly how deeply we’ve fallen in love with this rendition. Putting aside the familiar for a second though, and there is so far more waiting for us in some of these cards.

They Could Even Tease Some Of The Events To Come

I especially want to focus on the Queen card, which features Persephone sitting on the throne of the underworld as she is framed by three pomegranates, which are also swirling around in her belly and presumably represent her children Zagreus, Melinoe, and… wait a minute. With three fruits stirring in the same place as her womb, it sure feels like it’s giving off the impression of her currently being pregnant, or is there a third child in the picture that none of Zagreus, Melinoe, or Hades are privy to? The imagery is too deliberate not to allude to such a thing, so maybe we’ll be in for a late-game plot twist in the months to come.

Alternatively, the third pomegranate could concern a past miscarriage or events that we are yet to see unfold in the game itself.

Supergiant teasing the future or subtly building upon its world and characters through a new selection of art that most casual players won’t even give a second thought presents such an exceptional approach to artistry and caring about the thing you are creating. This has always been true with Hades 2 and every single game the independent studio has made. I shouldn’t be this obsessed with a bunch of random illustrations when the latest update brings with it so much more, but here we are, and I wouldn’t change a thing.