Bosses are an essential part of any video game, especially roguelikes. The most memorable boss fights are those with clever gameplay mechanics, stunning visual design, and strong connections to the game's story. Supergiant's latest release, Hades 2, hits all three marks. The bosses are not only entertaining to fight, but have deep connections to the larger story that make them interesting to come back to again and again — which, in a roguelike, is inevitable.
As expected, the bosses in Hades 2 all come from the vast annals of Greek mythology. Some are well-known among the general public, while others are more obscure. For those who loved the game and its incredible cast of characters, it's only natural to want to know more about the myths that inspired them. These are the origins of every boss that Melinoë must fight to complete her task.
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Hecate, The Witch of the Crossroads
Fought in Erebus
Headmistress Hecate is Melinoë's first major challenge on her way into Tartarus, where the Princess of the Underworld must battle her mentor to prove she is ready for the task ahead. During that battle, Hecate occasionally splits into three figures, which is likely in reference to how the goddess is usually depicted as three-faced or three-bodied in classical art. Her two familiars in the game, Hecuba the hound and Gale the polecat, are two animals often associated with Hecate in classical depictions.
In Greek mythology, Hecate is the goddess of magic and witchcraft, which is clear in-game. She is also associated with doors, gateways, and borders, as well as the state of being "between." This makes her the perfect character to serve as the guardian of the Crossroads and Erebus, the realm between the mortal world and the Underworld. Hecate is a figure who always walks in two worlds: the Olympians and Titans, the mortal and divine, the living and dead.
Scylla and the Sirens
Fought in Oceanus
The singing sea monster has her origins in Homer's Odyssey, which Odysseus himself alludes to in conversations with Melinoë. In the original story, Scylla and Charybdis (who can appear as a mini-boss in the Rift of Thessaly) lived on opposite sides of a narrow ocean strait. Sailing too close to Scylla meant that crew members were liable to get snatched and eaten, while sailing too close to Charybdis meant the ship being crushed in her maw. On the advice of Circe, Odysseus opted to sail closer to Scylla, choosing to lose a few of his men rather than his entire ship.
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In Ovid's writings, Scylla was once a beautiful nymph loved by the sea god Glaucus. Glaucus sought Circe's help in winning Scylla over, but Circe fell for him herself and grew jealous of Scylla. She poisoned the water where Scylla bathed, thus transforming her into the monster that plucks men from ships for her meals.
Scylla doesn't have any associations with sirens in classical mythology, so her musical inclinations and backing band are a bit of creative liberty on Supergiant's part. Still, it makes sense that they might team up, as they're both known for striking fear into the hearts of sailors — and terrorizing Odysseus.
Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld
Fought in the Fields of Mourning
Hearts broke across the gaming world when Cerberus appeared, consumed by rage, to fight Melinoë as she attempts to enter Tartarus. The Underworld's three-headed dog has been corrupted by the Fields of Mourning, turning him vicious, a far cry from his true nature. In traditional Greek myth, though, Cerberus has often been a creature to fear.
Cerberus guards the gates of the Underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and the living from entering, threatening to devour those who try to get past him. He often appears in myths in which heroes venture into Hades; for example, in the story of Orpheus, who lulled Cerberus to sleep with his lyre. Heracles (aka Hercules) also faced Cerberus, capturing him as one of his Twelve Labors.
Chronos, The Titan of Time
Fought in the House of Hades
Chronos is the son of Gaia and Uranus, and the youngest of the titans. He came to power after slaying his own father, Uranus, and casting him in pieces into the sea. As Chronos' wife, Rhea, gave birth to their children, Chronos ate them, having been warned that he would one day be overthrown by his son as he had done to his own father. But when the sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea gave Chronos a rock to eat instead.
Rhea raised Zeus in secret, until the day he returned to his father and forced Chronos to regurgitate the children he had eaten: Demeter, Hestia, Hades, Hera, and Poseidon. The gods and the titans then fought a massive war, and when Chronos' children finally defeated him, they tore him to pieces and cast him into Tartarus. This is cleverly reflected in his visual design in Hades 2, as he has golden scars across his body where he has seemingly been pieced back together.
Polyphemus, The Shepherd Cyclops
Fought Outside Ephyra
Another monster from the Odyssey appears on the surface, blocking Mel's way to the mountain. Players learn the main beats of the story of Polyphemus as they play through Hades 2, by speaking to him and to Odysseus. The cyclops holds a heavy grudge against the master strategist (whom he knows as "Nobody"), for outsmarting and blinding him. During Odysseus' journey home from the Trojan War, he and his crew land on an island and discover a cave filled with supplies. However, the cyclops Polyphemus soon returns to the cave with his flocks of sheep, refusing to engage in the accepted hospitality customs. Instead, he eats two of Odysseus' men.
After a few more of the crew become cyclops food, Odysseus hatches a plan, getting Polyphemus drunk on the crew's wine and telling him that his name is "Nobody." Once he passes out drunk, Odysseus stabs him in the eye with a red-hot fire poker, whereupon Polyphemus screams that "Nobody hurt him." In the morning, the men tie themselves to the bellies of the sheep and escape when Polyphemus lets the flocks out of the cave, evading him thanks to his damaged sight.
Eris, Strife Incarnate
Fought at the Base of Olympus
Eris is a thorn in Melinoë's side soon after she shows up in the Crossroads, but she becomes a real threat when she shows up at the end of Mel's journey across the Rift of Thessaly, Adamant Rail in hand. As a goddess, she is the embodiment of strife, thriving on conflict in whatever form it takes, but especially war.
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In mythology, Eris is perhaps best known for her role in starting the Trojan War. When she was spurned by the other gods, Eris inscribed a golden apple with the words "For the Fairest," and threw it into the crowd. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite each claimed it, and to settle their argument chose a man named Paris to be the judge. When he chose Aphrodite, she promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen of Troy, with whom Paris eloped, leading Helen's husband to declare war.
Eris appears in a few stories of the Trojan War, but never takes sides. Rather, she is something of an instigator, spurring both sides to fight and goading them into battle, befitting her role as the embodiment of discord.
Prometheus, The Titan of Foresight
Fought On Mount Olympus
Prometheus' mythology is fairly well-detailed in the game itself. He was the one who brought fire to humanity by stealing it from the gods, a slight for which Zeus chained him to a rock in Tartarus for an eagle to devour his organs over and over. In the story of the Twelve Labors of Heracles, Heracles encounters Prometheus as he pursues one of his tasks, and slays the eagle to end his torture.
Prometheus' theft is also linked to the story of Pandora's box, one of the best-known Greek myths. Zeus wished to punish humanity for the theft of fire as well, and sent Pandora to be the wife of Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus. Ultimately, she would open the box that unleashed all the evils of humanity.
Typhon, The Father Of All Monsters
Fought at the Summit of Olympus
Typhon's appearance in Hades 2 was an unexpected one, but he makes a fantastic final boss at the peak of Olympus. There are various accounts of his origin in Greek mythology, but most of the time, he is the son of Gaia, the earth itself, who bore him in revenge for the imprisonment of the Titans. His mate, Echidna, was a half-woman, half-snake, and together they bore dozens of monstrous children: Cerberus, the Sphinx, the Chimera, the Hydra, and more.
Typhon is usually described as a gigantic, winged creature with one hundred heads. Some aspect of his appearance is almost always described as snakelike, and one of the most common elements is that he has two giant snake tails for legs. He spits poison, sometimes breathes fire, and possesses immeasurable strength. After his defeat at the hands of Zeus, the King of the Gods cast Typhon into Tartarus — or, in some versions of the story, buried him under Mount Etna, which accounts for its volcanic activity.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- September 25, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Publisher(s)
- Supergiant Games
