When Mark wrote about Zagreus’ journey in December, the mod was already well on its way to achieving its main goal: putting all of the original Hades into Hades 2. In the months since, modder Nikkel Mollenhauer has far exceeded that goal. The mod has officially reached version 1.0 and it has added new story beats, perks, and a ton of new cosmetics to spruce up your lair.
In a very official new trailer, you can see the scale of what Mollenhauer has achieved.
After installing the mod and starting it, in Melinoë’s base at the crossroads, you will find a portal that will send you to Zagreus’ house in the Underworld. From there you can begin a new journey into Tartarus, then towards Asphodel, Elysium and the Temple of Styx. You’ll encounter all the old enemies and bosses and, as Mark wrote in December, you’ll be able to play through the original story. When you enter into dialogue with a character, Zagreus speaks while Melinoë hovers over his shoulder in the background.
So far, it’s like a few months ago. However, in this week’s 1.0 release, Mollenhauer integrated new cosmetics, perks, and story beats, as well as features from some other mods. For example, Charon’s Tip Jar lets you give the smuggler all unspent gold, contributing it to Obol points, and Flip The Arcana lets you spend the new resources you can only find in Zagreus’ Journey to buy radically different Arcana cards. This last change really ties the two games together and stops the jaunt to the original Hades from being just a fun trip down memory lane.
Another layer that Zagreus’ Journey adds to the original game are the new perks of characters like Orpheus and Sisyphus. Orpheus’ God of the Dead boon, for example, gives any enemy you kill a small chance to return from the grave and fight for you. A pretty variation of the Charm of Aphrodite and which is in line with the captivating music of Orpheus.
Zagreus’ journey has already attracted quite a bit of attention, as Supergiant gave him their resounding supportsaying they were “blown away” by the mod. You can grab the mod and installation instructions here.
I’ve spent many hours in Hades, but I haven’t played Hades 2 yet. It would just be the kind of stupid thing I would do to install the sequel and this mod and never progress beyond Zagreus’ journey…
