The Ultimate Blueprint to Unlocking Destiny 2's Epic Hades-inspired Gameplay Experience

Hades offers players a thrilling experience with its fast-paced levels and reliance on muscle memory, ensuring that each run feels fresh. While player choice is crucial, the game can be unforgiving. In a surprising move, Destiny 2's Season of the Deep incorporates roguelite elements similar to those found in Hades, through the introduction of Deep Dive missions. This illustrates the significant impact the genre can have on the industry, even for vastly different games.

Season of The Deep introduces various new features to Destiny 2, such as fishing, Salvage missions, and a range of weapons and armor. However, the inclusion of Deep Dives marks a shift in gameplay, as it introduces a roguelite aspect in the perilous depths of Titan, contrasting with the fiery realms of Hades' Hell.

How Destiny 2 Compares to Hades' Roguelite Gameplay Loop

Destiny 2's Deep Dives allow players to join forces with two Guardians and embark on a mission to explore the underwater methane oceans of Titan. Their objective is to fight their way through three levels before taking on the final boss. Each level completed provides a buff that stays with them until the end, much like the boons in Hades. These levels are randomized in every playthrough, creating a similarity to Hades' ever-changing realms of Hell.

Similar to Hades, Deep Dives consist of three levels: Twilight, Midnight, and Abyss. Each level presents progressively stronger enemies, mirroring the boss fight with Hades himself. These levels have been added throughout the season, culminating in the Abyss level and the removal of previous bosses in favor of the final encounter. This new layout could be the start of numerous roguelite-style missions in Destiny 2, expanding the game type and introducing it in future seasons.

In contrast to Hades, where unsuccessful runs result in players returning empty-handed to the start, Destiny 2 offers a different approach by allowing players to fix death or failed objectives. Players can fail levels in Destiny 2's seasonal missions by running out of time or drowning, but this does not mean they won't receive any Deep Dive rewards. With each completed level, players are rewarded with more loot, enticing them to continue and promising even greater rewards in the next tier.

The introduction of roguelite elements in Deep Dives is a new mechanic in the game, suggesting that Bungie is considering incorporating them further into the world of Destiny 2. Bungie could potentially introduce an entire season, or at least a collection of missions, with these roguelite elements seen in Season of The Deep. This genre switch-up would be a first for the first-person shooter franchise, but Destiny 2 has a history of bringing in new ideas and expansions to keep players engaged over its seven-year lifespan.

Hades, created by the team at Supergiant Games, was widely acclaimed and received numerous awards, introducing the genre to a vast audience. If Destiny and the Bungie team were to adopt and implement similar gameplay elements, it would undoubtedly attract more players and entice former ones with the promise of additional roguelite content. The unique appeal of Hades and other exceptional roguelite games lies in their repetitive but satisfying gameplay and the sense of personal growth and progress they offer.

Destiny 2, a long-standing and highly successful IP developed by Bungie, has generated millions of dollars. However, in order to maintain player engagement until the eventual conclusion of the Destiny 2 Light and Darkness saga, continuous innovation is necessary. With The Final Shape on the horizon, Bungie must go all out to capture the largest possible audience for the game's eventual finale. Incorporating a roguelite gameplay loop would serve as a key tactic to ensure players keep coming back for more.

Destiny 2 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.