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It's honestly tough to say. The dude in your video said: "That's against God" and "that's spiritual junk that you're consuming," and "don't put this into your body."
I'm not a religious person, but if you agree with those statements and you're concerned about it, I probably wouldn't purchase it or go forward. Maybe try the game, if you get bad vibes from the symbolism, then refund.
I love the game, but that doesn't mean you will. It's pretty palatable as far as gore, blood, guts, violence, etc. goes, but it does have witchcraft. Witchcraft is a primary theme of the game, I mean Mel's mentor and teacher and foster-mother is a like a quintessential witch archetype. If that makes you uncomfortable, I'd skip it.
I don't really care if I'm mocked, to be honest. But I really appreciate the cordial and understanding attitude. See, my problem isn't with blood, gore, guts, violence, etc. My problem is with the blatant occultism. Whether it's tarot cards, offering bones or w/e, pentagrams, etc. I mean, aren't you literally a coven of witches? It's unfortunate, because Hades 1 was really fun without all of this stuff. But I know I'm in the minority. Also, don't get it twisted: I don't like blood, gore, guts, violence - but it isn't a huge deal compared to the occultism in this game. Your name checks out, buddy :) All the love
The occultism: hard to say how much you should expect that to bother you. It is witchcraft in the context of Greek legend, so it's not set up to be confrontational against your god. But if you can't separate it that far, then yeah, it's probably going to be too much. A very regular event involves Mel coming home to the Crossroads where Hecate will be chanting protection spells with her fellow witches around the cauldron. Mel can join in, if the player chooses.
The Bible doesn't really speak on "ghosts." It's says that it's an abomination to communicate with the dead - and you have the issue with Samuel being "summoned" to help king Saul. But Christians believe that was a one-time thing. The Bible clearly states that once we die, we're before the Lord and then we're judged. Jesus said, "Today you will be with Me in paradise." As I've said, my main issue is with offering bones to whomever - and pentagrams, tarot cards, etc. I've never heard of a Christian believing in ghosts. The general consensus, from what I've seen, is that "ghosts" are actually demons. The book of Acts, for example, clearly show that there are demons.
If you are part of a local faith group or have a mentor of some kind in your faith, I'd consult them. I won't judge you for playing this or not - that's not my role.
But yeah this game is rife with occult imagery. Hades 1 has plenty of it as well (depends on how you define "occult", but the witchcraft element in H2 is prominent if not dominant.
You could make a challenge for yourself and play while never using magic or the arcana. That could be interesting. But I don't think you can progress the game much if you don't "speak to the dead". But maybe i'm wrong in that since most speaking characters str gods (or titans) of some kind. But is that also frowned upon since the whole game acknowledges multiple divine beings and has a non-biblical afterlife?
/shrug
Interesting question, but I personally doubt your answers are within this forum.
Ha, it's not because I'm worried about going to hell. It's a matter of respect. There have been plenty of shows, movies, games and more, where I've stopped playing and or watched because I don't want to disrespect God. It's a matter of love - not fear. There are levels, in my humble opinion. A good example is Assassin's creed Valhalla: I stopped playing that game immediately once they said that the Christian God wasn't real - and even far worse - that Jesus didn't come to die for our sins (something that flies in the face of Christianity.) It's funny how they wouldn't do this to another main religion - but Christianity is constantly bullied. But that's a conversation for another time. I'll do some thinking on it and decide from there. All the love, friends.
My thoughts: yes, this is obviously a very witchy game, but it's meant to portray pre-Christian Ancient Greek witchcraft.
Certain things, such as Hecate's hat, or perhaps the Arcana, are more modern, i.e. after Christians demonized the pagans of old — simple symbols such as the pentagram, generally well-meaning and sometimes even peaceful, once representing a union of the 5 elements that the Ancient Greeks knew (and are in the game btw), became vilified, and because of Biblical teachings, became associated with the devil. These are meant for modern audiences, as well as to add more to the game. Hades II (kinda also like Hades and Pyre before that) are meant to portray things often seen as or associated with evil as not as bad as they're made out to be. There are far worse images of witchcraft (e.g. baby-eating magic) that this game deigns to stay far away from.
Christians also did... strange things with the images of the Greek Gods: Zeus became the likeness of the common Christian God (when in reality it should be more like Primordial Chaos if you ask me), and Hades (as well as Nyx and many of her children) became the likeness of the Devil. Anyone who's played the first game can see some falsehood in that, however. Yes, Lord Hades is grim, but he's not Evil Incarnate; and nor is Zeus as perfect as gods come. Also, the various children of Nyx, as Supergiant portrays them (especially the yellow-eyed ones), aren't meant to be as evil as they are made out to be. To quote Nemesis, "[M]ortals have a word for deliberate cruelty or callous negligence: They call it evil. I could always catch wind of it. I'd go to the source. And whoever it was, I'd make them pay."
As for the various shades and such (or "ghosts", if you will), again, this game's lore is pre-Christian, much like Ancient Greek culture itself. And so, they had different beliefs of the dead: they wouldn't really ascend to some Heaven, but instead descend to one of the few but vast realms of the Underworld (which was Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell all in one). There is nary a mention of Demons in either Hades or Hades II (side note: the same cannot be said for Pyre, but Pyre's a bit of a different beast, with a different lore around what it calls "Demons", as well as how and why) since the Ancient Greeks did not believe in such things.
All in all, however, I digress. I certainly mean not to mock, but to offer some perspective. I do not believe that any of the Holy Trinity will condemn you simply for taking a liking to this game or its themes. After all, it harkens back to an ancient time when paganism was about order and peace — values that surely are compatible with Christian good.
But if you believe otherwise, you are free to reject this game and/or its influence.
Stay whole, my friend ❤
I was raised Christian and have distanced myself from the religion at this point, but I still retain some faith. And I think your relationship with God will influence what you are and aren't comfortable with.
I feel pretty confident that passion and artistic expression are such important human experiences that any higher being I can respect wouldn't feel threatened by it. The themes of this story are positive, nuanced and important. They encourage introspection and reflection, questioning what authority has told you and following your own moral compass. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Symbols can be coopted and changed irrevocably and I don't believe a simple pentagram holds any innate power. But I think I just see the influences of evil in more insidious things than video games.
So in the end the conclusion remains: your mileage may vary.
I am curious though, you mentioned in another reply that you stopped playing Assasin's Creed when they outright stated the Christian God didn't exist and Jesus didn't die for sins. Who said that? Was it a character or was it the game's creators? Will you stop listening to someone when they express their perspective if it is different from yours?
Those might be the moments that are most interesting to play through, the moments that can actually strengthen your faith. Seeing where the perspective comes from and where and why you disagree.
I have to admit I am definitely of the opinion that a relationship to God should be a healthy one, not a coercive oppressive one. Which is partially why I've drifted away from any specific church, the way they use faith to control what people are and aren't allowed to say and do always benefits them as an institution and feels incredibly flawed.
Hope you find a conclusion that suits you and your faith best!
Your faith is your journey, and how you choose to embody it in the actions you take and the media you consume is entirely your choice, ultimately. Growing up, I would flinch when books I read and games I played used the word 'Lord' to title a person or being, because I thought it was blasphemous, taking the Lord's name in vain, and I believed that consuming (what I thought was) blasphemous media reflected blasphemously on me as a believer and my relationship with God.
Now I don't think this way anymore, one; because I'm more educated and media literate than I was as a kid, and the way my mind works around these sorts of things in media dip far beyond just the surface level of what characters say and what images appear or are invoked. Two; because I've come to a personal revelation that the things I read and watch, whether or not they actually "go against God" in their themes (which they very well could) or are "spiritual junk" (which I will be more the judge of, for myself), don't necessarily harm my faith. Not if I don't allow them to.
It's a separation of church and state of mind, so to speak and it's how I, as a writer, gamer and a growing appreciator of art and literature, can function in a world where the vast, overwhelming majority of the things I love are secular, while also keeping my faith close at heart. I can enjoy games like this, read books and watch shows like the kind of wild god-filled fantasy and godless sci-fi that I love, use their quality (or lack thereof), their themes and the content of their characters in concert with my beliefs and the sort of stories that I want to tell and quality themes I'd like to relate to others to enhance my own craft and eventually share it for others to enjoy, and still be right with God. I've come to not mind so much media with supposed non-Christian imagery when the deeper themes and the lessons I learn and enjoy from consuming it can help in some way to further my knowledge of the things I need to write better and make my own enjoyable media, hopefully.
But again, your faith is your journey. You might have a totally different perspective, feel a totally different way about the things that I do, have learned totally different lessons from me. And if that's the case, and the way you honestly feel is that you can't abide imagery like this, that's your prerogative, and it's totally okay. :)
I don't remember the actual character that said that the God of the Bible wasn't real - or that Jesus didn't come to die for our sins - but they did say it. It's been a few years since I last played the game, after all. It was a character in the game. As a Christian, and a follower of Jesus, I don't like when Jesus is mocked or belittled. You asked if I would stop listening to someone if their perspective is different than mine? No. I have no problem if someone doesn't share my views: I'm simply not going to agree with them. If I speak with a Muslim, for example, that doesn't believe that Jesus is God - we can go back and forth in that topic. But that's not possible when it's a character in a video game or a show, haha.
I think it's wrong to insinuate that it's from a coercive decision - rather than a decision of love. Why should I, a Christian, play a game where Jesus is mocked and or belittled? It's out of respect and reverence - not fear. I think it's wrong to sweep with broad strokes. The Bible clearly says to test everything - and it even a gives a command for Christians to defend their faith. You're conflating religion and relationship. Jesus, for example, hates the religious institutions that were so prevalent in that time. As C.S Lewis said, "Either Jesus is a liar, lunatic, or Lord." We judge Christians - rather than look to Jesus. We're all sinful - but who is Jesus? That's the important question.
I won't say too much because most have been said. Just adding my two cents:
1) Yes, it's true that Hades 2 is much more heavily influenced by witchery and therefore pagan symbols;
2) OTOH, the game in no point whatsoever makes any reference to religion.
I understand very well your point regarding Assassin's Creed.
But since you've played and enjoyed Hades, you know how well Super Giant Games deal with different topics, how respectful they are and how they fit certain subjects without "shoving it down your throat".
So, yes, there are many references to witchcraft. But never, ever, they will make any statements like "that's the way", "God doesn't exist" and things like that.
Especially because, as someone else said, the game is pre-Christian, so they can't criticize someone who hadn't existed yet (I'm talking about Jesus here, not God).
To sum up, I understand your discomfort with some symbols but you'll never feel personally attacked like it happened with Assassin's Creed.
(I would stop playing a game with racist jokes for example -- unless very well contextualized)
If, in the end, if you feel the game is not for you, that's fine as well.
The game will still be around, should one day you change your mind somehow and decide to give it a go :)
Yeah, we all have things we won't go past because of our beliefs. A good example, for me, is SMT 5. While, the game looked super fun - I couldn't in good conscience play it. I don't think Hades 2 is nearly in that same vein. I respect that you stick with your ideals, friend :)
Agreed! There's many things a piece of media can do that would make me stop playing, but how it's framed matters a lot to me. But that is also a matter of subjective opinion. I can feel like a story is doing its due dilligence but someone else could disagree. That's fair enough and interesting discourse can come of it.
And in this case (of statements of outright denial re: beliefs fundamental to Christian religion) I suppose an actual Christian's opinion would hold more weight than mine, like a black person's opinion would hold more weight on whether racist humor has been properly framed and implemented.