#harpe

Interlude 🌳🪉🌺 musical

Something I really liked in the first game was how the first bosses, the Furies, take turns. I was a bit let down when that wasn't the same for the bosses in Asphodel and Elysium, so I thought it would be fun to speculate how the moveset of other characters from Greek mythology would be like in Supergiant's gameplay philosophy.

In this idea of mine, Perseus (title: "Hero of Mycenae") would take turns with Theseus and Asterius as the final boss of Elysium. Like Theseus, Perseus starts his fight with 4 main attacks:

Harpe Swipe: Perseus slashes with his harpe — the mythical adamantine, sickle-like sword he used to behead Medusa — whenever Zagreus is nearby, dealing damage. In his second phase, he performs a rapid three-hit combo with the harpe.

Discus Throw: Perseus takes aim and hurls a discus in Zagreus’ direction. If it misses the player, it will ricochet off the arena's walls once before potentially striking Zagreus again. This move is inspired by the myth in which Perseus accidentally kills his grandfather, Acrisius, with a discus throw gone awry during the athletic games of a king — fulfilling the prophecy of his birth. In his second phase, the discus will ricochet three times before breaking.

Aerial Strike: Perseus uses Hermes' winged boots to fly up off-screen and marks a spot on the arena, on which he will land with his harpe down and unleash a damaging shockwave on impact. In his second phase, he takes to the air again and performs the move three times in rapid succession.

Darkness: Much like Hades, Perseus uses the Helm of Invisibility to remove all status effects and temporarily render himself invisible, which makes him invulnerable to the player. His footsteps will be visible through the still water that covers parts of the arena, which the player will use as a visual cue to evade his attack. This fight would be a lighter introduction to the invisibility mechanic in the Hades boss fight later on.

Perseus carries the bronze shield he used to look at Medusa's reflection in life, which he will use to block every attack from the front. Due to its reflective surface, Perseus' shield will also deflect every projectile back at Zagreus, dealing damage. The exception is projectiles related to Artemis, which bypass the shield.

Once his health is reduced to 50%, he will enter his second phase and begin to use the Olympian Aid ability. Like Theseus, Perseus will request the assistance of a random Olympian, who will attack Zagreus.

In terms of story, Perseus and Zagreus would bond over time out of their mutual concern for their mothers. Once Perseus learns Zagreus is only trying to see Persephone, he will relate to his cousin's determination to help his mother and respect him as a worthy opponent, lamenting that he will still have to fight him out of Hades' orders.

Extreme Measures: Finally, in the Extreme Measures mode, Perseus will ally himself with none other than Dusa, who will amicably act as his co-boss and fight Zagreus.

What did you guys think?

Harpe and Joyeuse's Inventory

la dame à la harpe,

mine de plomb sur papier A4

2024

They look like triplets😭😅