Returnal and Hades Basically Share the Same Currency | Game Rant
For those players doing any kind of research on Returnal, it is highly likely that it has been compared to another recent hit game, Hades. These comparisons aren't without merit, as although both games are vastly different from one another in terms of actual gameplay and style, they share a lot of elements thanks to their common ground as roguelite experiences. Both games also are heavily influenced by Ancient Greek mythology, albeit one a bit more covertly than the other, and this creates some more interesting parallels. Notably, eagle eyed players might have noticed that both games practically share the same major currency, the Greek Obol.
Returnal and Hades are two very different games on the surface. In the former, players find themselves stranded on an alien planet, beset by all manner of horrific monsters and trapped in an endless time loop. On the other hand, Hades places players in control of Zagreus, a Cthonic God hellbent on escaping from the Underworld. Rather than sci-fi guns and laser swords, Zagreus uses more traditional weaponry for the most part. While Returnal's Selene is doing battle with hostile alien fauna, Zagreus instead finds himself embroiled in combat with shades, mythical monsters, and ancient demigod heroes.
In Hades, players will collect a great deal of Charon's Obol as they hack and slash their way up and out of the Underworld. This currency can be traded with Charon himself in return for more godly boons, healing items, and other collectibles. The trick here is that if the player dies or even if they complete the run and successfully escape the Underworld, all of the Charon's Obol that they collected are removed. In the game it is implied that Charon takes them back because they are not permitted within the House of Hades or that they are simply lost.
These are a direct reference to the Greek Obol, an actual currency used in Ancient Greece. While the Obol was a standard form of currency in that age, Charon's Obol referred to a golden coin that Ancient Greeks would place in the mouth of a deceased person before they were buried. This rite was performed because it was thought that one would have to give an Obol to the boatman Charon in order to secure passage to the Underworld. Without an Obol, souls would instead forever be trapped on the other side of the river, unable to start their afterlives.
Early on in Returnal, players will come across their first bit of Obolite. This currency will be extremely important for getting through each of the increasingly difficult biomes, and it has many uses as well. Just like Charon's Obol from Hades, though, players will lose all of their Obolite if they die or if they successfully escape Atropos. This encourages them to spend it whenever they can rather than holding onto it. Although players don't have any kind of ferryman here to trade their Obolites with, Fabricators found throughout Atropos can use it as an energy source to create artifacts, consumables, and other power ups.
As the name implies, the Obolites from Returnal are also a direct reference to the Greek Obol, although it may be a bit more difficult to see why. While Returnal seems to be standard fare for a sci-fi/horror shoot-em-up game, much of its symbolism and the deeper aspects of its story are buried underneath Greek mythology. The main character, Selene, for example, is a reference to the Greek Goddess of the Moon by the same name. Since the moon is often associated with space travel, this sort of thing makes a lot of sense.
The connection between Charon's Obol and Obolite are strong, but there are some weaker connections between the rest of each games' currency as well. While Charon's Obol and Obolites are both lost at the end of a run, Zagreus and Selene get to keep certain currencies even after they die. One example of this is Darkness from Hades and Ether from Returnal. Both of these currencies can be used to permanently upgrade the player's character, and both are represented by an item with a purple hue. Dig a little deeper and players will notice that Aether (Ether) is actually the son of Erebus (Darkness) in Greek Mythology.
Another example of these looser connections lies in the keys found in both games. Zagreus can find Cthonic Keys during his wanton ransacking of his fathers' domain that allow him to unlock new abilities or weapons. By contrast, Selene will come across Atropian Keys over time that she can use to unlock doors or chests on the planet. Both of these are references to places or mythological beings from Greek mythology, with the word Cthonic referring to the Underworld and Atropian referring to Atropos, one of the Three Fates (and namesake of the planet itself).
There is certainly plenty of ground to make comparisons between Returnal and Hades, but players should still be weary of these types of comparisons. While veterans of Hades may be very familiar with some of the rogue-lite concepts that make appearances in Returnal, the gameplay itself is very different. While both share common tropes like a dash that makes players invulnerable or bullet-hell pattern attacks from enemies, the difference in perspective really makes the two play completely differently.
In Hades, players control Zagreus from a top down, third person perspective. Because of this, they can easily see all of the enemy's attacks regardless of which direction they are coming from. It is also a two-dimensional experience, so players rarely have to worry about what's above them. By contrast, Returnal is an over-the-shoulder, third person perspective, and it features way more verticality. Players will need to be prepared for attacks to come from any direction, even above or below, and the skill floor in general is a bit higher.
Returnal is available now on PS5.
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