Supergiant Games Brings Hades II to Life in Cinematic Animated Trailer

The trailer follows Melinoë, a young witch and moon goddess, guided by her mentor, Hecate, through a haunting ritual that entwines magic and connection. Alongside these mystical rites, glimpses of ferocious combat erupt: Melinoë battling Numbskulls in Tartarus, carving her way through satyrs, sapphires, and harpies on Mount Olympus.

The piece closes on a climactic sequence as Melinoë casts ashes into her cauldron, triggering a blazing explosion that transforms her into her darker, more dangerous self. What follows remains a mystery, left for players to uncover when the game releases. The mix of high drama and brooding visuals sits in the creative sweet spot for director, Louve Sarfati Karnas, who is an avid gamer, and a big fan of the IP:

“Video games have always been my biggest source of inspiration, there’s nothing quite like it really - the artistry that goes behind creating a game; creating stories that suddenly become tactile, tales that immerse you through interactivity, how incredible is that?” said Louve. “That’s why collaborating with Supergiant Games, who’ve had such a huge impact on who I am as an artist, was such a personal and incredible experience. I wanted to create something that invoked as much depth and nuance, both narratively and visually, as the game itself. A grandiose spectacle that carries a very personal story about self-worth, chosen family, and facing adversity.”

To achieve this vision, THE LINE and Supergiant leaned into bold stylistic choices. The team sought a more graphic compositing style that layered textures across characters and environments, creating an inky, painterly and dynamic world. Whilst still imagery came together naturally, bringing such detail to life in animation required technical innovation. The team integrated pre-rendered textures in the compositing phase, to achieve a cohesive final style that has a real tactility and a harmony between the environments and characters.

Character performance and movement were also essential to the storytelling. For Melinoë’s ritual, THE LINE recorded and worked from that live-action dance choreography, ensuring that every gesture was conveyed authentically. “The witch ritual is such a specific part of Hades, and we wanted the movements to feel deliberate and true,” said lead animator, Amanda Jespersen Holm.

The project was defined not only by its technical ambition but by the spirit of collaboration: “the client’s knowledge of the 2D pipeline, their thoughtful and constructive feedback and the overall positivity of their team made the process lots of fun and super rewarding”, said Kateřina Grecová, producer.

The Hades II animated trailer is available now across Supergiant Games’ official channels.