Squid Game Season 2 is different from Season 1, here are the key differences

Netflix's Squid Game Season 2, the critically acclaimed Korean series, is finally back after a long wait of three years.

While the format of the show is similar to Season 1, there were some major changes in the games to mimic the real world and depict power struggles, moral dilemmas, and societal divisions throughout the series.

In addition to a host of new games like Six-legged Penthalon, which included Spinning Top, Ddakji, Flying Stone, and the card game of the recruiter, the show also featured a traditional Korean game Gong-gi, Jegi, Minus One, and a reimagined Rock, paper and scissors.

Squid Game Season 2 had major differences, which increased the stakes for the characters. Here are the key differences explored.

Exploring differences between Squid Game Season 2 and Season 1

While Squid Game Season 2 picked up right where Season 1 left off, with Gi-hun entering the games for a second round, but with a different motive, to dismantle the organization, one and for all, it is quite different from Season 1. Here are some key differences-

Season 2 introduces mandatory voting

Horrified by the bloodshed and 'rules' after the first game in Season 1, the players were given a chance to vote for or against the continuation of the games. While they were given this chance only once in Season 1, Squid Game Season 2 introduced mandatory voting, where the players were given this chance after each game.

Based on their preference, they were divided into two groups, 'X' for people who wished to discontinue and 'O' for people who wished to continue the games. Since creator Hwang Dong-hyuk's approach was different for Season 2, as he discussed in several interviews, mandatory voting was a metaphor for the societal divisions and the conflicts that it causes.

In addition to the bloodshed and death because of the games, the show also showed internal conflicts within these groups which also often caused bloodshed.

Connections between the players was central in Squid Game Season 2

The players in Season 1 were mostly unknown to each other and were trying to navigate and make it through the different games alive. But what would happen if you meet your family or friends in the game? Squid Game Season 2 explored this possibility as many players were related or each other's acquaintances.

Firstly, there were ex-lovers Jun-hee and Myung-gi, who found each other again while in the games. Jun-hee was pregnant and participated in the game after a failed investment, while Myung-gi entered to escape a debt. Their complicated past led to many hard confrontations.

Another such pair was a mother-son duo, where Yong-sik was an addicted gambler who found out that his mother had also participated in the games to support him.

While Season 1 had Sang-woo as one of Gi-hun's friends, Squid Games Season 2 introduced JUng-bae, his childhood friend, increasing the stakes for the protagonist as he tries to keep his friend alive and dismantle the organization.

Squid Game Season 2- Less physical gore, more psychological intensity

While bloodshed, violence, and physical gore were at the center of Season 1, which had 255 deaths in the first Red Light, Green Light game, Season 2 toned down on the bloodshed significantly, with only 2 deaths in Episode 1.

This tonal shift was to accommodate the psychological intensity that the players experienced in the competition. Not only did Gi-hun have an ulterior motive to dismantle the competition, but he also had to keep himself and the others alive. Stakes were also high for the other players because of their pre-existing relationships with other players.