SuperGiant Games has become a household name in recent years and is a true titan in the industry. With only 5 games in its catalog, it was only a matter of time before their games became must-haves in any Steam library, especially with their most recognizable title, Hades. Fully released in September 2020, it cracked Pandora's Box wide open, showcasing the best of what they could do, garnering massive acclaim for its gameplay and story. It swept the 2021 award season, winning BAFTA's Game of the Year and becoming the first video game to win a Hugo Award. Heralded as a standout of the roguelite genre, it came as no surprise when they announced a sequel during the 2022 Game Awards (except for me, I was very surprised and excited).
SuperGiant Games released an Early Access version on Steam back in May 2024 and has passionately continued its development, releasing consistent patch updates, one as early as July this year. I purchased it and have put nearly 100 hours into it since. Needless to say, they have blown it out of the water once again, and now, with their focus being on the full release of v1.0, how does the game stand? What does it change from the original, and how did it become such a standout before it even fully released? I'm here to say that it absolutely is ready, and the team has done more than enough to showcase its full potential in story, gameplay, and much more.
Hades is a game based heavily on Greek Mythology and does not shy away from its history or the different interpretations. As a matter of fact, it uses this to its advantage in both games, mentioned by Creative Director Greg Kasavin during an interview with InvenGlobal.
"Greek mythology has a formidable amount of data. Some editions... contradict each other, but that does not mean we need the one genuine edition...Greg Kasavin, SuperGiant Games
Here, we were inspired to create a world where such completely different stories can coexist at once,"
Both titles utilized this inspiration in a way that made the story accessible and enjoyable for those with both limited and extensive understanding of Greek Myth. In Hades 2, you play as Princess Melinoë, daughter of Hades and Persephone. After narrowly escaping imprisonment at the hands of the Mad Titan, Chronos, she must fight her way through the Underworld's army to rescue her family, restore peace, and destroy Time once and for all. She does this under the guidance of her guardian and mentor, Hecate, Titan and Goddess of Witchcraft, as well as with the support of the Silver Sisters, a cloak-and-dagger group serving under Nyx, Night Incarnate.
In a game full of new and returning characters with unique perspectives, Melinoë is a captivating protagonist. Whereas Zagreus was quick-witted and reckless, his sister is calmer, intentional, and calculated. That same put-together image, however, brings her down to earth and showcases a relatable anxiety. She is like that because she has to be.
Yes, not all of us have had to kill a God, but we can doubtless relate to her lower moments and the fear of having to achieve something impossible. One trait she does share with Zagreus is her boundless kindness and empathy toward others. That kindness is shared, questioned, and even challenged, but Melinoë handles it all with courage and grace. Her interactions with other characters, from softer moments with Hecate to her snarky quips toward bosses like the cyclops Polyphemus and the siren Scylla, help to elevate the dialogue and the world around her in a standout fashion, treating them less like set-pieces sprinkled around for the player to find and more like the full, meaningful conversations that they are.
Speaking of returns, we see many familiar faces from Hades, but we also get to meet new and interesting ones. Hestia, Goddess of Hearth and Home, the sorceress Medea, and Narcissus are just a few examples of the characters we can find waiting for us during our travels outside the Crossroads, the main hubworld. Some characters will stop by and visit in between nights, like the boatman, Charon, or Selene, Moon Incarnate.
As mentioned above, these character moments are a nice, delightful detail to come across, with the vocal performances easily expanding the world and the story so far with depth and passion. The Gods, not just in story but in action, all put their own fantastic spin on the gameplay and combat system, as well.
The Boon system lends itself well to the roguelike genre as a whole, allowing experimentation and unique play styles. The new characters expand that further than ever before. My personal favorite has been Hephaestus, God of the Forge. His Blasts let the player consistently deal large amounts of damage all at once after a short recharge. Hera, Goddess of Matrimony, has also been fun to learn. Her Hitch ability allows the player to damage multiple enemies at the same time, as long as they all have the effect. It chains together crazy amounts of damage, letting you take out smaller enemies when focusing on high damage dealers or mini-bosses.
Not just the larger pantheon, but the minor characters also have rewarding add-ons and boons. The enchantress Circe, if you encounter her, can give the player a power that shrinks them in size, allowing for increased dodge against enemy attacks. These are just a handful of examples of the boundless combat potential that SuperGiant has managed to perfect. The Gods in this game, just like the last, are tools at your disposal, and it elevates the combat that much more.
As if this wasn't more than enough to stand out, SuperGiant has expanded combat even further by adding a magick system. Melinoë is a witch and can perform stronger, magical attacks at the cost of magick. These attacks can also be buffed with boons, with some rewards from characters like Primordial Chaos even reducing the amount of magick spent. This system is a breath of fresh air, and it adds a level of strategy beyond just hitting hard and fast. You can even make a magick-heavy build thanks to the Alter of Ashes, a system similar to the Mirror of Night from the first game. The Alter allows the user to unlock and select Arcana, tarot-inspired cards that can upgrade magick, health, and even boon rarity.
The weapons in this game are also fantastic to use, feeling very fluid and adaptable, with different aspects to change the desired effect and fine-tune any build you've been working on. There are six weapons in total, and the only one I would say I don't feel this way about is the skull, Revaal. It always felt clunky to use. This isn't the first time we encounter a gun-inspired weapon in Hades, but the skull's three shots can stall the momentum of combat, forcing a hard stop while you pick them back up to fire again. Weapons and their aspects have been a working point throughout Early Access, but I can't help but feel that Revaal is still the weakest link.
There is no combat without enemies, however, and they also stand out. Fighting against them is both entertaining and occasionally frustrating. Some of them can easily back you into a corner and become overwhelming, but there is such an easy learning curve that they don't stay problems for long. The bosses have also stepped up their game, with the introduction of eight brand new fights to put your skills to the test. But if they become too easy, the game also has its own heat mechanic: The Oath of the Unseen. This allows you to up the difficulty of each night to impose more of a challenge. Also, to earn more hilarious prizes from Skelly. Just like the first game, Hades 2 prides itself on its combat and does it well, despite any hiccups it suffers from. Even with all the heart-racing action, there is more to enjoy after coming back at the end of each night.
Numerous quality-of-life mechanics unveil a whole new layer of depth and consideration, some of the most crucial being resource management and a familiar system. Mentioned before, magic is a key detail in this game, and you can find no shortage of it both in and outside of a fight. In the Crossroads, you can perform spells at a cauldron, which act as permanent upgrades to the game. You can unlock different things to encounter during the night, like reward chests and different shops, complete story missions, or even upgrade the Crossroads itself to make things more comfortable. However, your spells require components: ores, plants, and even boss items. You're able to pick these up during each night, but in limited amounts, if they spawn at all.
They expand this variety of foragables by letting you travel both down into the Underworld and above to Mt. Olympus, with everything changing depending on which way you go. This is also where the familiars come into play. There are five in total, and each one provides both a benefit in combat as well as finding specific resources. The one I usually rely on is Frinos, the Frog. He specializes in finding lost Shades to bring back to the Crossroads, which provides Psyche, a resource that powers up Arcana. He also acts as a great shield against enemy attacks, making him a valuable companion both in and outside of combat.
There are also new areas to help boost relationships with other characters. Like the first game, certain characters have hearts and can deepen their relationship with you after receiving gifts. It used to be only Nectar and Ambrosia, but after you unlock new zones in the Crossroads, like the Taverna or the Hot Spring, you can gift characters new items for fun and unique interactions. This makes the relationship mechanic feel more enjoyable and intentional in how you approach certain characters. Someone might not be in the mood for a bottle of Ambrosia, but offer them some bath salts, and you can find a fun and unexpected event that reveals more of their backstory. The only negative that I experienced with the relationship mechanic in this game, as opposed to the first one, is that characters will sometimes reject your gifts.
This could either be because not all relationship events are fully available in Early Access, or because a character prefers one gift over the other. I am not entirely sure. However, it can be frustrating when the option to give a gift is present, but they won't accept it. It's the biggest snag in the entire mechanic, but one that could easily be explained or fixed in v1.0.
Hades 2 is a massive project that hits nearly every perfect point it possibly can. Even when it misses, the Early Access system enables the team at SuperGiant Games to recover from those pitfalls by both listening to the fans and taking quick notice of what demands more attention and care. They even have an icon in their Patch Updates denoting what was inspired by player feedback versus something they decided to change on their own. I have barely scratched the surface of what this game offers, but for their first sequel, they hit it out of the park, and I cannot wait to finally experience the full story the way they intended in v1.0 when it comes out! Can Time truly not be stopped? We'll find out soon enough.