Hades 2

A fun-loving follow-up shakes up the underworld without fouling the Hades formula.

When indie developer Supergiant released the first Hades game out of early access in 2020, it was nothing short of a masterpiece. An excellently crafted game that elevated rougelikes by weaving the storytelling and gameplay together in stronger and better ways than we'd previously seen in the genre.

Maybe it's witchcraft. Maybe it's magic. Either way, Supergiant manages to draw down the moon with its Herculean action and epic narrative in Hades 2.

Hades 2 is an unbelievable triumph for more reasons than a pair of human hands can count. Supergiant Games’ sequel is a bold evolution of the original that flawlessly executes new ideas to deliver the best roguelike of this generation.

Topping the original Hades was a damn near impossible feat, but Supergiant Games pulled it off. While it still has some of the accessibility issues of its predecessor, Hades 2 manages to improve upon the combat, world-building, and content of the first game, making Melinoe’s journey stand out. It may not surprise or shock Hades fans with originality, but it upped the stakes in a way that makes it a must-play game.

The roguelike genre is magnificently mastered in Hades II. The game seems more promising than Hades, even if it is in early access. Whether or not you're looking forward to the following updates, the game is already brilliant.

Hades II is an absolute blast from moment one, and only gets better from there. Everything from the dialogue to the music, visuals, combat, and build possibilities feels polished to a mirror sheen. It’s going to take you a long time to even reach the depths of Hades or the peak of Olympus, but when you finally do you’ll get hooked all over again.

Hades 2 takes all what worked with Hades and enhances it by adding more interactions, weapons, boons, and materials to pursue, among others. Furthermore, it improves the already addictive roguelike loop to make not only of the best in the genre, but a solid GOTY contender.

Hades II is an ambitious expansion of all the ideas that came before it, balancing them beautifully to create one of the best roguelites on the market even in its incomplete state.

Hades II is a benchmark for the genre. The story, characters, writing, and art direction exceed the expectations set by the original Hades. Further, the new gameplay mechanics and the addition of a second area make for a game that can keep you occupied for dozens of hours without ever getting boring. While the ending is extremely disappointing, I can confidently recommend Hades II to everyone, regardless of whether you've played other entries in the genre or not.

Hades 2 from Supergiant Games is an excellent roguelike and a worthy successor to Hades. It provides hours of great fun. Early Access is scheduled to last until the end of 2024, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what the final version of this game, which has already managed to win praise from fans of the first installment, will look like.

Ultimately, despite its repetitive nature, Hades 2 is simply more Hades, and that’s not a bad thing. The story is compelling, the characters, dialogue, and line delivery are fantastic, the combat is more thoughtful than the first game, and there’s twice as much level and boss variety compared to Hades 1. It’s an excellent sequel, even if being more of the same didn’t always strike the right chords for me.