With the monsoon of AAA releases in 2024, I had nearly forgotten about Hades 2. However, after a surprise stream earlier in the day from SuperGiant Games, the developer dropped an early build of the highly anticipated title to stress-test the game before its release into early access.
Hades 2 marks the first time SuperGiant Games has crafted a direct follow-up to one of their games. After a brief vertical slice of the game, which only contained one biome and boss encounter, I can already say that Hades 2 is not only a blast to play, but easily justified as a follow-up to arguably the best game in their repertoire.
Zagreus, Hades, and Persephone are missing, with Chronos, the Titan of Time, wreaking havoc in Olympus after decimating the Underworld — thankfully, it turns out Zagreus had a secret sister, the Princess of the Underworld, Melinoë.
Unlike Zagreus, Melinoë has access to magic, which in Hades 2 translates to a new magick metre under your health bar, which buffs all your moves by holding the corresponding button at the cost of spending said magick. The magick system is easily the most significant addition as far as gameplay is concerned in Hades 2, as magic-imbued moves are not only necessary for taking on larger mobs, but once they run out, they spell the end of your run.
“After a brief vertical slice of the game, I can already say that Hades 2 is not only a blast to play but easily justified as a follow-up to arguably the best game in their repertoire.”
Enemy encounters in Hades 2 seemingly are more aggressive than they were in the first game, requiring the player to juggle both their health and magick pool effectively. Fortunately, in addition to many new currencies, magick can be found throughout the various floors of the Underworld, in addition to earning them via Boons, which, like the first Hades, act as your modifiers and power up abilities as you spec Melinoë on her way to take down Chronos.
Dying will return Melinoë to the Crossroads, the central hub area of Hades 2, which, like the first game, includes a whole host of NPCs, vendors and curios to find and interact with. Two areas where you’ll spend a lot of time will be the Cauldron and the Meditation area, the first of which allows the player to craft incantations which summon fort new vendors, tools, such as the ability to plant seeds with a shovel, and boons to aid Melinoë in her runs. Similarly, permanent boons can be equipped from the Meditation area, which take the form of arcana cards and act similarly to the Mirror of Night from the first game.
“Despite the lack of content in this early build of Hades 2, the game is already shaping up to be an excellent follow-up.”
The preview build of Hades 2 only included two weapons: a long staff and a close-quarters dual-sickle-style weapon, the latter of which I found to be particularly deadly against Hecate, the first and only boss encountered in the demo.
Outside of the expected melee and ranged attacks, Melinoë has access to a binding AoE move, which can slow down enemies, making it crucial to use when swarmed or when wanting to imbue magick into the mix during the heat of combat. Finally, visually, Hades 2 continues the first game’s legacy, this time replacing the crimson and black with ethereal greens and purples that best reflect Melinoë’s Magick-centric powers.
Despite the lack of content in this early build of Hades 2, the game is already shaping up to be an excellent follow-up to what is my and, most likely, many people’s favourite roguelike game of recent memory. It is only a matter of time until more players can get their hands on Hades 2 once it becomes available in early access, which SuperGiant Games promises will include even more content currently not available in the build sent out for preview. Those interested in trying the game out before it hits early access for the masses can request by visiting the official Steam page for Hades 2.
