Platform: PC (Steam)
Genre: Action roguelite, sequel to one of 2020’s best games

I would never thought I’d live to see the day where Supergiant Games, an indie developer team formed by ex-GameSpot writing pioneer Greg Kasavin, would end up creating a sequel to one of their games.

The company’s track record has always been new entries focused on a specific stylish art style, a killer soundtrack, and a brand-new game mechanic and design, whether it’s an action RPG, a turn-based game, or a fantasy sports title. The massive success of the company’s last Greek-themed fantasy title Hades in 2020, along with the many, MANY fans who would make fan art and whatnot about the game, made their development choice very clear. It’s also a smart one, as the Greek mythology they’ve tapped on features a ton of stories to tell, but in their own unique way.

So out comes Hades 2, the follow-up to 2020’s top-rated roguelite action game (we gave the 1.0 version full marks, FYI) but in Early Access form. If you want just a taste of the game’s lore, you’ll get it here but in half-made form. Supergiant is still working on the game, after all, but there is a lot to play through here especially if you want to get hooked on the replayability of these kinds of roguelites.

To Heck & Back

Hades 2’s gameplay is simple: you start at the beginning in the Underworld of Greek mythology, going through Encounter rooms killing enemies as you make your way to the multiple paths leading to the area’s boss. You gain powerups after each cleared Encounter room, ranging from temporary Boons (from Greek gods) that power up your attacks and spells, or currency and resources that let you buy temporary boosts from shops, or make permanent upgrades when you’re sent back to your hub area. The game is tough, and death in inevitable, whether you’re unfamiliar with the layout of the room and its traps, the world’s mechanic and hook, and the bosses, each with their own unique patterns of attacks. But that’s the beauty of the loop: it gets addictive, you want to unlock more of this game’s secrets, and you get better with your subsequent runs with the permanent upgrades you get.

The main difference here is that Hades 2’s main character is the Princess of the Underworld named Melinoe (or Mel for brevity’s sake), and she plays completely differently from Zagreus in the first Hades. Mel’s job is to kill the Titan of Time Chronos, who took over the Underworld and killed Mel’s parents, so off she goes through the aforementioned dungeons and planes of the Underworld (and Overworld once you get through the main bosses of the game) with her brand-new set of moves. She has her regular attacks, her Special bolts, and the ability to Sprint and also Cast a binding circle that freezes enemies in place temporarily. Oh, and also power up all these attacks using her Omega charge, which uses a new resource in the game called Magick.

Being a witch, Mel can augment her attacks, special, and Casts using Omega power, which after a short charge unleashes a powerful version of that attack. These usually mean big damage, an attack that hits in a straight line, or a tracking special that has area-of-effect properties depending on what Boons you choose. The Sprint ability is also noteworthy: since Mel cannot multi-dash like her brother Zag, she can instead dash and then sprint fast. Once you get used to it, it’s easy to circle and flank around enemies using this new evasive maneuver. Plus, any Boons she gets will power up her Sprint and make it a new form of offense. Poseidon’s Boon can make her deal damage from charging into enemies with her Sprint, while Hestia’s Boon can dissipate projectiles close to her while she’s sprinting.

These new additions just make Hades 2 a lot more fun because of the combinations you can pull off with different Boons to go with your Sprint and Omega charges. I managed to land a sprint ability that slows down projectiles and freezes enemies, while also getting a Boon that amplifies my Omega charges further but at the cost of more Magick. Luckily, that same run bestowed me with a Boon that lets me regenerate Magick by standing in the binding circle I can form at any time. You’ll find better combinations than mine as you keep playing through the game further and further.

And it goes on! Your hub this time is the Crossroads, where you can talk to the denizens, get upgrades for Mel and see a sleeping Hermes whom you probably need to awaken to get bonus goods. Apart from that, you also get an altar where you unlock permanent upgrades in the form of Arcane cards. You unlock them by getting Ash through encounters, but each card has a different Grasp requirement which you need to gain more of for Mel. Better cards require more Grasp, and to get more Grasp you need to collect Psyche from, you guessed it, encounters! The Cauldron also lets you create new powerups and buffs not just to add more growth options and resource-generating bits in the Crossroads, but also affect rooms in Encounters like a resting fountain place with more health to dish out pre-boss fight.

Personality-wise, she’s less of a wisecracker and a little more serious, but she is kind-hearted and has her moments of levity. You’ll definitely love how she replies and retorts to people she meet, be it shades trying to be spooky and just squatting in your camp, or her rival Nemesis who just acts like a total c*** to her despite being on the same side. In fact, the new and old characters you meet are still just as charming as ever, now with new portrait artwork. For some anyway, as placeholders are still in use in this Early Access version.

Should You Jump In The Underworld Now?

Which leads us to the following: what is missing from this Early Access version of Hades 2? Well, it doesn’t have an ending, it has a number of placeholders for some of its character dialogues, and some visual effects that clearly need some work. In the coming months, at least the tail end of 2024, Supergiant Games will be working on another new region, new cosmetic trappings for the Crossroads, and a new weapon for a planned major update.

Long story short, this unfinished version of the game plays and works just great and dandy. Mel is fun to play and has a bunch of new tricks and skills that make her different than Zagreus in part 1, the new additions (Underworld, Overworld, new stage mechanics, secrets, and so forth) are welcome and add more replayability and zest to an already-perfect sequel, and the game retains its colourful aesthetics and personality coupled with a banging soundtrack.

If you’re patient, I do suggest waiting for the final 1.0 release so you can experience it whole, especially the story bits and all. But if you’re in it purely for the gameplay and just cannot wait, the RM72 price tag is sexy enough especially if you’ve been following Supergiant Games’ successful track record with indie games. Believe me, there’s 20 hours or more you can get out of this near-final version of the game especially if you are into finding secrets and extra challenges. No wrong choices here, if I’m being frank.

It sure as heck isn’t getting a score from us just yet as Early Access titles shouldn’t get that luxury. But we are enjoying our time with it regardless, and will be taking up our weekends in the foreseeable future. Make of that what you will.

*Early Access code provided by publisher/developer.