How do you follow up with a character-driven roguelite like Hades that is almost unmatched in its field? Knowing where to grow larger without being overly bloated is essential. Knowing where to tighten screws without removing too much texture is important. In addition to identifying areas where it makes sense to experiment and remix, you must understand the fundamental, sacrosanct components that made it unique. All of these things are somehow accomplished in Hades 2, with the attention to detail and flourish that have come to define Supergiant Games. Not a single note is out of place.
Hades 2 begins somewhat suddenly if you haven’t played the original Hades recently or at all. With little more than an urgent mission to murder your grandfather, Chronos, the Titan of Time, you are introduced to Melinoë, daughter of Hades and Persephone, and sister to Zagreus, the protagonist of the first game. For the first few hours or so, it did feel a little like being adrift because I hadn’t played Hades in a few years and hadn’t played Hades 2 in early access because I was saving myself for the major event.
However, this sentiment quickly wanes as I came to appreciate a superb and diverse ensemble of primarily new characters that live in the dark intersection of the worlds of the living and the dead. With its unique silhouettes, bold yet understated use of color, witty retellings of great myths, and little, charming touches reserved for the super nerds who can memorize quotes from The Odyssey, Supergiant’s character designs continue to stand at the very top of the mountain. While static photographs still serve as their representation, the artists have included tiny animation elements to make the figures seem to come to life, such as the green light glinting on Mel’s lower lip.
Nemesis is arguably my favorite of the newcomers. Through a protracted and intricate storyline, the buff avatar of Vengeance presented an arrogant enemy who was incredibly enjoyable to ultimately transform into a friend (and more). Hecate, who is always aware of being compared to the heroine’s mother and secretly wishes she could call her a daughter, serves as Mel’s mentor and reluctant caregiver. This has a lot of layers. Even the classic Olympians have multiple dimensions. Additionally, everyone thinks the voice acting is excellent.
Characters and mechanics are introduced at a steady yet manageable rate.
In Hades 2, “layers” is the crucial phrase, and I don’t just mean the ones you have to battle to advance to the next boss. Like the first game, it begins simply but adds more characters, mechanics, and growth strategies at a steady but generous rate with each run, whether successful or unsuccessful. I don’t believe I’ve unlocked anything, even after logging over 50 hours and 50 runs, and I’ve never gone a night without finding something new.
In Hades 2, “layers” is the crucial phrase, and I don’t just mean the ones you have to battle to advance to the next boss. Like the first game, it begins simply but adds more characters, mechanics, and growth strategies at a steady but generous rate with each run, whether successful or unsuccessful. I don’t believe I’ve unlocked anything, even after logging over 50 hours and 50 runs, and I’ve never gone a night without finding something new.
It’s not just fresh speech snippets, either, though there are a ridiculous number of them for a wide variety of character combinations and situations, where they respond to particular actions you took during your most recent run or the blessings of other gods you’re carrying. A creative reworking of the original’s Heat system, challenging challenge runs from Chaos itself, meaningful, permanent upgrades from Hecate’s cauldron, a straightforward farming minigame, and cute animal familiars that may assist you both inside and outside of combat… added to the epic at a speed that consistently makes them thrilling without seeming like there are too many things to follow.
The fact that Mel has two options every night (after you unlock the second one fairly early on)—going up to break the siege his allies have placed on Mount Olympus or down toward Tartarus to pursue the ultimate villain, Chronos—may be the biggest advancement for the sequel. Each has four regions, each with its own boss, and it is rarely as easy as moving from one meadow to another for the areas to flow together. For example, in the surface city of Ephyra, you can choose which six of the ten streets in the town square to visit (and which rewards to obtain) to remove the obstacle preventing you from moving forward. These streets go off into ten distinct conflicts.
Though there are comparable but distinct methods in other areas as well, I truly enjoyed how things like this break up the typical “pick Door Number One or Door Number Two” routine. The true cleverness here, though, is that switching between the two paths doubles the variation that can be found in later runs.
You won’t encounter any of the same bosses or regions if you do an Olympus climb after a Tartarus dive. Not that the first Hades ever went tiresome, but this one won’t if you have this option constantly. You also won’t have to walk through every Tartarus level to reach the first Olympus level, thus it will take longer to become weary of them. It’s a very clever strategy because, if a boss on one path is really annoying you (like Eris), you can move to the other one and farm some upgrade materials for a while before attempting to use your brain to smash that wall once more.
Mel is witty and charming, zipping around and zapping baddies.
Although Mel’s zapping and zipping of creatures is equally witty and fun as Zagreus’s, it feels different. It’s nearly like playing the same role-playing game with a new class of characters. Mel is a mage (or more accurately, a witch), with a complex mana system to manage and a greater focus on defensive battlefield control than Zagreus was a warrior. From a gigantic f-off axe that rewards precise timing with horrific damage to a pair of twirling torches that transform you into a ballerina of death, her varied armory can drastically alter this.
Your choice of weapon is a crucial moment at the start of every run, and each of these has several unlockable varieties with special abilities and unique designs (like transforming the axe into a scythe, for example).
You can always use a weapon-agnostic Cast ability, which binds enemies in a magic circle that can slow and harm them, regardless of which you choose. To perfect her fighting style, you must carefully consider where and when to set your trap because many of the difficult new foes are designed with this in mind. It’s really thematic, and, which is fantastic, caused me to view Mel’s conflicts very differently than I would have viewed Zagreus.
It seems as though Supergiant’s designers used every suggestion I could have made regarding the previous gods’ randomized boons to mirror-polish these new and returning ones. There are currently no Olympians whose sigils I will instantly reroll. Each of them has some incredibly strong and cool features that go well with my favorite style of play. Of course, some are still more attractive than others. Darting around at warp speed isn’t quite as powerful as it was in Zag’s time, but Hermes is still my boy.
Even those, like Poseidon, which I used to groan at, have managed to maintain their thematic character while simultaneously providing benefits that I genuinely want to use, such as accelerating the acquisition of important materials that unlock other upgrades.
Another layer to take into account when organizing a build is the intriguing new elemental affinities factor, wherein boons all grant one of a few elemental essences, and additional boons will trigger depending on how many of a certain essence you have.
Among the Gods and Titans, Selene stands out because of her moon blessings, which provide you with an ultimate power known as a Hex that may be used to blast enemies with lunar energy or slow down time. You can add points to a strong (and somewhat random) skill tree for that particular Hex each time you select her symbol. These points can be used to increase the duration of her effects, hit harder, recharge more quickly, and apply other incredibly inventive modifiers.
I hardly ever have a run when I feel weak or bored because there are so many fresh ways to find fabulously strong builds and fish for synergy.
Darren Korb is, in my opinion, the greatest video game composer currently active, and Hades 2 is, as the children would say, a “common Korb W.” In terms of music, I would even say it’s a step up from the original Hades, since his combination of ethereal melodic patterns, lo-fi hip-hop vibes, and soaring references to legendary and heroic themes creates a soundtrack that is all his own. My favorite of the new songs is Moonlight Guide Us, where longtime contributing vocalist Ashley Barrett reprises her role as Artemis. Mel’s voice actor, Judy Alice Lee, joins her to create an eerily uplifting harmony that makes me cry. “Take shelter from the world above, in safety and in solitude,” effectively captures my overall impression of Hades 2.
I must also mention the musical Scylla and the Sirens boss fight, which includes the pop-rock hit song “I Am Gonna Claw (Out Your Eyes then Drown You To Death).” Even while I battle for my life against a group of sea monster divas who don’t give a damn about my life or my style choices, I can’t help but hum it whenever it comes on. (The fact that the music changes when you beat the drummer, guitarist, and singer separately—in any order—is a great touch to this fight.) Hades 2 is as capable of being witty as it is of being somber and introspective.
Since the Switch 2 upgrade pack wasn’t available until launch day, the version I was playing was nearly identical to the Switch 1 version. I played roughly 10 of the 50 hours I’ve logged on Switch 2 so far. Additionally, I discovered that there were a few tiny reading issues in portable mode, even though it plays just as well docked on a large TV as it does on a PC. Hades 2’s zoomed-out perspective makes it difficult to identify which way a smaller monster is facing, especially in several boss encounters where it’s crucial. Additionally, my vision is greater than 20/20. For more difficult combat, I would frequently pause and go to docked mode, while it’s hardly a deal-breaker.
Verdict
How can you possibly describe something as exquisite, unique, unforgettable, and excellent as Hades 2? No one else does what Supergiant does as well as it does, and this outstanding action roguelite is among the team’s best work on almost every level—a very high standard to meet. It’s the kind of game that makes me remember why I’m such a huge video game fan. The characters are compelling, the art is stunning, the music is amazing, and the fighting is quick, entertaining, tactical, and incredibly varied. May the moonlight lead us. Every one of us.
