The long-awaited sequel to Supergiant Games’ Hades has finally been released on May 6th, or at least partially released.
Similarly to the previous title, the independent studio, which only has a little over twenty people on their team, chose to follow an early access format. Early access is a very unique process in which a game “releases.” Instead of having all the content out at once, the studio only launches a part of it and over a loosely established time (usually every few months), big updates, which add new mechanics, become available. Many small companies follow this format because it allows them to throw it out in the world all that they have currently made, receiving feedback (both directly and indirectly) from fans and then using that feedback to patch as necessary. Afterwards, when the time is right, a 1.0 version is released, marking the official launch of the product.
Being Supergiant’s first ever sequel, the first announcement for Hades II, back in the 2022 Game Awards, excited many worldwide fans. The first Hades was a very bold project by the indie studio which until then, had only made three games, which built their fame as a respectable company, but none of the titles received much attention. Still, Supergiant Games was doing better than anyone on the team could have expected back when the seven original members created it. So with their growing fame and a bigger crew, the studio decided to make a rogue-like game inspired by Greek mythology.
The first draft took the hero Theseus escaping the labyrinth as its main idea. However, it felt like too bland of a plot to the team, so instead they decided to dive deeper into the vast universe of Greek myths. Stumbling upon the legend of Zagreus, who many sources classify as being the son of the underworld’s king and queen, Hades and Perserphone, a concept took shape. By taking control of Zag, the player tries to escape the underworld governed by his father in order to find his mother on the surface. After every failed attempt, the player resets back at the House of Hades, growing a little stronger each time and then attempting a new escape. After the first successful run, the game is still not over, with all the NPCs fluid dialogue and new rewards, the true ending only happens after ten successful escapes and the epilogue comes even later. So a player can “beat the game” in their first half hour run, or they can see everything possible in over 100 hours.
Hades II, now in early access, follows a similar, but different structure to its predecessor. The main character is another minor Greek figure which is little explored, Melinoë. She is also Hades’ daughter, being known as the princess of the underworld. Unlike Zagreus, her fighting style is more magic focused, and the new realms cover both the underworld and upperworld, with the new home base being in the space between the two. The new plot follows Melinoë getting ready to fight the titan Chronos and search for her missing family.
Although the game is still in development, it already has more characters, enemies, areas and abilities than the full Hades. In addition, differently from the predecessor’s early access, it has already been released with the final boss available, if players manage to get there (which will probably take quite a few failed tries). The only things it is missing are some artwork elements, one area to be explored, a weapon and the true ending. In a few months, players can expect to have these elements addressed, with a developer’s note already being out saying the priority order for patches.
Reviewers are already praising the sequel, with IGN giving it a 9 out of 10, which is the same as the first game, putting it in the “amazing” range (the original Hades is the 5th best rated game on Steam and received seven Game Awards nominations, winning two of them). Early Access is out on Steam and the Epic Games Store for a price tag of $30. The 1.0 version should be out sometime in the first half of 2025 on both PC and consoles. If you are a fan of the original or just a fan of great games, be sure to check this one out and if you are looking for more information, just visit the Supergiant Games website or look at the bottom of the Steam page. If you do decide to dive deeper into the world made by this amazing small crew, in the name of Hades, be sure to give your hardest to defeat time itself.
