I’ve been dragging my feet on this one. I admit it. Typically, I play games for review like some sort of video game-consuming locust. I experience as much as I can in a short period of time and then I move on to the next. In this instance, I’ve held back from writing something up, I think because I’ve not wanted to move on. (There’s also the small fact that EVERYONE else has reviewed it by now, so I didn’t feel the need to rush.)
I had the benefit of literally hundreds of hours with the original Hades before I committed to writing about it. That adds a bit of pressure to my analysis of its sequel – Supergiant’s first ever direct follow-up – as I’ve got far fewer hours under my belt. I’ve still played enough to have a fully formed opinion, however: when you’re casting judgement on the sequel to probably your favourite game since Halo: Reach, you want to make sure that the words you write do justice to the game you just played. I think I may already be off to a bad start. I’ll try again…
Hades II shadow-dropped on PC this month (on May 7) after a lengthy build up wherein our collective excitement had grown to potentially unhealthy proportions. Early Access releases are supposed to be a bit rough around the edges, as the developers use the feedback they get to shape the direction of the game in a live environment. I would imagine that Supergiant Games felt enormous pressure to ship a game that’s as polished as most full releases, because all eyes are on this one.
Including mine, I should note. Hades II has been right at the top of my wishlist since I finally put down the controller and gave up on trying for different challenges via the Pact of Punishment – the first game’s extensive end-game, where players are invited to build bold loadouts and experiment with weapons and abilities. I’ve not got to this stage with Hades II yet and I’m still clawing my way through the campaign, but games aren’t about the destination, they’re about the journey, and I’m having a bloody excellent time exploring the world of Greek mythology with Melinoë, the young witch who is out to save her family from the Titan of Time, Chronos.
What makes Hades 2 so bloody good?!
Hades II has a bit of everything, and everything it does it does with class and quality. In terms of indie game design, it hits all the right notes. This is a fast and furious action-RPG with tight controls, colourful combat, interesting characters, and a broad range of abilities to empower the player and define new and exciting play styles at every turn.
In terms of its roguish design, it’s actually not that special – one might even argue that its mechanics can sometimes be a slave to the storytelling – forcing a gameplay loop on players that may feel a little convoluted in places. However, that is probably the only flaw I’ve encountered during my time with the game, and it doesn’t really bother me because everything else is charming and challenging in equal measure – I’ve enjoyed taking my time with it.
The first game covered any bloat via a brilliant narrative wrapper for the roguelite component, and Hades II does a good job of continuing that, but without feeling like more of the same. Gone is Zagreus and his family, who have been kidnapped, and instead we’re with Zag’s sister, Melinoë, who is living with, and under the tutelage of, Hecate, the witch of the Crossroads. Alongside this powerful titan and her surrogate daughter lives an assortment of fun characters drawn from Greek mythology – you’ve probably heard of some of them, though I’ll not spoil anything here.
Each run is a new night where Mel, pushed on by those at home, attempts to reach Chronos and free her family. Mel does this with a bit of help from her friends. On top of that, an assortment of Olympians are also on hand to imbue her with magic powers and interesting boons. Again, it feels like a continuation of the first game, even with some of the same characters returning, but the new powers and abilities feel different enough from the original. There is a lot to learn and discover, still.
Going up against the Titan of Time
Your new enemy is Chronos, who is waging a war against the Olympians, who in turn are more than happy to help you on your way with new abilities. There are so many nuanced synergies to discover in your godly toolkit. It’s not just a rehash of the old abilities system either, as you’ve got an omega attack that activates when you hold Attack, Special, or Cast. These powerful upgrades enhance Mel’s standard abilities but they also use up a new resource: magic.
Magic is a whole new part of the game and it’s the thing that took me the longest to adapt to, but a bit of patience and some trial and error led me to finding fun gameplay strategies and even special new Hex attacks that charge in the background while you cast more basic spells. Eventually your hexes come online and you can do different things like blitz enemies with energy beams or throw down damaging area-of-effect attacks with the power to cut down even the hardiest enemies.
Speaking of hardy enemies, there is naturally a range of bosses and mini-bosses to overcome. I’m keeping things purposefully vague because encountering new bosses and learning how to best them is a big part of the game’s appeal, in my opinion. All I’ll write here is that Supergiant has done a good job, with challenging battles that will push you to the limit while you learn their shifting patterns. Like the first game, you must grow in strength as you discover your enemies’ weaknesses, until eventually deadly foes are simple enough to brush aside as your confidence grows.
You get some direct help along the way from characters found out in world beyond the Crossroads. In fact, there are plenty of surprises in store for you as you explore, thanks to the brilliant narrative experience that has been built around the core game. As the story unfolded I became increasingly connected to the characters I was working with.
Where the original Hades was about a father-son relationship, this sequel has a more maternal side. Mel is a strong and powerful young goddess but not everyone likes her grim determination – those who have been misunderstood or dismissed unfairly in life might find something very relatable here. Once again Hades II is about family and difficult relationships, almost as much as it is about kicking otherworldly backsides and making interesting builds.
To Early Access or not to Early Access, that is the question
I personally prefer to play games once they’ve gone through the Early Access process, but this is one game where I’m prepared to waive that stance. Some of that is down to trust; I was among the first press to preview the original Hades back when it was in Early Access exclusively on Epic Games Store, and I saw firsthand what a bang-up job the developers did with the first game and how it evolved into something truly special.
Having said that, there is a whole new biome still to be added, along with the final boss encounters and I’d wager a fair few secrets, too. I think it would be entirely reasonable to stay patient with this one and wait for Supergiant to cross the T’s and dot the lowercase j’s – they did a brilliant job last time and I expect similar levels of awesome for this sequel.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take the plunge now if you’re eager to get started, because there’s a lot of game here already and it’s really polished, too. There is enough freshness to keep you on the hook, with new resources to harvest (literally and figuratively), a witch’s cauldron for crafting spells and potions, and a revised progression system based on unlocking powerful cards and finding nuanced synergies to support your weapons of choice.
Hades II might be in Early Access but it’s already a very good video game. There are a lot of new systems to interact with and there’s greater depth to be found in key parts of the experience, while the essence of the Zag’s adventure remains fully intact. This is a lovingly crafted elaboration of the original formula and it’s shaping up to be the sequel that the first game deserves, and for that, Olympus, I accept this message.
Hades II is currently in Early Access on PC Steam and the Epic Games Store. I’ve been playing the game via a code provided by Supergiant Games (thanks for that).
