Hades 2 early access players can poke around to "find clues" about the roguelike sequel's coming updates.
06.05.2024 - 18:01 / ign.com
It is shocking to see that Hades 2 is only in early access, and that Supergiant Games plans to let it spend at least the rest of 2024 there before it’s ready to call it version 1.0. Shocking, because it already has just about everything I want from a sequel to one of the best roguelite action games of all time. Hades 2 manages to keep everything that made the original such a masterclass of design, but it does so in a way that changes up how each of the pieces fits together and gives it its own unique identity rather than feeling like a glorified expansion. The result is a familiar, but fresh follow up that challenged, surprised, and delighted me with every triumph and failure in equal measure. There are a few things missing, with an actual ending to its story being the most substantial among them, but once it’s complete it’s hard to imagine Hades 2 not living up to the mythological legacy of the first.
I’m not going to spend too long explaining why what’s carried over from the original Hades works so well. IGN gave it our Game of the Year Award in 2020 for a reason, and if you haven’t played the Greek gods’ gift to gamers yet and think you might enjoy some of the smoothest, most stylish isometric action ever made, tied up with a story that just keeps getting deeper with each run, you absolutely should before jumping into round two. I’ll wait.
Alright, now that you’re up to speed you can appreciate that what Hades 2 does exceptionally well is swap out all of the old weapons, boons, boosts, and other pieces from the previous game with brand new ones that do a lot of the same things, but in fresh and exciting ways. To begin with, this time around you play as Melinoe, Zagreus’s sister and the daughter of Hades, who very much shares her brother’s smooth vocal tones and cool demeanor. She’s a bit more proper and less playful than Zag, with a personality befitting of the Princess of the Underworld, but she’s no less likable and equally well written.
She controls largely the same as Zag, but with a couple of key changes that lead to some dramatically different playstyles. For instance, there’s a sprint that can be used endlessly to escape danger, or – if you have the proper boons enhancing it – to charge head-first into it. The increased sustained speed comes at a price, though: She’s far less dash-happy than Zag. She still has a dash that allows her to slip through enemy attacks or cross gaps, but in my 40 or so hours of play so far, I’ve yet to see an upgrade that allows her to increase the number of dashes she has. This is a big change because Hades is a game where I dash a lot. Heck, I dash more than I run for the most part. But Supergiant has done a great job of designing its enemies and bosses around
Hades 2 early access players can poke around to "find clues" about the roguelike sequel's coming updates.
As many an indie-game developer has already attested – Hades II’s stealth launch into Early Access caught a lot of people off-guard. But then why not start as you mean to go on? After all, surprise is one of the most important ingredients of a Roguelike. And when you’re making a sequel, springing such shocks becomes that bit harder.
The rogue-like action of ends when you beat a run, but only one path you unlock is considered the ending of the game. As Zagreus ends up back at the House of Hades again and again, you learn how to better reach the surface toward a hidden truth. Only by reaching the surface many times will you reach a satisfying conclusion to the story of the Underworld's Prince.
Greek god pulverizing simulator Hades 2 is getting its first patch "later this month", say the developers. Two things are on their to-tweak list. First, something might change about the way resource gathering tools are used (the pickaxe you use to mine silver during a run, for example). Second, and perhaps more significant, is an upcoming change to the way Melinoë's dash and sprint work. We don't know exactly what that change is but, according to Supergiant, it has something to do with your witchy batterer's "distinct style".
Upcoming 2D roguelite The Rogue Prince of Persia has been delayed from its May 14, 2024 release date to avoid competition with Hades 2, which was released into Steam Early Access on May 6.
While tens of thousands of gamers are enjoying Hades 2’s recent early access release, thousands more are looking back to indie developer Supergiant Games’ previous titles. While Hades 2 has quickly become the indie developer’s most-played game of all time, the first installment of the Hades franchise has also just broken its all-time peak concurrent player record, four years after launch.
Hades 2's final boss battle has an unexpected easter egg that stops you from pausing the game, with an incantation even becoming available later that stops a certain big bad from messing with you.
Hades 2 Early Access has reached over 100,000 concurrent players 24 hours after launch, beating Hades' all-time peak player count on Steam.
With the launch of in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, Supergiant Games, the game's developers, have provided a general roadmap for updates leading up to the official, full release. A roguelike based on Greek myth, is the first direct sequel to be developed by Supergiant, a studio known for its strong lineup of standalone games like,, and. As a direct sequel, however, represents an opportunity for the studio to more directly build on the mechanics and narrative of the first game.
Following the early access release of Hades 2, fans have mixed feelings about Chaos' redesign. Developer Supergiant Games surprised fans after shadow-dropping Hades 2, even surpassing a major player milestone in less than 24 hours. Now, more players are experiencing Melinoe's adventure and meeting new characters, albeit still unfinished.
After winding up its technical test for Hades 2 last week, Supergiant Games has confirmed that early access is now live for PC via Steam and the. It even released a snazzy new trailer to showcase all the content players can expect. Check it out below.
Hades II is now available in Early Access for PC players. After performing a technical test from April 16 to 29, Supergiant Games said Early Access for the “bewitching sequel” would follow “relatively soon after.” The developer lived up to its word, as a week after wrapping the preliminary test, PC players can now buy and play the highly anticipated roguelike title for $30.