Hades 2 Technical Test Receives First Gameplay – Omega Attacks, Arcana Cards, and More Revealed

The barrage of TV — and great TV — continues apace in 2024, with plenty of intriguing new and returning shows launching their seasons this week.

AI roundup: The first week of May has been a series of AI breakthroughs. Now that the week has ended, let's take a look at the top AI happenings such as Nvidia announcing the integration of Google's Gemma model for its AI chatbot, ChatRTX. In other news, a new report revealed that Apple has a secret AI lab in Europe. Know more about such AI news from this week.

Bandai Namco promised a balance patch for Tekken 8 this Spring, and based on the recent notes, it’s a doozy. Going live on May 7th at 7 PM PDT, Ver.1.04.00 contains adjustments to several fighters. Right off the bat, characters like Asuka, Bryan, Jack-8, Panda, Zafina, and Kuma have received some buffs, improving the usability of the game’s new Heat mechanics or further carving a niche for them.

Hades 2 developer Supergiant Games has signaled the end of the game’s technical test and early access launch soon afterwards.

Bandai Namco has revealed its roadmap for Tekken 8 throughout the rest of 2024, including the game’s second DLC character, new story, and plenty more.

Supergiant Games’ technical test for Hades 2 will be coming to an end on April 29th. As promised, it went on for longer than a week and less than a month, but appears to have been successful. The team has identified and addressed “a number of key issues we weren’t able to find before.” After it ends, early access will launch “relatively soon” after.

Marvel Rivals is the highly anticipated 6v6 hero shooter developed by NetEase games, and a recent dev diary has revealed the many characters, maps, and features Closed Alpha participants can look forward to. The Closed Alpha for Marvel Rivals is fast approaching, and the list of iconic Marvel faces players will be able to choose from is exciting.

Despite being a very good game, Granblue Fantasy: Relink got a bit lost in what was a chaotic release schedule earlier this year — but developer Cygames will be hoping that the action RPG's first big update will get people's attention. Launching on the 26th April (that's tomorrow at the time of writing), patch 1.2.0 adds a bunch of new stuff to the game.

In recent years, it’s become common for AAA games to hold back their New Game+ modes, often rolling them out as part of a “big update” weeks or months after launch. Well, apparently, that won’t be the case with the upcoming PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade, which will have New Game+ available from launch, and it sounds pretty meaty. In addition to tackling the game at a higher difficulty, players can look forward to learning new skills and earning a bunch of NG+ exclusive outfits for Eve (a hefty 34 all!) We have more details about NG+ below, but first, check out Stellar Blade’s stylish launch trailer.

Atlus has shared extensive new details on Metaphor: ReFantazio with a deep dive showcase dedicated to the upcoming fantasy RPG. Along with announcing an October launch date for the title, the developer has also offered new information on what to expect from the game’s overarching structure, the locations you’ll be visiting across its fantasy setting, and more.

It won't be long before players can get their hands on Hades II, the sequel to 2020's critically-acclaimed roguelite by Supergiant Games. In a new post on X/Twitter, Supergiant Games announced an upcoming Hades II Technical Test along with instructions on how to join.

Hades 2, the hugely anticipated follow-up to developer Supergiant Games' acclaimed 2020 roguelike dungeon crawler, is almost upon us — albeit initially as an early access release — and ahead of its arrival Supergiant is hosting a technical test, with sign-ups officially now open.