Supergiant Games is one of those rare studios, whose resume of stellar games has essentially ensured I will always be interested in their next project. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades were all excellent in their own ways. But going into Hades 2, I was curious just how this studio would tackle a sequel, a first for the team.
Turns out, I didn’t really need to worry. I’ve hit the “end screen” of the Hades 2 Technical Test, and all I want to do is play more Hades 2.
Death to Chronos
The slice, available as the Hades 2 Technical Test, is essentially the opening of the game. And much like Supergiant’s other games, it starts a bit in media res. You are Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. Your mission is simple: Death to Chronos. The Titan of Time has, in some way, up-ended your happy home life. So rather than escaping up and out of hell, you’re diving down towards it with vengeance in mind.
There are a few returning faces here. Some of the gods, like Demeter, Poseidon, and Aphrodite are back, decked out in new designs. There’s more newcomers joining the lineup of recurring gods and deities, too. Headmistress Hecate plays the “Hades” role, running the base of operations back home. Odysseus and Nemesis hang out around the Crossroads, a spritely shade named Dora hangs out in Melinoë’s room, and more gods to offer their boons. Apollo and Hestia are nice surprises, and Hephasteus is already a fan-favorite for his incredible design.
And the designs really are something else. Supergiant’s always had excellent character designs, but Hades 2 sees them showing off with both newcomers and revisions of old characters. Put plainly, everyone is hot. The diversity of styles and types here is more than welcome, and really, the nigh-feral reaction from fans as they share the god designs online is more than merited. Even small touches, like Melinoë donning new attire when she gets a special dress from Arachne, give Hades 2 a familiar-but-fresh visual upgrade.
Hades 2 doesn’t just shift in terms of verticality, though. Melinoë doesn’t have the same weapons as Zagreus, and doesn’t employ the same tactics either. One major area where the former differentiates themselves from the latter, maybe the biggest difference between Hades and Hades 2, is in its magic. Or rather, witchcraft.
Witches’ brew
In the first Hades, Zagreus had a simple but effective set of tools: Dash, Attack, Special, Cast. For Hades 2, Melinoë has the same button layout, but expanded thanks to her magical abilities as a witch. Basically, the three offensive buttons — Attack, Special, Cast — can be held to charge up an empowered “Omega” version, which adds effect in exchange for some of Melinoë’s magic bar.
The magic bar and how it expands Melinoë’s actions, compared to Zag’s, is probably my favorite part of Hades 2 so far. Just with the starting weapon, a staff, Melinoë can charge up the Attack to send out a column of magic power, striking enemies ahead of and behind her. Or the magic circle Cast can be used to bind and damage foes, if you can charge and position it properly.
There’s a constant risk-and-reward of how much magic you can expend and when it’s safe or dangerous to do so. Launching these “Omega” versions take time to charge up and launch, so it can leave you vulnerable to enemies while you’re prepping them.
Melinoë’s magic means that the Boons from the Olympians can have interesting new effects, too. I was curious how, with gods like Demeter and Poseidon returning, Supergiant would make them feel different from their original versions. But adding the ability to still use tools like Aphrodite’s Weaken, within the toolset of these new attacks, works super well. Build-crafting on the fly feels really fun, and I didn’t really disparage seeing the returning faces among new Boon options.
A deep dive
It should go without saying, but I do need to write it at least once: Darren Korb is killing it again on the Hades 2 soundtrack. There are a lot of familiar and noticeable motifs here, but with a witchy twist. It’s hard to describe, but the music has a dark twist, like you’re playing Hades during a full moon and see a black cat cross your path. I really dig it.
It only took me a few runs to blast through the opening level and make it to the first boss, which marks the “end” of the Technical Test. I can still hop back in and play right now, but I’m not allowed to advance further than that first stratum. Curiously, there seems to be other options for advancing in Hades 2; a conspicuous option to “Go Up?” lies across the aisle from the “Go Out” option that starts the run. It makes me wonder if Hades 2 has quite a bit more in store for us than we currently realize.
Either way, the Technical Test has mostly assured me that Hades 2 is looking extremely good. This alternate take on the pantheon, leaning into the witches-and-magic side of Greek mythology, works extremely well. Melinoë is already compelling, as is her headmistress Hecate and the gathering of characters assembled at the Crossroads. It really speaks for itself that even now, I’m eager to dive back into another run, to test out a new weapon or find some new Boons, even if I’ve only got access to a slice of the eventual whole.
The first Hades felt like an impressive new spin on the roguelite formula, while also combining the strengths of every Supergiant game before it for one big slam-dunk. Hades 2 sees Supergiant returning to the well, and still finding ways to make an even more impressive version of this kind of game. I can’t wait to see more of what’s in store for Melinoë.
