July 10, 2024
Ask any roguelite enthusiast what the biggest game in the genre was in recent years, and more than likely, they will say Hades. Hades captivated audiences worldwide with its engaging playstyle and mesmerizing art. In 2020 it won Best Action and Best Indie at The Game Awards and still gets played and speedrun heavily to this day. So imagine people’s surprise when a sequel was announced at The Game Awards back in 2022. People have been patiently waiting to dive back into the world of Hades, and that time has finally come. The Hades 2 Early Access dropped in May of 2024 on PC, and people are already giving it amazing reviews. The main game may not drop until 2025, but here’s a look at what the second installment in this franchise has to offer so far.
Mel
Melinoe, or simply Mel, is the main protagonist of Hades 2. For those familiar with Greek mythology, you’ll know that Mel is the daughter of Hades, brother to Zagreus, the main character of the first installment of Hades. For those wanting to hop into Hades 2 expecting a similar playstyle, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Mel, at times, feels familiar, but her playstyle is dramatically different from Zag’s. The original Hades leaned heavily on Zag’s dash that could be upgraded into a multiple dash to evade enemies and cover gaps. Mel, however, has an infinite sprint instead of a dash. While she does have a dash ability, there aren’t many upgrades to it, as those go toward her sprint instead.
Mel is a witch, and she has a pretty good magic system to back up her combat abilities that differ from the more physical approach in the original Hades. She can attack, use a special, or cast and use an Omega variation of those abilities which uses mana. For example, the magic staff that you start with has a regular attach that does a standard three-hit combo, but if you hold down the attack button to charge up an Omega attack, when you release it you’ll shoot out a powerful magic blast that spreads out both in front of and behind you. This is a great way to capitalize on Mel’s abilities and separate her from Zag’s playstyle. It improves the moment-to-moment action and makes the combat and build crafting all the more enticing.
Weapons
Hades 2 offers its own set of unique weapons that make each run more exciting than the last. Unlike a lot of roguelites, where sometimes you can tell you’re about to have a doomed run, Hades 2 rich weapons and boons make every run feel like it has the potential to go further than the last.
Mel starts off with the Witch’s Staff, Descura. This can be used for melee Attacks with considerable reach, long-range specials, and Omega Attacks. As the game progresses, you can unlock further weapons, including Sister Blades, Lim, and Oros. The Sister Blades is a dagger and sickle used for short-range sweeps and stabs. The Omega Special allows up to five daggers to be unleashed in a fan pattern to hit multiple enemies.
Other weapons include the Moonstone Axe, Zorephet, Umbral Flames, Ygnium, and Argent Skull, Revaal. Each weapon has its own unique abilities and offers different advantages and disadvantages as you make your way through the pits of Hades. Each weapon feels fun and unique to the character and, with added boons, can cause different curses and effects to your enemies to give you the upper hand.
Crossroads
Much like in the first game, after each death, you are sent back to a safe area where you can interact with different NPCs and cross off long-term milestone goals that offer a variety of rewards. There is a colorful cast of characters in this hidden sanctuary, including Odysseus, a legendary Greek figure.
Arcana Cards
The Arcana Card system can help progress Mel’s strength through the use of a grid system. Each card requires a certain amount of resources to unlock, and once unlocked it will reveal the bonuses of the two adjacent cards on the grid. How many cards you can hold at a given time depends on how much Grasp you have, and the more powerful bonuses are going to cost you a higher amount of Grasp. It is a very balanced system which makes the run even more strategic as you’ll want to take into consideration if you should grab more resources to unlock Arcana cards or go for more Psyche to increase your maximum Grasp.
In addition to these resources, you can also find different types of flowers, metals, and monster parts that can be used to concoct incantations to unlock further gameplay elements and mechanics similar to the House Contractor in the first game. There is so much to find in Hades 2 and different things you can prioritize, which makes each run feel unique no matter how much time you put into it.
Hades 2 already has a lot going for it, and we haven’t even gotten the finished product yet. The art style is just as amazing as the first, and the soundtrack is stellar. The game already feels so big, but there is still more to come. There are placeholder portraits of characters like Charon and Narcissus, missing boon icons, and a true ending that has yet to be revealed. There is another region we have not even been able to explore yet and another weapon we haven’t gotten our hands on. For those wondering what happened to Zag, there’s no mention of him as of yet, but who knows what will change in the full release.
I, for one, can not wait for the full release! If you’ve been skeptical about picking up Hades 2, it is definitely worth diving into to explore this world further. We may still have a wait on our hands until the final version is released, but the early access will still give you hours upon hours of fun playthrough.