We’re currently living in an indie game golden age. Small independent teams are dropping banger after banger practically every month. ‘Silksong‘, ‘Megabonk‘, ‘Bye Sweet Carole’, ‘Deltarune‘, ‘Blue Prince‘, ‘Peak‘, ‘R.E.P.O.‘, the list goes on.
Now here comes Supergiant to deliver yet another masterpiece. ‘Hades II‘ is finally out of early access. And it is more than a worthy follow-up to the first game.
The House of Hades is fallen. Olympus is under siege. Chronos, the Titan of Time, has been reborn, and with him stands Typhon, Father of All Monsters. It’s up to Melinoë, Daughter of Hades, and her allies of the Crossroads to win the war for the gods. If only she can find a way to stop Time itself.
In terms of scope and stakes, ‘Hades II‘ is much more grand than the first. More friends to make, more enemies to slay, and two separate divine realms to save. Yet it still stays true to the themes that made the first game’s story so gripping. Beneath the war of the gods is a heartfelt tale of a dysfunctional family healing old wounds.
Supergiant’s attention to detail is as insane as ever. There is an absurd amount of dialogue in this game. Melinoë has a ton to say to every single character, and most of them have plenty to say to each other. Even after eighty hours of play, I’m nowhere near hearing all of it.
Which is good, because the writing is as strong as ever. Every member of the cast is brimming with depth and personality. The voice cast is absolutely phenomenal, elevating the material to even greater heights. Talking to NPCs is just as fun as slaying monsters. Sometimes even more so.
It should go without saying that the game looks amazing. When it comes to cell-shaded 3D models, Supergiant is damn near unbeatable. The art and animation is on a whole other level. Every environment is beautifully drawn, with a ton of extra detail that brings every area to life. It all runs at a buttery smooth 60 FPS without a single hitch.
Strongest of all is the music. These composers do not miss! Every single track is a banger! One of the bosses is a band of Sirens who sing their own battle themes. Yes, themes. Plural. Including a Melinoë diss track! And it’s a legitimate banger!
This must be how Drake felt. Just without… you know, having fun.
Like any good sequel, ‘Hades II‘ takes an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” approach to its design. The gameplay loop is fundamentally the same as the first game. Choose a weapon, slay enemies, earn Boons to get stronger, kill the four main bosses, repeat. Only now you have two different paths to take, each with their own challenges and rewards.
One of my big worries during early access was build variety. Around the start, most Boons felt very samey. Most of them did the same thing, just in a different color. Over the course of several updates, this concern gradually waned. Now, in the full release, I’m pleased to say it no longer exists.
The sheer number of different builds you can craft in a given run is staggering. Each Olympian fills a completely different function than the others. Hephaestus does explosive damage in short bursts. Apollo increases the size of your attacks while blinding your foes. Demeter freezes enemies while Hestia roasts them. Best of all: every god has a combination Boon with every other god. No matter who you end up with, you can create something crazy.
Adding even more variety are the Nocturnal Arms. Melinoë can unlock six base weapons, from a magic staff to dual daggers to a god damn jet-pack with rocket fists. Each of these have their own Aspects, variants that change how the weapon is played.
My strongest – and probably most fun – build came when I unlocked the Staff of Anubis. Unlike the regular staves, this one is all about creating damaging bubbles and dragging enemies into them. Everything that dies in the bubble becomes a Shade, which you can then use to attack other enemies. Combined with Apollo, who makes the attack bubbles grow larger, and Demeter, who freezes enemies in place, this thing devoured the Underworld.
Being a Witch, Melinoë also has access to several animal Familiars. These little critters help you find resources for upgrading your base camp and weapons, as well as provide unique bonuses for combat. Later on, you can even customize them with alternate skins and cosmetics.
And before you ask, yes: you can pet them all.
Need a break from the standard runs? Try your hand at one of the Chaos Trials. These unique mini-runs challenge you to complete one area of the game with a preset build. Some of these are really easy. Others make me wonder if the devs need therapy. All of them reward you with a unique upgrade material needed for certain quests. Not the most thrilling prize, but the Trials are so short and so fun that I don’t really care. They’re a great change of pace.
Finally, there’s the Oath of the Unseen. Like the Infernal Contracts of ‘Hades‘, the Oath allows you to toggle various extra challenges for your run. Stronger enemies, less money and healing, and of course: super-powered bosses. Completing these will grant you Nightmares, which you’ll need to level up your weapons.
All of this comes together to make one of the most satisfying rogue-like games I have ever played. Even after one hundred runs, it hasn’t gotten stale one bit! I’m still unlocking new weapons, learning more about each character, and crafting new builds! I haven’t been so addicted to a game since the original ‘Hades‘!
‘Hades II‘ is what I consider a perfect sequel. It takes everything that made the first game great and builds it even higher. For $30, you are getting more than enough bang for your buck. This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go kill Time again.
*Due 10/16/25*
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