Release Date: 06/05/2024 (Early Access)
Developed by: Supergiant Games
Published by: Supergiant Games
Available on: PC
Hades was always going to be a tough act to follow. Brilliant storytelling that was delivered organically, working the addictive rogue-like gameplay into its overall narrative. Rich characters that each had evolving motives, passions and unique personalities. Very rarely does the supporting cast feel as deeply developed as the protagonist in games. Supergiant bucked this trend by having the real journey be the friends we threw bottles of nectar at along the way. Serve that up with some charming dialogue, fluid visuals and some of the most euphonious sounds to ever be emitted from a videogame and you were left with a title that earned itself a throne among the other Gods in Olympus.
Safe to say I was a fan of the original, if the opening to this piece didn’t show my hand enough. When we were treated to the reveal trailer during the Keighley’s, that announced Supergiant’s first direct sequel. I was excited. When it transpired to be a return to the Greek Mythological Underworld of Hades. Well, let’s just say I was so exhilarated, you could have used my nipples as emergency glass hammers. Sadly when the first wave of Early Access keys were released, I wasn’t one of the lucky chosen few. Unlike our own Pure Dead Couchy, who loaded it up just to annoy bloated fanboys like myself and closed it down again. Terrible human. Selfish lover. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait much longer until Early Access became available to the masses and after completing the very first run. Death to Chronos!! It felt like a great time to share some thoughts on this early build. Rest assured there will be nothing to spoil your experience if you haven’t got the chance to play yet or like Couchy; your thumbs are too cumbersome to get past the first boss.
We are introduced to our new protagonist Melinoë, who is the little sister of Hades’ previous protagonist Zagreus. The similarities are striking, fiery footsteps, heterochromia and a penchant for battering underlings that get in their way. Melinoë controls in a very similar manner to Zagreus to begin with, their differences become more apparent the further you progress into the story. Your attack, special attack and dash are present and correct. Fans of the original should have a handle on the fundamentals of battle starting off. There are some key differences that I’ll detail a little further into the preview. We quickly discover that an unspecified amount of time has passed since the events of the first game and Melinoë finds herself torn from her family and under the protection of Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft and Necromancy. Hidden away in a secure retreat called “The Crossroads.” It is here Melinoë is raised with a singular goal and purpose. To kill the Titan of Time and rescue her family. Pretty good reason to dedicate a lifetime to training and learning the mystical arts.
The Crossroads act in the same manner as the House of Hades, this is the hub you return to after each expedition into the underworld. To be exact, Melinoë’s Tent is your respawning point. An area you share with your new amphibious best pal Frinos and listless shade Dora who welcomes you back with a delicious serving of sarcasm. There is a portrait of your family here which you can reflect over as the only memento Melinoë has of her lost family. A bittersweet memento for both Melinoë and fans of the franchise. Other characters in the camp include Odysseus, Nemesis and a slumbering Hypnos. There is also a cauldron which is the key to unlocking many new features and mechanics to improve your chances on future run attempts. You are treated to new dialogue after every attempt to venture back to the Hall of Hades. Sometimes relating to what you encountered on your travels or some tips for what to try in future. Possibly a little bit of lore on the enemy that may have defeated Melinoë. It doesn’t take long for the characters at camp to establish themselves. The various interactions with The Crossroads’ inhabitants can be a soothing salve to counteract the disappointment of your abysmal display of digital prowess on the previous run. The writing and voice acting combine wonderfully once again; which should almost be expected now given the Studio’s pedigree.
I’ll talk about two of the weapons that can be unlocked here. Trying to leave details as vague as possible for those allergic to anything that may contain traces of spoilers. You may have lost access to the Infernal arms from the House of Hades, but you’re not without a collection of murder applicators of your own. Starting off with the Witch’s Staff which provides you with plenty of ranged attacks against your enemies. Melinoë feels a little fragile straight off the bat. Until you unlock a few upgrades to increase your health, you will want to stay as far away from beasties as possible. The Witch’s Staff is perfect for that. Your cast no longer propels bloodstones but rather creates a circle of magic where you stand. This can ensnare enemies and offers a method of crowd control to prevent Melinoë from being overwhelmed. This along with your Staff’s orbiting special attack can help clear rooms without taking a scratch. Perfect starting weapon. The Cast is the first thing you’ll notice has changed from playing as Zagreus. I did miss the Bloodstones during early battles, but the casts prove to be a viable replacement once it’s used correctly.
Charged attacks also introduce us to one of the biggest changes during combat; The Magick Gauge. This little blue bar limits the amount of special or charged attacks you can use, adding a layer of hesitance to proceedings. Rather than constantly using everything in your arsenal, you do need to limit yourself in some aspects. Each weapon has a different attack and special attack that can be charged. Your casts can also be topped up with Magick for some great effects too. Thankfully the Magick Gauge fully recharges between rooms, meaning you don’t have to be overly frugal during your run. There are various methods to resupply yourself during battle too. One such method is a gift from the Gods or Boons. Zeus, Poseidon and Aphrodite return from the previous title with some new tricks up their sleeve as well as some unfamiliar faces. We met Apollo in the reveal trailer and the God of Light is one of a few new faces to aid us in our adventure. Boons come in a wide range of defensive and offensive variants. Mixing and matching these random upgrades has been a delight. Testing new effects and their various combinations is a fine example of why the genre is so addictive. Especially in these early days with other players sharing their builds of choice or trading various tips along the way. Fine tuning your preferred setup comes down to both personal preference and luck of the draw. Again it feels like there is no “Right” way to play Hades II. Just the way that suits your particular combat style.
Which leads me to the second weapon of the Nocturnal Arms. Which is the selection that saw me through my first successful run. The Sister Blades, Lim and Oros which were the sickle and blade weapons we saw Melinoë wield in the original announcement trailer. These behave in a similar manner to Zagreus’ Twin Fists, which were my Infernal Arms of choice when escaping the underworld. The Sister Blades are quick, powerful but require you to get up close and personal. The charged Omega attack can position you behind a targeted enemy for some multiplied backstab damage. Pair that with a fanned special attack that throws multiple blades over an area to keep collections of goons at bay. These are high risk, high reward weapons as the damage output can be astronomical if you get lucky enough with Boons. However their close range can become a detriment in later runs and if you don’t have a strong ranged attack or cast, you’ll find yourself returning to the Crossroads more often than not. Unlocking all available weapons will then give you the opportunity to enhance them further with the Aspect system. The game is dense with unlockables, power-ups and enhancements. Take your time and fortify as much as possible.
“Unlock all the Unlockables, that sounds easy!” I make everything sound easy. To improve your odds you will have to collect a lot of resources. There are incantations to track down, seeds to plant, spells to conjure and new friends to make. Offering characters some sweet Nectar will usually result in a keepsake being gifted back to you in return. Odysseus’ keepsake for example are the Knuckle Bones; which lowers the amount of HP and reduces the amount of damage a Guardian (Named Boss) can do against Melinoë when equipped. Anyone who has the misfortune of being trapped into a one sided conversation with me about this game, knows how strongly I feel about the Knuckle Bones. Some components required to craft upgrades are hidden throughout rooms on your run. Melinoë may need to swap out the tool she carries along to her slaughtering trip to garner specific ingredients. The drawback of only being able to equip one of these tools does rear its head in later play. Melinoë will run past little ripples of water with a sharp pang of regret. She needed to stock up on silver and brought a pickaxe instead of her trusty rod. With so much to unlock and upgrade, it became a focus to attempt runs with a shopping list as your main goal rather than attempting to beat up the Titan of Time. The random chance of resources spawning paired with only being able to equip one tool to harvest them can be a bit frustrating. It’s only towards the later stages I’ve found myself exasperated at one resource in particular that’s simply refusing to show itself. Otherwise the pace of unlockables felt brisk and it always felt like progress was being made and Melinoë’s odds improved with each investment into The Crossroads.
Upon completion you are thanked for playing by a message from the developers and you suddenly remember this game is in early access. Which I almost forgot during my time battling down to the Underworld. There are a few obvious examples of its early state, character art or models being incomplete. Empty spaces where you know something is going to be installed in the future. The core game feels incredibly polished, balanced and most of all: satisfying. Fans of the first will find themselves right at home in The Crossroads. As Melinoë doesn’t have any knowledge of the happenings of the original game either, newcomers will learn as she does through character interactions. Darren Korb continues to mock every other composer in existence by introducing even more ear worms into existence. Although you’ll sense the connection to Hades through shared stings and reminiscent preludes. The sound design has enough character of its own to feel unique. Korb must be half fae or something. Korb continues to voice Skelly, who has received a promotion since we last saw him. However he still finds time to provide us with any combat practice we may require.
I can understand people waiting for a complete release or when the console ports appear. I can assure anyone on the fence that you aren’t going to be short changed by playing this. Nearly thirty hours on the clock at time of writing. Mostly thanks to its excellent performance on Steam Deck which has accompanied me on recent travels. Hades II retains the magic of “One More Run” and no effort feels wasted in your experiments to achieve Melinoë’s goal. Supergiant are pretty transparent with their messaging around updates and if the first title is anything to go by ,there will be plenty added during this stage of development. There are so many new ideas in this game that I have avoided mentioning directly. I had a blast discovering what this game had to offer and that is a big part of the overall charm. There are a few minor things I would like to see improved in future, but I imagine any nitpicks now may be resolved in time. The top of my list would be “Let me constantly carry my Rod”* and “Where is Dionysus?” which are some of the weakest nitpicks I have ever levelled at a game. Which is impressive given some of the nitpicks I have scraped off the side of barrels before.
With a foundation this solid, players should be very excited for what gets built on top of this meticulous experience. Well worth your time and support.
But for now we prepare for another run.
Death to Chronos!!
-DeadbeatpunK
*= After I finished writing this, Supergiant released a patch addressing this issue. Praise the Moon!