Hades II Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Hades II from developer Supergiant Games arrives to, well, super, giant expectations.

Sequel to Hades (2020), arguably the best roguelike dungeon crawler of all time, Hades II unflinchingly stares down the hype by staying true to itself. Rather than going with more of the same, it offers up a new main character, gameplay style and overarching depth, layering atop the drip-feed story and just-one-more-run experience that kickstarted a blossoming genre. Â

Hades II hit early access in 2024 and made it clear right away that those expectations were, frankly, easy enough to fulfill, if not surpass. At launch, it goes live on PC and is a timed-console exclusive on Nintendo Switch consoles.Â

After getting roughly a year of feedback to refine its fantastic systems and ideas, Hades II launches as a known commodity and bonafide Game of the Year contender.Â

Hades II is so impressive as an all-around experience that it’s a little easy to undersell just how much heavy lifting the visuals and overall presentation package do.Â

But there’s something to be said for the mythical romp that grips the eyes and won’t let go. While big-budget AAA titles go for utmost realism, Hades II is the opposite example, stressing just how far stylistic depth and care can create an unforgettable, atmospheric level of immersion in any genre.Â

Like the first game, Hades II is art in motion in the utmost sense. The vibrant, watercolored painted backdrops, expressive enemies, mythological influences and flashy combat effects combine to captivate across the game’s many procedurally generated locales.Â

It’s a fool’s errand to say if Hades II outdoes the original, visually. Those who know, know that Supergiant Games has been putting art in motion since Bastion in 2011. Ditto for stellar voice-acting, which once again sets the bar high for the industry and brings the whole experience together.Â

At its most basic, Hades II sits right in its comfort zone when it comes to gameplay loop. Pick a weapon and playstyle for one run and start working through a level, right? Some upgrades found in a run are temporary, but some progress and resource collection carries over to the rest of the game, spurring a power-gaining process that again feels fantastic, making even “failed” runs feel meaningful.Â

Where this sequel really changes things up, though, is the new main character’s heavier emphasis on crowd control and casting.Â

Players can go for a variety of different combat styles to go with the spells and movement abilities, be it up close and personal with melees or some form of ranged. A new “Magick Bar” joins the fray in a tried-and-true way to help along this shift.Â

Beyond normal casts, Omega attacks are amplified damage-dealers that add a bigger emphasis on strategy before battle via buildcrafting, never mind in-battle strategy. This is effectively “mana” and rechargeable through attacking and room progression, which encourages smart aggression.Â

Casts are dropped area-of-effect circles this time out, too, which can do some really fun things like debuff or trap enemies.Â

Another big change? Melinoë sprints without stopping, whereas the first game’s protagonist used dashes to zip in and out of danger, or zip to the danger while attacking. That small tweak alone sets Hades II apart in a major way on a sheer basic level.Â

Best of all? All the above sort of encourages players to get aggressive. Oftentimes it feels like the best course of action is to dive deep into the mix with enemies, drop a cast, then find a way back out to start doing damage from a little farther back, all while the cast helps, too. It’s a fun way to engage, never mind the fact different weapon and pre-run choices keep mixing it up.

Unlike the first game, players can go through two different paths to the endgame. In the original, players went across four different biomes on a set path. So right out of the gates, Hades II feels just flat out bigger.Â

Boss battles aren’t just unforgettable setpieces with shocking art, either. They ask the player to rethink encounters, learn patterns and develop strategies in a test of wills just to squeak out a victory, especially during early runs.Â

On difficulty: Hades II is shockingly impressive in the way deaths feel earned. Sometimes roguelike suffer from unfair deaths via cheese or enemy health pools. Sometimes runs feel ruined from the start because of poor buildcrafting or just sheer bad luck.Â

Not here. Experimentation with builds so far doesn’t have any one build sticking out as bad or holding a player back. This take will probably look worse over time as tier lists start to come out as gamers pick apart the full release, but especially early, experimentation feels great.

Melinoë, sister of Zagreus, the first game’s protagonist, takes center stage while big bad Chronos, Titan of Time steps in as the end goal.Â

Chronos, after all, has effectively taken over the people and places returning players are familiar with from the first game. It’s an effective baseline narrative to get players into the action, befitting of the art style and world design.Â

Incredible voice-acting and witty dialogue did as much heavy lifting in the first game as anything else. Good news: That all makes a triumphant return here.Â

So, too, does the layered story that smoothly evolves with each and every single run. Even when it’s just little dialogue tweaks while passing through for another go at a run, the game world and its characters are never not changing in at least little interesting ways.Â

Melinoë, like her brother, is a complicated, captivating character, all with capital Cs. Her little comments, unsteady confidence and development over the course of the tale are a refreshing shakeup for the world.Â

When not on a run, the Crossroads is just the same as House of Hades in the first game in terms of functionality. There are conversations to be had, bonds to improve with NPCs, checklists to mark off for earnings and all of the usual suspects on a replayable roguelike list.Â

By now, it shouldn’t be a shock to hear that Hades II handles skill trees in a way that fits seamlessly with the gameplay loop. Players unlock cards and can choose to either gather up materials for upgrades or use materials on more outright equippable cards.Â

“God Mode” returns, letting players gain more power after each run, too. While different than some of the systems from the first game, it will feel like home for returning players in no time and is plenty easy to digest for those even new to the genre.Â

Hades II also just goes for straight-up more in terms of resources. There are more things to find out in the world, more ways to dish them out via trade or otherwise for upgrades and just, well, expanded ideas. It’s a smart layering atop what came before and doesn’t manage to feel overwhelming, either.

Along with running well and a strong suite of options, Hades II, like its predecessor, gets a post-final boss list of gameplay modifiers. These are tweaks players can make pre-run to change the difficulty via creative little things like boosting the speed of enemies.Â

Hades II could’ve thrown up more of the same in newish locations and called it a day, earning plenty of success in the process.Â

Evolving the formula with a new protagonist, gameplay feel and buildcrafting, though, is the difference between success and critical acclaim. Hades II is different enough to make both games feel like standalone releases.

Impressive, considering Hades II follows not only as the sequel to the release that changed the landscape of video games, but has to navigate a genre reshaped by plenty it inspired over the years.Â

Hades II is a magnum opus for its genre. It was an obvious Game of the Year favorite as an early access title, so there’s no shockers here. Since the genre has expanded so much, it doesn’t have the benefit of surprise…and doesn’t need it, to the point GOTY conversations should probably be tabled so gamers can start reshuffling all-time lists a bit.

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