You are going to die. Get used to it. Learn to love Death’s cold embrace, as Hades 2 will beat you into the dirt, over and over and over again.
However, with every rebirth comes power in knowledge and renewed vigour. As Melinoë, you are the daughter of Hades and younger sister to the first game’s protagonist Zagreus. Taken in by the witch Hecate, you have been trained to fight Gods and Titans, which comes in quite handy when you’re forced to take back the Underworld from Chronos, Titan of Time, who has imprisoned your family in an attempt to usurp power. Time to get your revenge hat on and dish out some justice.
A roguelite action game, Hades 2 has you battling throughout multiple locales of Greek Mythology against hordes of the undead, a motley selection of creatures to hack, slash, burn and batter your way through. Never has such a disgusting assembly of creatures looked quite so good as these, the iconic art style of the series being further refined to look better than ever before. It’s stylish, unique and at this point iconic, the perfect representation of myth and legend.
You may well be armed from an impressive unlockable arsenal of shiny death tools but to linger is to tempt death, so you’ll be dashing and running almost constantly to keep one step ahead of your aggressors. However, Melinoë also has a secret weapon in the form of her cast, an expanding circle of magic that can be used to block, ensnare and damage her enemies, giving you time to gather your thoughts in a moment of brief respite. And you’re going to need it, with the ever-increasing challenge and danger as you explore from room to room testing your abilities at every opportunity, let alone the unforgettable boss encounters that will push your skills and reactions to the limit as you dodge and weave through bullet hell landscapes. Just remember to breathe every now and then.
The biggest draws of the game come from your interactions with the Gods themselves during your repeated attempts to assault Chronos. Each exchange during a run will have you receive Boons: gifts from the Gods that will have you choosing from three available options to enhance your abilities. From simple attack damage boosts to completely build-altering special abilities, these Boons will form the backbone of your experience, each God providing a specific element to toy with. With synergies aplenty between these gifts, it’s possible to pick and choose to create the ideal build to suit your own playstyle, be it a nimble, light damage dealer, or a tanky brute specialising in massive damage.
It’s always a joy to see what you can put together to create bigger and better builds, with even more options unlocking as you progress run after run. Another layer building on top of these myriad choices are Keepsakes. These are key items that will be provided by gaining favour with each God to add even further flexibility, each offering unique benefits that can be enhanced by completing encounters in the Underworld. Combined with Boons, you have a ridiculous amount of options to make each run a unique experience.
Staying on the subject of Gods, your relationship with each is presented via a beautifully drawn tableaux (and on that note, the Switch 2 version runs like a dream in both handheld and TV mode), with every single voice actor doing an amazing job of bringing their respective characters to life. From Hecate (your stern but fair mentor) to Hestia, each interaction will keep you enthralled, with the narrative steadily drip fed with every death or achievement on your journey. With scripts changing to reflect your actions, Hades 2 adapts on the fly and genuinely feels like a living, breathing world. It’s outstanding how much charm and character the game exudes.
There’s such a vast of amount to content to unlock, it’s quite staggering. Every single run will have you finding collectibles, all of which will bolster Melinoë for your next attempt in one way or another. Ashes can be spent on Arcana cards that will alter attributes such as damage taken or allow the opportunity to cheat death among others. Psyche offers a way to hold even more of these cards to stack the odds in your favour, whilst collected Bones can be spent with The Broker (a shop of sorts) for extra materials to brew potions or reinforce your weapons for further damage, adding even further complexity to the spiderweb of choices laid out before you. Furthermore, minerals can be mined, fish caught, spirits laid to rest via a simple yet satisfying minigame, all of which can be put to use for bigger and better tools to aid you on your odyssey.
Now I know that this all sounds super complex but SuperGiant introduces these in such a calm and controlled manner that is much more like enjoying a relaxed episode of Planet Earth, rather than desperately cramming the night before a Biology degree. Should you unfortunately get lost in potential possibilities, there’s always the Fated List of Prophecies to turn to, a collection of objectives that can be referred to to help keep yourself on the right track, offering bonus goodies as rewards for completing tasks. It’s a great way to focus your attention and runs can often be spent in aid of completing these goals as much as trying to exact revenge on Chronos. There’s even the option to turn on forget-me-nots, handy reminders of which items you need toward your next potion or objective should you fail to remember what exactly you set out to grab whilst in the heat of battle. It’s a simple addition but it comes in ever so handy.
As battering your way through the denizens of the Underworld is no easy task, there’s always the opportunity to make use of the God Mode option. It’s not the insta-win that it might initially sound like, but instead it will gradually increase your resistance to damage following each death, allowing for a natural scaling as you learn the intricacies of the game. It’s a perfect solution to
ease in new players to the genre or even provide respite to those looking for a slightly more relaxed experience.
Expanding upon the high standards set by the original game, the sequel raises the bar on every aspect. I’ve always had high hopes but Hades 2 has gone beyond even those heady expectations. In what has been an absolutely stellar year for games, here we have an absolutely essential addition to any game collection. Hades 2 is quite simply spellbinding.
