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Supergiant Games' Hades 2 is a phenomenal roguelike that, even in its current form, can deliver hundreds of hours of absolute quality entertainment and will leave anyone who gets their hands on it waiting for the full release.
Years have passed since the end of young Zagreus' adventure, and the idyllic picture of hell built by the son of Hades is now completely shattered. The return of Cronus, the father of all the gods who had previously rebelled against Olympus, has led to the devastating defeat of the entire Greek pantheon, whose hopes of victory rest solely on Melinoe, the youngest daughter of the king of hell and immortal princess of the underworld. Hecate, the goddess of magic, miraculously rescued Melinoe while she was still in swaddling clothes and hid her in an area between Olympus and Tartarus, home to dozens of exiles, including the children of Nyx who had escaped the cataclysm. Here, trained by Hecate, the legendary hero Odysseus, Nemesis, the embodiment of vengeance, and other mythical beings, Melinoe becomes the key to a grand and secret plan to overthrow Cronus, the usurper she has hated all her life.
On paper, the mission is apparent. By harnessing the immortality that binds her to the afterlife, Melinoe can repeatedly attempt to reach and destroy the titan of time, returning to the starting point stronger and better prepared than before. With this seemingly simple mechanic, a plot and narrative universe unfolds, significantly expanding the foundation first laid by Hades, involving dozens of characters, from mythical witches like Medea and Circe to figures like Icarus, Narcissus, and Heracles, and finally every god of the Greek pantheon and even many of the most famous mythological monsters. In addition to being extraordinarily characterized, drawn, and voiced, all these characters become the tiles of a narrative mosaic perfectly integrated into the game: every journey, every victory, and every defeat never fails to advance the plot, seamlessly using the roguelike spirit to underpin all aspects of progression.
In keeping with the previous game, Melinoe must choose one of the mythological weapons to embark on this bloody journey. Nevertheless, Supergiant Games has considered all the major criticisms and turned them into unexpected strengths. First of all, the game has many differences that are not limited to aesthetics but also affect the overall structure of the experience:
Wide open spaces are encountered.
There are small hubs where you can complete specific missions.
Sometimes, there are complex vertical arenas.
In essence, the overall variety and depth of the maps have been greatly improved.
However, the main innovation lies in the protagonist's various paths.
Melinoe not only has to devote herself to the search for Cronus in Tartarus but also fulfills the task of helping Olympus directly in the field. This results in two ever-different main paths, each with unique areas, characters, resources, enemies, and encounters. Where will Melinoe go? To the depths of Erebo or the surface of the fallen city of Ephira? Will Cronus drag her to Asphodel, or will she pass through this side undisturbed? This is just the tip of a massive iceberg of unexpected decisions and events that make each journey different from the last and will only come to full fruition when the early access period ends.
The game's core mechanics are identical to the first game's chapters and outlines. There's no shortage of elements you'd expect to find in any self-respecting roguelike, between the small tasks to complete and the numerous optional modes, many of which are "hardcore." These, in turn, are tied to unique reward chains. But even in this "work-in-progress" version, there is no single element of the previous installment that has not been expanded or deepened. At least the narrative is as central, interactive, and willing to accommodate as many other surprises as ever.
As in the past, the game starts to take shape precisely according to the choices made by the player. Here, the producers have done a great job. They've crafted several new layers of depth by introducing six brand new weapons, each equipped with different variants, several "pets" that provide different aids in battle, a deck of tarot cards that significantly affect Melinoe's abilities, and several valuable tools for gathering resources along the way, which positively adds to many of the mechanics already encountered in the previous game.
The critical difference between Zagreus and Melinoe lies in the girl's mage abilities. These abilities will require a particular mana bar to launch different variants of each available attack - i.e., magically charged moves. These include a magic circle that locks enemies in place, a running attack that blocks an escape attempt by holding down, and a final ability that, this time, isn't tied to individual deities but to interactions with the moon goddess Selene. The choice to separate Melinoe's most potent attack from the list of elemental buffs has resulted in the inclusion of particular skill trees where players can choose from many categories and slowly increase them at a specific rate throughout each game session.
At its core, the game remains an excellent procedural action-based mix of destroying hordes of enemies and facing bosses of increasing difficulty, with the ultimate goal of completing the entire loop in one direction—the difficulty level ramps dramatically, with some fights taking on almost bullet-hell-style overtones. There's no need to fear, though, as there's no obstacle that can be overcome with Melinoe's training and meticulous planning while also adopting an excellent progression system independent of individual trials' progress. In short, this is an improved, expanded, refined, and deeper version of the classic Hades experience, whose formula flows seamlessly.
Obviously, beyond the content, a title as deep and varied as Hades 2 hides a lot of sneaky variables on the balancing front, so it's clear that early access will address that aspect as well. Last time around, work continued for two years before reaching the official launch. Still, it puts Melinoe's adventure in the hands of the public in a way that is nothing short of dazzling, capable of holding interest for hundreds of hours without showing any signs of fatigue. Of course, Supergiant Games' perfectionist nature is what has the studio's name on everyone's lips, and they certainly won't stop adding new meat to the fire. Still, in the unlikely event of a release in 2024, we'll be looking at a serious contender for Game of the Year. So buy this masterpiece and take advantage of the pleasure.