GODLIKE

HADES II is a killer roguelike action RPG with satisfying layers of creativity

- By Tyler Colp

Hades II almost had me questioning Supergiant's decision to make its first sequel. I loved Hades, which brought all of the studio's past experience to bear on a killer action game for the roguelike curious, but I wasn't convinced a sequel would be a better followup than whatever new idea for a game Supergiant could come up with next.

It took some time, but Hades II convinced me it was worth it. It's a sequel worthy of the title that expands, but doesn't diminish what made the first game great. I did like aspects of Hades II when it launched into Early Access. Protagonist Melinoë's magical array of attacks were more immediately satisfying than Zagreus' at the start, and the new cast of characters, such as Hecate and Nemesis, gave it a sharper, darker tone.

I just couldn't get over how tedious it was. Because of its new crafting system, I had to mine ore and pick flowers on every run as if the gripping combat and intricate buildcrafting would bore me. To my dismay, I had the same issue starting up the 1.0 version of Hades II. I was so worried about collecting enough silver to craft a shovel to collect some other resource that I couldn't enjoy the meat of the game. The first several hours are like playing a survival game where every major feature is locked behind a recipe, or in this case, a bubbling Incantation. Eventually, however, the table-setting stops and Hades II finally, finally becomes the game I didn't know I was waiting for.

A FOUNTAIN OF CHOICES

If Hades 1 is the entry level course, Hades II is the advanced course. While it may be 'more Hades', it's more Hades in a way that dissolved my doubts and doesn't just retread the original game.