I was never much of a roguelike/roguelite person. Not for a lack of trying to be. I have played many of them throughout the years. Yet, despite my “gameplay above all” mentality, I could never truly enjoy any of them. That is, until Hades released in 2020. While I did not get to finish it at the time, I remember loving it. Particularly for how it bridged the gap between the usual roguelite gameplay loop, where dying during a run means having to restart the game from the very beginning, and its intriguing narrative, constantly moving forward despite your failures.
I, like many, believe this to be the game’s selling point. Dying didn’t feel so bad if I got to progress the plot, and learn more about its colorful cast of characters. The people at SuperGiant Games have a deep appreciation for all art forms, and it shows. From music to draftsmanship and game design, everything about Hades exudes quality and passion. It is a pleasure to play, look at, and listen to. A one-of-a-kind wonder. Or is it? It is not like they are strangers to delivering great games. Their releases are all critically acclaimed and loved by many players. Is Hades truly superior to their older titles? And more importantly, how could they top such a pivotal entry in their catalog? Where do they go from there? Thankfully for us, SuperGiant Games were dead set on answering these questions themselves, the best way they know : by making an excellent video game, and a sequel at that.
Making a game is one thing, let alone a good one. But how do you make a successful sequel to begin with? In SuperGiant’s book, it is all about going bigger. Hades 2 is, at a glance, very similar to its predecessor. And it is. But it is also larger in every way. This time, rather than “escape the underworld”, “death to chronos” is the new motto, as the Titan of Time has taken your family away from you. Your mother Persephone, your father and titular God of the Underworld, Hades, but also Zagreus.
That’s right, Zagreus, Hades’ main protagonist is gone. Because in this game, you play as his younger sister Melinoe. She was born right after the events of the first game, and has been training under Hecate, the witch of the crossroads, to slay Chronos once and for all. A change of main protagonist can do a lot to sell the appeal of a sequel. And fortunately, Melinoe is unlike Zagreus where it matters most. She is a calm and methodical witch, single-minded in her quest to reclaim her loved ones. This perfectly reflects in the way she fights.
She has access to a quick but basic attack, a flashier special attack, and a new and improved “Cast”, leaving a magic circle on the ground to slow down your foes. I personally never liked Zagreus’s version of it. I think it felt a little clunky at times and not fun to use, so I’m glad they changed it for Melinoe. You can hold down the button tied to any of these actions for additional effects, at the cost of a resource called “Magick”. This layer of resource management is new to Hades 2. Not only does it add a bit of spice to the combat system, it also fits the game’s direction well. Melinoe is a witch after all, and a mana-like resource is witchy indeed.
This all brilliantly comes together to create an engaging combat sandbox, where you are always making split second decisions on what moves to use at a given time. I believe action games live and die by their game feel, and thankfully, Hades 2 also does great in that department. There is so much weight behind your every strike no matter which weapon you are using. Tearing my way through hordes of enemies with my faithful axe never gets old.
During your outings, you’ll receive rewards after every fight. Just like in the first game, some of these come in the form of “boons”. Powerful but temporary upgrades sent by Melinoe’s Olympian relatives to help her in her quest. They are quite invested in her success. These boons last until the end of your run, and their nature depends on the God who offers them to you. Since you don’t know which one will appear at a given time, you’re encouraged to experiment with whatever you find until you become familiar with these power-ups. Well, until the game starts allowing you to force specific Gods to appear, that is. Some of the enhancements you get are permanent though, making each subsequent run easier than the last.
I got a lot of satisfaction out of this loop. I believe Hades 2 is at its best once you know how its systems work. They are numerous, but the game does a great job at introducing them without overwhelming you. I love cooking up my own builds on the fly. To me though, buildcrafting truly opens up when Hades 2 introduces you to what is arguably its biggest surprise.
I hope you are not averse to heights, because the Underworld is not the only objective to tackle in this game. You will also be ascending Mount Olympus to help your family there, who have their hands full with Chronos’s army knocking at their door. Similar to the Underworld, Mount Olympus has its own biomes to explore, enemies and bosses to defeat, and characters to meet. My jaw hit the floor when I discovered that Hades 2 has two paths of progression. This alone makes it twice the size of its predecessor. If Chronos is giving you a hard time, you can go up to Mount Olympus to make progress there, get stronger, and dive back into Tartarus to give the Titan of Time the punishment he deserves. And during my first climb, I immediately noticed that Mount Olympus was made for the buildcrafting freaks like me.
When starting a run on the mountain, you are forced to choose a total of 6 boons before continuing your ascension. This is the perfect opportunity for you to understand what works best with your weapon of choice. And you’ll need to, seeing as most combat encounters are more challenging on Mount Olympus than in the Underworld. As an axe enjoyer, I know I was always happy to see Apollo swoop in, crossing my fingers for him to have that one boon I am always hunting for. And even if he does not, I know he will always have something cool to say.
SuperGiant Games oblige, voice acting is top notch for the entirety of Hades 2’s cast. I was particularly happy to recognize Amelia Tyler, Baldur’s Gate 3’s narrator, as Hecate. She crushed it, and so did all the other voice actors. Recording voice work must have been an Herculean effort, since the game is much larger in scale than its predecessor. Which says a lot. Because in the first game, it already felt like major characters had new things to tell you all the time.
It would be remiss of me to discuss voice acting in Hades without mentioning Daren Korb. He voices our boy Zagreus in the first game, as well as ol’ faithful Skelly, rebranded as“General Schelemeus” in the sequel. He still serves as a training dummy in the game’s main hub. His presence is just as comforting as before, and I love his more dignified interpretation of the character. But don’t be fooled. This mask does slip sometimes to reveal that in reality, our favorite punching bag of bones is just as goofy as ever.
That’s not the only part where Korb’s touch is felt. He reprises his role as composer, and is responsible for most of the incredible music you’ll be listening to throughout your journey. He really flexes his creative muscles there, offering a soundtrack that is just as varied as it is fitting for the game. And there is so much of it. This really is Hades but bigger, in every sense of the word. It is also more ambitious in its storytelling, for better and for worse.
Hades felt like a very personal journey. One where Zagreus had to escape the Underworld to which he’s been confined ever since his birth, in the hopes of meeting his missing mother Persephone. This story easily resonated with me, and I enjoyed it for what it was. At first I found Hades 2’s revenge driven narrative to be just as compelling as its predecessor’s. I was immediately rooting for Melinoe to succeed. Without getting into spoilers, SuperGiant Games wove multiple story threads within this sequel. I was invested in all of them. And yet, I find that Hades 2’s story may have been too ambitious. After finally rolling credits on a lengthy play through (76 runs), I was disappointed with its weak, head-scratching conclusion. Neither the main plot, nor the lesser stories were resolved to my satisfaction, making for a bitter way to end what is otherwise a miracle of a game.
In a year stacked with incredible releases, Hades 2 still managed to be my favorite game of 2025. The kind of game you pick up for a quick play session, only to realize that three hours have already passed since you started playing. It is terribly addicting, full of passion, and in my eyes, better than Hades. While a weak narrative conclusion may have spoiled my enjoyment towards the end, Hades 2 still represents a Gargantuan achievement, deserving of every praise it receives.
