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. How could they top such a pivotal entry in their catalog? Where do they go from there? Thankfully for us, SuperGiant Games was 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. What about a successful sequel? 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, and 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, and 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. You can hold down the button tied to any of these actions to trigger « Omega » moves, granting your attacks additional effects at the cost of a resource called “Magick.” Once it is depleted, fights tend to become more challenging, since Omega moves are so powerful. 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.
Even though it replenishes between every fight, you best be smart in how you use said resource. Do you spend it on your Cast to stop your enemies for longer? Or on your attacks, to deal more damage and kill them faster? You can spend it on both, but that’s a sure-fire way of depleting your Magick reserves quickly. You have to go through these mental gymnastics under constant enemy pressure, as your foes are fast, aggressive, and will use all manners of underhanded tactics to kill you. This all brilliantly comes together to create an engaging combat sandbox where you are always making split-second decisions on what to do at a given time. Add to this a satisfying game-feel where there is weight behind your every strike, no matter the weapon you use, and you have a recipe for addiction. Tearing my way through hordes of enemies with my faithful axe never gets old.
During your outings, you 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, as 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 any given time, you’re encouraged to experiment with whatever you find until you become familiar with these power-ups. Until the game starts allowing you to force specific gods to appear, that is.
Some of the enhancements you get are permanent, though. Most notable of them are the « Arcana Cards ». You can unlock them at the Altar of Ashes in the Crossroads, the game’s main hub, providing you have the necessary materials. All 25 of them have a unique effect and can be upgraded. For example, the Death Arcana Card will save you from lethal damage, essentially giving you an extra life. It can be upgraded to grant you up to three more lives. This system is not all sunshine and rainbows however, as you are limited in the mount of Arcana Cards you can activate. They all take a specific amount of your « Grasp », meaning you have to think about which card is worth bringing with you during a run. This may sound like a lot, but the game does a great job at introducing its systems without overwhelming you. Even though I usually am not good at it, I still love cooking up my own builds on the fly, and build-crafting truly opens up when you are introduced to Hades 2’s biggest surprise.
I hope you are not averse to heights, as unlike its predecessor, the Underworld is not the only objective to tackle in this game. You will also be ascending Mount Olympus to help your family, who have their hands full with Chronos’s army knocking at their door. Like 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 first discovered that Hades 2 effectively has two paths of progression. If Chronos is giving you a hard time, you can go up to Mount Olympus to make progress there, get stronger in the process, and dive back into Tartarus to give the Titan of Time the punishment he deserves. During my first climb, I immediately realized Mount Olympus was made for the build-crafting freaks.
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 always pray for Apollo to have that one boon I am always hunting for. And even if he does not, he will at least have something cool to say.
SuperGiant Games oblige, voice acting is top-notch in Hades 2. Characters are portrayed through believable performances. From Zeus’ self-righteousness, to Poseidon’s subtle hints of arrogance hiding behind his cool-uncle façade; they work so well because they are grounded in popular depiction of the Greek mythology we know, yet still manage to subvert your expectations in interesting ways, which I will not spoil. I was particularly happy to recognize Amelia Tyler, Baldur’s Gate 3’s narrator, as Hecate. She serves as a surrogate mother to Melinoe, and can sound strict at times. But through her performance, Tyler manages to still communicate Hecate’s love for the princess a heartwarming way. This degree of nuance shines through the entire cast, and recording voice work must have been a 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 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 old faithful Skelly, rebranded as “General Schelemeus” in the sequel. The latter still serves as a training dummy in the Crossroads. His presence is just as comforting as before, and I love Korb’s 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 aspect 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. The man himself describes Hades’ soundtrack as « Mediterranean prog rock Halloween music », and this style makes a return in the sequel, with a bigger emphasis on the halloween part. Areas you explore are distinct in their musical themes, and their respective melodies erupt into loud, heart-pounding concerts upon reaching their final bosses. And there is so much of this music. 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’d 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, and I was invested in all of them. Yet, I find that Hades 2’s story may have been too ambitious for its own sake. After finally rolling credits on a lengthy playthrough (76 runs), I was disappointed with its weak, head-scratching conclusion. Neither the main plot nor the side-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.