Hades II Review

We may have needed to wait a bit longer to get to play this on Xbox, but damn, if it wasn’t worth it. Hades II  got its flowers last year when it launched out of Early Access, but having spent many hours with it over the last few weeks I can do nothing but absolutely agree that this is a stunning videogame. The roguelike loop is masterfully crafted, the combat feels excellent, and the scope for upgrades and improvements is quite staggering. I must admit to not being especially invested in the goings on, but that’s more a testament to the urge to get back to the gameplay than anything.

We play as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and sister to Zagreus, the main protagonist of the original Hades. This time round, Chronos – the Titan of Time – is threatening the Underworld, and so she is on a mission to stop him once and for all. 

Despite the aforementioned lack of investment in the story, there’s no denying that Hades II is, as you’d expect from Supergiant Games, a very well written title, with seemingly endless dialogue between all of the characters – all of which is voice acted brilliantly. After each death, characters have new lines referencing what has transpired on previous runs, new characters and areas found, and much more. It’s very impressive stuff, which makes me feel bad for speedrunning it half the time to get back to the game. But for those who want to spend the time learning the lore and ins and outs, there is a lot to get into here.

It’s in the gameplay that Hades II has its hooks in me. I spent some time with the original, though at that point the idea of repeatedly playing with a roguelike design did not appeal to me. However, over the years I’ve learned to enjoy this process, and Hades II is most likely my favourite example yet. Every run, be it over in a few minutes or half an hour, feels rewarding and fun to play.

Whether we’re learning literal new powers, or simply coming back with better knowledge of what to expect in subsequent attempts, there hasn’t been a run yet that hasn’t yielded something worthwhile to my experience.

Much like the dialogue, there feels like an endless procession of new items, weapons, and upgrades here. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but soon we settle into a nice rhythm. The most important thing is to experiment; that new weapon just unlocked? Take it for a spin and see; not sure if one of the boons granted from the various  Gods we meet along the way will suit your playstyle? Just go for it. While failing a run can be hard, we can go back into the next better prepared one way or another. 

Combat is fast, fluid, and incredibly satisfying. Melinoë has access to half a dozen weapon types, as well as the boons, perks, and various upgrades we unlock each run. Some combos suit us better than others, but again, it’s always worth experimenting. The difficulty is initially high, but learning the enemies as well as our own powers lets us gradually get farther, until one of the super tough bosses knocks us down a peg or two. Even as we get stronger and the earlier levels become a bit more of a breeze it has yet to get dull, partly thanks to the randomised nature of levels and foes. We never really know what we’ll see and it’s invigorating at each and every turn.

There’s a lot more to Hades II than I have truly grasped yet if I’m honest, but it says something that despite having a plethora of games on my Xbox Ally X to play for a recent work trip, Hades II was the one I always fell back to, time and time again. It performs brilliantly on the device, and has made for a great companion to the Xbox Series X version.

Conclusion

Surprising no one, Hades II is a stellar example of the roguelike genre, with excellent combat, rewarding loops and progression, and for those that are willing to spend the time a dense and expansive story and lore to dig into.. Packed with more game than meets the eye, Hades II is something we’ll be playing for a long time to come.