I’ve been playing Hades II non-stop for the past few weeks, and I’ve lost count of the number of times it has blown me away. Every few hours, there’s a new twist, turn, or revelation that makes me sit back in my seat and marvel at how truly marvelous this game is. And while I thought the first Hades was perfect, this is something even beyond that.
Hades II is the sequel to Supergiant Games’ 2020 hit, Hades. Like the first, it’s a roguelike game—so basically, a run-based game where failure and success alike reset you to start again, while certain things like skills and weaponry you’ve acquired persist from run to run as you advance the cycle of its mythological narrative. Originally released in Early Access in late 2024, it took almost a year for the full release and to come to consoles, so that’s why I am just playing it now on Nintendo Switch 2.
When I booted the game up for the first time, I thought it would be more of the same. Struggling to get through each level, dying over and over, but always getting a little stronger, and moving the story a little bit further. But there were so many new additions this time that I started to get delightfully overwhelmed. New powers, new ways to unlock or sustain powers. Pick a companion. Pick a weapon. Unlock mysteries on top of mysteries. Who is that person I can’t interact with yet? Where does that door go? Will I ever be able to defeat this freaking shell lady and her band?
In time, answers to all of those questions came. And, in time, you realize that Hades II is basically double the game of the first Hades. Not only must you, as the Princess of the Underworld Melinoë, battle evil in the underworld to slay your foe, but you also have to battle evil on Earth too. However, right when you make that discovery, you realize merely being on Earth kills you. So you have to die, wait, and improve. Die, wait, and improve.
After about 30 deaths, I decided to cheat. I put on “God Mode,” which means that each time you die, you become a little less susceptible to damage. It’s not the most honorable way to play, but my character is battling gods, so I figured, why not embrace those powers too? God Mode helped.
Boons also help. One of the staples of both Hades and Hades II is that on your journey, you gain random powers called boons from different members of the Greek pantheon each night. And, with each of their Boons, you get three random choices. Each run of Hades II is different based on what gods you encounter and which of their boons you choose. And, after 30 or 40 nights, I had my favorites that I knew would help me get to where I needed to be. I also had my least favorites. Ones I avoided because I didn’t see the point. This was my biggest mistake.
The deity I primarily avoided was Selene, the Moon Goddess, because her powers didn’t seem that helpful. Then, on a random run, I was forced to take them, and I realized I was an idiot. Selene’s powers weren’t just good; they were incredibly good, and arguably the most powerful in the game. I just wasn’t using them right. When you use them right, they become insanely powerful and basically turn you into a superhero. So, from there, I prioritized Selene’s powers each night and finally beat the big villain, Chronos.
Only in Hades II, much like Hades I, one victory is not enough. In fact, that first victory is what opens up and changes the whole story again. So, after you kill Chronos, you have to kill Chronos again and again and again. Then, after you do that about eight times, you have to do the same on the surface as you scale Mount Olympus. Defeat the bad guys again, and again, and again.
It was on about my 70th run that I finally got the game’s “ending,” and it moved me beyond words. The way it so beautifully weaves and changes the themes of family and betrayal that you’ve been wrapped up in for all these hours was completely wonderful. Plus, it was bolstered by the incredible pacing of it all.
One of the most unfathomable things about Hades II is how information and revelations are perfectly delivered right when you need them. So while you might not be able to access a certain spell or item at the start, it becomes available when the game knows you’re ready. The same goes for different pieces of information, new characters, and more. Basically, as you get closer to the ending, things change. Your last few runs are ever so slightly different from the previous ones. Which, by that point, is mind-blowing. Another check on my list of “Wow” moments. Then, of course, there’s that ending. Powerful, poignant, beautiful, and surprising. Only, as Melinoë so perfectly puts it soon after, “We’re not finished.”
Because you aren’t finished. Ever, if you don’t want to be. After you beat the main story of the game, there are still many, many things to unlock. There are some bigger and more difficult challenges, of course, but even basic story stuff is still on the table. For example, I haven’t woken up Hypnos yet, despite him being there and accessible since the very start of the game. The Fates, who were captured by Chronos, are still missing. And to do either of those things, I have to keep fighting, both on Earth and in the Underworld, again and again. Which I’ll be doing.
I’m mostly a casual gamer. I don’t like playing online with others, and when I get a game, I usually give it everything I have, or nothing at all. But when I do fall for one, I fall in deep, and that happened in Hades II. I’m so in love with Hades II that I’m already looking for figures, merch, whatever I can get to remember this incredible experience long after finally putting Melinoë back on the shelf. It’s a magnificent, exhilarating game that moved me and kept me coming back again and again. I love it so, so much.
Hades II is currently available on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and MacOS.
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