A god-tier roguelitke that gives its time generously
Hades II from Supergiant Games is the sequel to the smash hit Hades. The original game saw you play Zagreus, the son of Persephone and Hades who very definitely had daddy issues he (and you) needed to work through.
Hades II, set some time after the first game sees you take up arms with Melinoë, Zagreus’ younger sister and the only survivor of the house of Hades following an unexpected attack both on the Underworld but also against Olympus.
The attacker? Chronos, the titan who swallowed his children to stop them from killing him – which they did anyway. Chronos, the titan of time itself, has returned and taken over Hades while also attacking Olympus in revenge for being cut into pieces and scattered across Tartarus.
The game is a roguelike that allows you to explore the underworld from Hecate’s crossroads but also allows you to eventually go above ground and make your way to Olympus itself. Unlike Zagreus’ deep dislike for his family and what they’re up to, Melinoë has grown up in the aftermath of a lost war and her view of both her family and her enemy are simple, straightforward and loyal.
This is the first of the changes that Supergiant Games have made to the story and how they tell it. Having Chronos whisk away the characters of the underworld means we can work with an entirely fresh set which is a joy because although those who appeared in the first game were great, classical Greek religion is full of other significant characters like Odysseus, Ariadne, Heracles, Circe and more.
Supergiant gets the balance just right between presenting these characters in a way that makes them relatable and sticking just close enough to how they are found in the original texts and stories where they appear. If that veers sometimes a little to smooth and soft edged that’s alright because this isn’t their story, it’s Melinoë’s.
For example, there is a long running plot involving Odysseus and the women he encountered on his journey home from the Trojan war. The game soft plays his loves and his passions and, most likely, how his experience of war impacted his emotional capacity (dare one say trauma?). Nevertheless, that they’re here is fabulous and fun to see them explored, especially as small details are there if you’re looking. Perhaps more importantly though is that these stories give a telling from both sides and although it’s not as emotional as it could be, it’s nevertheless interesting to hear Circe’s point of view and be able to then go and ask Odysseus.
As with the original game, these stories unfold over time and are revealed as you complete runs to the underworld or towards Olympus. There’s a major plotline that can only be completed after the credits run and even then, only with substantial effort from that point on.
This doesn’t feel like stretching a game, that’s basically a roguelike dungeon crawler, past its welcome. It feels like clever design to nudge the player into seeing more of this world without feeling like it’s about completion at all. For the one thing the game does better than almost any other is give you buckets of action as a way of bringing you along for the exploration. Unlike most other roguelikes, Hades II has a story to tell and that story is told not just in the interstitials between runs but in the runs themselves, in the monsters, in the people you meet, in the boons you secure and in the places you explore.
Melinoë’s loyalty to the gods is curious and understandable. This is a main character who’s grown up with one mission – death to Chronos. To believe in this goal she’s been taught from the crib that the gods are good and right and natural and to oppose them foolishness at best and unforgiveable at worst. The game subtly challenges her assumptions but doesn’t force a change of heart on her, at least not easily.
When she meets Prometheus the conversations are enlightening for all because whatever he did in giving mortals fire, he’s also sided with Chronos. It’s a strange juxtaposition and it works neatly because it doesn’t allow the titan to be a worthy martyr but someone with complicated feelings. Not least because he made these decisions knowing their outcomes in advance. Yet nor does it leave Melinoë entirely comfortable with her choice to kill Chronos.
Hades was such a perfect game that it’s difficult to look at Hades II and think about where it’s better than its predecessor. It has all of Hades’ strengths around narrative and looks just as gorgeous at every step.
However I think there are some areas where, for me, it is an improvement. The first is the sound design. Supergiant Games always does stellar music thanks to the genius that is Danny Korb (I still listen to Bastion’s soundtrack when writing certain types of story). The songs written for Hades II are bangers and Scylla and the Sirens are a highlight of every run with songs that pop. Alongside the music, the sound effects feel weighty and even if you can sometimes run into a bullet hell landscape, the sound of what going on is clear and crisp.
Additionally, there are a whole load of quality of life changes between the two games that makes playing Hades II fun in a way that I sometimes struggled with the first game. Hades II is smooth is probably the best way of saying it – everything fits together, everything serves a purpose and it’s lovely to play.
Lastly, I think the balancing in Hades II works better than in the first game. The different types of weapons all lend themselves to multiple different builds and seeks to reward experimentation. There are few games where you can do this and find an entirely new and effective set of strategies. For a long while I’d been set on two of the six options and had started to think the others just weren’t as strong but then my son played the one I really didn’t like and stumbled on a build that rocked hard. This sums Hades II up pretty well – it will subvert your expectations and consistently reward your curiosity while telling a neat little story about change and forgiveness.
The Math
Highlights:
- Incredible music
- Exciting gameplay with greek gods and titans
Reference: Supergiant Games, Hades II
STEWART HOTSTON is an author of all kinds of science fiction and fantasy. He's also a keen Larper (he owns the UK Fest system, Curious Pastimes). He's a sometime physicist and currently a banker in the City of London. A Subjective Chaos, BSFA and BFA finalist he's also Chair of the British Science Fiction Association and Treasurer for the British Fantasy Society. He is on bluesky at: @stewarthotston.com.
