As 2025 comes to an end, an interesting trend has emerged in its game releases: highly polished, yet iterative sequels. Just this fall, we’ve seen Ghost of Yotei, Kirby Air Riders, The Outer Worlds 2, and even Hollow Knight: Silksong fall into this trend. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with more of a good thing, and I’ve enjoyed all of these games quite a bit, but it’s difficult to leave the player in awe when all you’re getting is “more.” However, it can certainly still be done. Hades 2 is proof of that.
With its stylish visuals, pitch-perfect sound, excellent cast of characters, and appropriately godlike gameplay loop, this is studio Supergiant Games running at peak performance. It feels effortless to justify one more dip into Hell, just one more adventure to retake Mount Olympus and destroy the Titan of Time. It’s true that this doesn’t reinvent the wheel, sticking relatively close to the formula that made the original shine, but countless small tweaks have been made here to truly rejuvenate the experience.
The original Hades stood at the top of the roguelike genre, its quality lauded enough to secure a nomination for Game of the Year. However, Hades 2 is different. Hades 2 could actually win it.
In the years after Zagreus, son of Hades, made his escape from the underworld, his family had begun to heal. The House was in better shape than it had ever been, and a new daughter was born to it: the polite and kind Melinoë. But when the Titan of Time came back from the dead with a God-sized chip on his shoulder, everything went into chaos. Given to Hecate, the Witch of the Crossroads, young Melinoë was separated just before her family was captured, then raised with a single objective: “Death to Chronos.”
Given that setup, Hades 2 starts on a much grander note than the original. This isn’t just a tale of father and prodigal son anymore, but a massive war involving the entire Greek pantheon and everyone in their realms. It makes for a welcome change of pace that does a lot to differentiate this new entry’s tone from the original’s. Of course, there’s still plenty of room for Supergiant’s unique sense of humor (which is just as great as ever here), but the feeling of stakes and importance in the plot is nice.
And this sense permeates everything about the game. Even more than the original, this is a well-paced and surprisingly linear experience for something that can technically be “beaten” in a mere hour if you’re skilled enough. There are twists and turns that are revealed as you play, each adding something new to the world, characters, or gameplay, and it’s all fantastically doled out. Even when content is so often repeated, there is always something new or interesting waiting around every corner.
What holds everything up is the series’ signature gameplay loop. Starting from the top layer of the underworld, Melinoë must delve down to the House of Hades to face off against Chronos, who has taken over her father’s domain. This involves progressing through randomly generated rooms filled with various combat challenges, as well as shops and other unique encounters. Clear enough rooms to go down a layer, and clear four layers to reach Chronos. However, death will send you all the way back to the beginning, and most of what you gain on the run will be lost.
Thankfully, being sent back means entering the Crossroads, where Hecate and her Chronos resistance force are based. Here, you can tackle quests to earn rewards, cast beneficial spells using materials gained during a run, and unlock permanent upgrades that persist through your many treks. These include arcana cards that provide a variable pool of perks and new weapons that add additional variety in combat. While each of these may seem minor on their own, they quickly add up to something that can drastically alter your experience. Some even have major ramifications on the story, including an entire second route that sees Melinoë ascend to Mount Olympus.
The Crossroads is also home to many of the game’s cast of characters. With the entire world on the line, almost everyone wants to take Chronos down, and that means Melinoë has plenty of allies to befriend. Olympians, Chthonic Gods, mythic figures, straight-up weirdos, there’s a huge variety to choose from, and Supergiant’s takes on familiar concepts never cease to delight. I particularly enjoyed speaking with the amnesiac spirit Dora and the seafaring strategist Odysseus.
These relationships with Melinoë can develop via gifts obtained through various means, and the resulting scenes only deepen my enjoyment of the story and world. Seeing the complex paternal bond between Melinoë and Hecate develop over time was heartwarming, and the several romantic options were enjoyable to pursue. There aren’t a ton of obvious rewards for these scenes beyond initial gifts, but the writing is so good I didn’t mind at all.
Every single piece of dialogue in the game is fully voiced, an astounding achievement given the sheer amount of it. Each character has something to say about almost anything you do, and even wilder than that, it’s all superbly performed. Audio Director Darren Korb does wonders in this department, really selling the unique visage of each mythological figure. As for the actors, it’s difficult to choose, but shoutout to Logan Cunningham as Homer and Judy Alice Lee as Melinoë. Both deliver consistently great work, and they’re hardly the only ones.
The combat on offer matches the rest of the experience: utterly addictive. Each weapon comes equipped with a main attack and special attack, as well as charged versions of both. Along with this, there is a universal “cast” ability that slows down enemies and a dodge that briefly grants invulnerability. This may sound basic for a game so focused on its fights, but in reality, that barely scratches the surface.
On your many runs, you’ll encounter “boons” which put you in contact with one of the Olympians, allowing a choice between three new abilities. These could increase damage, provide added effects, inflict status ailments, or aid you in other ways. You’re likely to find dozens of these on a successful run, and the synergies that can be found with them are game-breakingly fun. Throw in weapon-altering “Daedalus Hammers” and superpowered “Gift of the Moon” abilities, and you’ll be smiting your enemies down in no time.
To test these skills, boss enemies guard the end of each layer, and this is where the combat shines its brightest. At the start, they will pose as near-impossible roadblocks, their attacks quick and difficult to avoid. However, the challenge of it never feels insurmountable or unfair. It’s all about retuning your strategy, learning their attack patterns, preparing appropriately, and finding synergies that can pile on the damage. As a result, it won’t be long before they crumble before your might, and the feeling of accomplishment when they do is some of the best I’ve felt in a game.
All of this is tied together by the game’s vibrant presentation, which combines the traditional aesthetic of Greek myth with stylish, modern flair. Character portraits and 2D art is done with striking lines and bold colors, really selling the larger-than-life feel, and 3D gameplay art follows its lead well. However, what makes this stand out even more than the original game is in the small touches. Visual effects pop whenever a character appears, unique UI elements are given for each area of the game, and even the most minor parts of the game have art to go with them. Combine this with the excellent sound design, and you’ve got a recipe for pure sensory appeal.
And of course, you can’t forget the music. Following up on the first game’s soundtrack was never going to be easy, but Korb returns with a score that is somehow even better. Matching the visuals, it blends classical instruments with electronic beats to create something playful and highly distinctive. When the melodies get going and the rhythm hits, it enhances the gameplay in just the right way.
There really isn’t much to complain about with Hades 2. You could argue that the boss balancing is a bit off (just as it was with the first game), and that it doesn’t stray far enough from what the original Hades established, but those are nitpicks at best. Even the controversial original ending was patched before I could see it, and what’s there now gets no scolding from me.
Verdict
As someone who plays a lot of different games, it’s very difficult to get me to stay past what I perceive as the “finish line.” Once the main content runs dry, I do what I feel is necessary and move on to something else. For a game demanding almost ten complete runs to see the true ending, that’s a problem, and one that not even the original Hades could overcome.
But somehow, despite the odds, Hades 2 wouldn’t let me go. Its visuals, music, story, characters, gameplay, and sheer quality and quantity of content were too much to ignore. This is a level of polish and care rarely seen even by AAA juggernauts. To get it from a team of 25 people is truly impressive.
Hades 2 is a landmark indie gem and a new benchmark for every game in the genre to follow. More than any other, it truly deserves its moniker: the “God-Like Roguelike.”
