REVIEW
Written byDethyanFrom the archive
I went into Hades II assuming the first game had already set a ceiling Supergiant couldn’t reach. I was wrong. This feels instantly familiar, but Melinoë is no Zagreus reskin: her witchcraft changes the rhythm of a fight and asks for more deliberate spacing and timing. I can’t fall back on dash strikes and expect them to solve everything. That shift makes the action feel fresh and more strategic without losing the snap that made Hades so easy to return to.
The runs have plenty of room to surprise me. Between the new zones, boons and weapon aspects, I keep finding combinations that make a run feel like its own thing rather than a replay of the last one. There’s a lot here, but the best part is how the game gives all that repetition a purpose. A run that ends in failure still moves the story along at the Crossroads, where there are new characters to talk to and upgrades to chase. Death doesn’t feel like a blank reset when I’m eager to see what the next conversation brings.
That structure is especially good at keeping long-term goals satisfying. The prophecies and weapon unlocks are paced so that I rarely feel like I’m grinding just to fill a bar. Working through the Arcana cards and uncovering hidden aspects feels earned, and the tougher challenges give those systems something to ask of me. When I finally put together the right run to complete a difficult prophecy, the payoff is far better than checking off an achievement for its own sake. Hades II makes completion feel like a trail of meaningful goals, not a pile of chores. For a completionist, that is dangerous in the best way. I can see the end of the list and still want another excuse to play.
The presentation is superb, though I’ll admit Supergiant’s art and music being excellent is practically a given by now. The new areas look incredible, and the music gives them the same sense of identity and atmosphere I want from a return to this world. The characters and their Crossroads scenes are more than brief rewards between attempts: they’re part of what makes me look forward to coming back after a loss. I often find myself thinking less about the failed run than about who I can speak to next and what might unlock.
The difficulty is real, and the game expects me to learn its timing rather than mash my way through. That demand is a strength for me, not a reason to hesitate: the progression makes setbacks feel productive, while the combat still rewards skill. I don’t have a major caveat to balance against the recommendation. If you loved the original, this gives you what you hoped for while making its lead and combat feel distinct. If you’re new to roguelikes, the steady stream of story, upgrades and goals makes this an unusually inviting place to start, even as the challenges ask for practice.
Hades II is one of the best action games I’ve played, and one of the rare roguelikes where I can enjoy chasing every last unlock instead of treating completion as a second job. I didn’t expect to like it more than the first Hades, but here we are. It’s an easy recommendation, whether you want a strong run-based action game or a game that can keep a completionist happily working through one more prophecy.
— Dethyan / Noobsnoplay
