Hades 2 is a fantastic modern epic punishing, rewarding, and full of life, even in death

Date:
Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
Hades 2 has a lot to live up to in the looming shadow of one of the best roguelites ever, but its checked all the right boxes for me.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Though its only been five years since its predecessor, roguelite game Hades 2 feels long-awaited. The weight of expectation on developer Supergiant to surpass the massive success of Hades must have loomed more dauntingly than
the sword of Damocles itself. So, how do you build on a game ranking among
the best roguelites in modern history? Review info Platform reviewed:
Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: September 25, 2025

With a refreshed cast of Grecian heroes and gods, Hades 2 carves its own take on mythos, making for a game that feels both familiar and wildly different to Zagreus tale.

For one thing, gameplay mechanics have been boldly reinvented, and theres a whole lot more variety in each run. In Hades 2 , range and placement can make or break your strategy; the addition of Magick gives Melino an entirely different moveset to Zagreus, and with less mobility than her brother, its
all to play for on the battlefield.

The stakes are immediately high, and nothing encapsulates the shift in priorities better than the art and world-building Supergiant is so famed for. An inventive array of new foes, friends, and plenty of frenemies make for a captivating narrative that rarely strays into wall-of-text territory, and its a breathtaking journey from start to finish.

With war brewing at the home front in Tartarus and on Olympus, a war of the gods has begun once again, but will the Princess of the Underworld be able to defeat Time itself? Generational trauma (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

The game begins at a crossroads the crossroads, in fact, between the surface and the road to Tartarus. Readying for battle in this liminal space between life and death, Melino, daughter of Hades and Persephone, prepares to battle primordial powers to rescue her family.

Your foe is Chronos, the Titan of Time and father of Zeus, Poseidon, and
Hades for the nerds, yes, thats an amalgamation of Chronos, the primordial concept of time itself, and Kronos, the leader of the Titans; two different figures from mythos. Its fine, Im not mad about it.

Before the events of the game, Chronos captured his chthonic son, along with Persephone, Zagreus, and a host of other underworld dwellers. Thankfully, Melino was whisked away just beforehand and into the care of Hecate, Witch of the Crossroads, to be trained in the art of witchcraft and, hopefully, rescue her relatives and thus the story begins, and the generational trauma continues.

For your first few runs, youll venture towards Tartarus through Erebus (and Oceanus, if you can trounce the first guardian), but after these first two more linear levels, theres a lot more diversity in chambers and encounters.

However, youll also quickly unlock access to the Surface, where Chronos goons are mounting an attack on Olympus. Having two options to venture keeps the game feeling fresh, removing the frustrating feeling of repeatedly falling at the same hurdle, and its a welcome change to the formula. (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Theres a lot of ebb and flow to the games two pathways, and each region
offers dynamic maps with plenty of ways to progress by gathering resources, meeting with allies, and finding familiars to recruit. Some regions can feel
a little gruelling; Tartarus Fields of Mourning, in particular, forces you into repetitive waves of enemies to cash in on multiple rewards per
encounter, but you often only really want one of them.

However, other levels like the City of Ephyra play on the level design to
push you to think harder about your builds foundations, choosing six of ten possible rewards; both examples dismantle the classic two-door choice convention and keep the game varied.

Along the way, various gods from Hades plus some new faces will appear to deliver Boons: powerful upgrades to your attacks, movement, weaponry, chance modifiers, and beyond. These feel improved on Hades strong foundations;
theres a great variety on offer, and its rare that I really need a re-roll to find something useful.

Another noticeable difference is the increased focus on resource gathering. Doing away with the trade mechanics makes for much more rewarding progression materials, and theres a lot more to find within each region. Your familiars can help you here, with each specializing in a different resource (spirits, seeds, fish, and foliage) as well as helping out during combat. Which witch
is which?! (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Oft characterized in non-game lore as the goddess of ghosts, spirits, and sometimes nightmares, Melino is a wildly different protagonist from her brother Zagreus. She bears a glowing, enhanced arm capable of wielding
various Arcana card power-ups, and can use Magick to charge and cast enhanced abilities through Omega spells.

Like your regular abilities, Omega spells have a further set of Boons, allowing you to build around your powerful charged attacks instead of just amping up your base damage. Alternatively, you can pretty much ignore your spells altogether if you prefer button-mashing your standard attack, special, and cast; the game rewards you for playing well, not for playing every feature.

Now, the cast has switched to an area of effect (AoE) crowd control move; you can sit in it to slash at enemies on the border or build it up to be a damage-dealing trap for your enemies. This is vital, and certainly the most significant change to combat at a base level. Using it well, and often, is
key to surviving with enough strength for bigger battles, especially in later levels where youre contending with hordes of the undead or fiddly ranged attackers.

Theres a great, gradual progression arc to power up throughout the game, and
I found myself genuinely surprised on multiple occasions that there was still more to unlock.

Once again, there are keepsakes, weapon unlocks, and enhancements you can build into your runs to make your attacks hit even harder. Best bit (Image credit: Supergiant Games) Eris is a real pain to tackle the first few times, but hoo boy, is it fun to thrash her once you learn the ropes. Shes not as punishing as late-game bosses like Prometheus, but theres a satisfying knack to timing your dodges and landing hits.

From an enormous, badass battle-axe to skulls that land with a BOOM!, Melino uses a mix of ranged and melee weapons to tackle her foes, but with way less mobility than her older brother. Theres no more double dash, but you can always use the new infinite sprint to zoom away from danger. Still, combat feels satisfyingly snappy, just with a greater emphasis on positioning.

Mel also swaps God Calls for Hexes, gifts from Selune that can be upgraded
via a skill tree as you journey onwards. Personally, Im a fan of the health regen Hex, which can be leveled to stack across regions and deliver huge amounts of health; particularly useful when youre running with a squishier
Mel build.

Each of these changes feels meaningful, and not just to differentiate Hades 2 from its successful predecessor. Plus, theres so much variety and depth to each run that theres no point in banking on specific builds; your Keepsakes can help pave the way for specific Boons, but youre up against greater odds than in Hades.

Thats doubly true when you contend with the great variety of enemies, mini-bosses, and bosses. Theres no one way to play Mel, and the combatants want you to remember that; some punish you for an over-reliance on dashing, some for sitting too still or getting too close; others, you just have to
hope youve built around strongly enough to kill before they can get you first (Prometheus, Im looking at you. Im judging you, in fact. Relentlessly.) On
the road again (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Calling the crossroads a liminal space feels at odds with the teeming life, love, and emotion housed in the battle camp Mel and her associates call home, but perhaps thats exactly the point. Here, in a space designed for passage, a band of heroes, villains, and gods alike from mythos find refuge and comfort from a world in a perpetual state of pre-apocalypse. Of course, thats all tinged by the undertones of the dysfunctional Olympian family tree, but if
you can look past the bickering siblings, Mel and Hecates mommy issues, and, of course, the many mortals left in the wreckage of godly pettiness, there
are some beautiful bonds formed at the crossroads.

From shopping to decorating and even gardening, theres a lot to do between runs. Hecate's cauldron offers permanent upgrades both in and out of runs,
and there are more interactive spaces like the salt baths and the fishing pier. Theres a huge amount of unlockable content and interactions here; characters react to the outcome of the previous run and even the items Mel takes with her to the field, making it genuinely rewarding to sit through dialogue.

Eris, Nemesis, Moros, and Icarus are the romancable options (at least, the only ones Ive encountered), but Id really encourage forming bonds with all of the main cast. Deep secrets and connections to other figures in mythos mean characters like Dora expand the universe even further and teach you more
about Mels history and identity. Greg Kasavin was not messing around when he put pen to paper for Hades 2 , though I do share some fans criticisms of the slightly rushed ending. (Image credit: Supergiant Games)

The world is, of course, more than its writing. Darren Korbs tremendous musical talents are once again in full force, providing a dramatic underscore to the on-screen action with even greater zeal. Jen Zee also delivered with some excellent refreshed character designs, each with subtle hints to the
more militant themes in the game.

Even Aphrodite now bears arms (though clothing still appears to be optional), and Zeus is armored up in preparation for the great battles on the horizon. New animations for character cards breathe life into the designs, aided of course by another stellar cast of talented voice actors.

Rolling credits for the first time is only the beginning; theres a lot more youll want to eke out of these relationships on your road to the true ending, and thats the real magic of the Hades 2 formula. It takes repetition and
makes it a thematic driver, pulling you deeper into the world of the Gods and their follies.

Hades 2 absolutely surpasses its predecessor in almost every way, building
on its success reservedly but meaningfully, and its a must-play game for all to enjoy. Its a masterpiece in its own right, though Mels story is
inseparable from Zagreus successes in more ways than one.

Should Supergiant choose to revisit the land of the gods with a sequel, Im once again left wondering how it could withstand its legacy, but with a fresh confidence that they can once again go the distance. Should you play Hades 2? Play it if...

You love fast-paced action
Punchy, zippy, and full of zest, the combat in Hades 2 is tremendously satisfying. Even with the new focus on positioning, theres a lot of speedy decision-making and dashing around to enjoy here.

You enjoyed Hades
Without being a straight repeat, Hades 2 captures the essence of what made
its predecessor so great: a stunning blend of story, style, and sticking it
to the man. The man is Chronos, and he is actually a concept, not a man.

You appreciate art and world-building
The creative powers behind Hades and its sequel are immense, and few games have enraptured me with artistic appeal quite as well as this. Don't play it if...

You hate repetition
While theres a lot less of it in Hades 2 , naturally, youll have to grind
your way through areas. The mid-game suffers the most here, but its a very temporary setback. Also, its kind of the whole point of roguelites. Accessibility

Within the settings, you have the option to toggle God Mode under the
Gameplay tab, which reduces the difficulty in the game, offering more damage resistance the more often you die. Alternatively, you can customize features like Auto-Fire/Auto-Sprint, Aim Assist, Dead Zones, and more to make gameplay more accessible. There are subtitles for both speech and song, as well as changeable vibration settings and visual effect settings. (Image credit: Supergiant Games) How I reviewed Hades 2

I got 50 hours of the game, unlocking both the main ending and rolling
credits on the true ending of Hades 2 using a Nintendo Switch 2 . I played it in both docked and undocked mode to see if legibility or performance is impacted by the screen size, comparing my experience against other
roguelites, including Dead Cells, The Binding of Isaac, Towa and the
Guardians of the Sacred Tree, and, of course, the original Hades .

I tried different settings, including God Mode, to see the impact on the
games accessibility and performance, and tried playing both with a Corsair Void Max Wireless v2 headset and through the Switch 2 speakers.

First reviewed September 2025



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