Dec. 4, 2024
By Lucy Cardona
Editor
Adventure awaits with Hades II, which is one of the most addictive games I have played this year. Every waking moment, I wanted to play more of this wonderful piece of art. The game, made by SuperGiant Games, was released on May 6. Hades II has the nominations to back up its glowing reviews with a nomination for Most Anticipated Game in The Game Awards and Best Early Access Game by the Golden Joystick Awards. Hades II dives into the world of Greek mythology once again but with a magical twist.
In this roguelike dungeon crawler, players take on the role of the protagonist Melinoë (voiced by Judy Alice Lee), attempting to get to the depths of the Underworld in Tartarus to avenge her family who had fallen to the hands of Chronos, the titan of time. However, players can also choose to help the Greek gods by traveling through the surface to get to Mount Olympus. After deciding where to fight, players go through enemies, wave after wave, gaining boons from the Greek gods to power up until getting to a boss room.
This game is a rabbit hole of endless possibilities with new strategies around every corner, so if players want a game they can pour hundreds of hours into without breaking a sweat, then they should definitely give Hades II a try.
There are four separate boss rooms, Hacate who is Melinoë’s mentor, Scylla the Siren, Cerberus her three-headed dog who has been corrupted by rage and finally Chronos. These are the bosses players run into on their descent to Tartarus. Then, on the way to Mount Olympus, they fight Polyphemus the Cyclops, Eris the Goddess of strife and Prometheus the Titan, who gave humans fire. In total, players can explore eight boss rooms for both the Tartarus and Olympian paths.
Usually, in these boss rooms, players die because they are much more challenging than the normal waves of enemies and all have unique attacks and abilities that make them different every time they fight. After dying, players return to the game’s hub world: The Crossroads. From there, players can do tasks other than fighting, such as interact with the non-playable characters: Hecate, Melinoë’s magical mentor; Moros, the incarnate of doom; Nemesis, the Goddess of retribution and Odysseus, Melinoë’s tactician.
Also, in the hub world, the player can buy upgrades that will help future attempts. They can trade for resources, recite magical incantations to get healing, shop along their path or use tarot cards to gain extra power or bonuses such as the ability to dodge enemies’ attacks or start a journey with more health. This game is a rabbit hole of endless possibilities with new strategies around every corner, so if players want a game they can pour hundreds of hours into without breaking a sweat, then they should definitely give Hades II a try.
Nonetheless, this game is still a work in progress, which is evidenced by some of the still unfinished sprites and the most recent update, The Olympic Update, which adds new content, including the last boss on the surface, new music to go along with the new area and a new weapon.
While Hades II is still unfinished, the sequel will be one of the best games in the roguelike genre and a worthy follow-up to its award-winning predecessor. The live updates are new and exciting, along with the difficult but enticing game loop of constantly fighting enemies and improving players’ skills while gaining new upgrades.
The $30 game seems pricey at first, but it is well worth the money. If players like new challenges, a rich storyline and exciting characters, this game is for them. Since the game is still unfinished, it cannot get a 10. For now, Hades II is an 8/10, but it is definitely on the path to obtaining a perfect score once it is finished.
