Man, I love Supergiant Games. I’m still of the opinion that they’re one of the best developers around, and every new game has been a delight ever since their debut with the amazing Bastion. Each new game has their style and sound all over it, but has offered an entirely new mechanical experience underneath. So I was a little nervous when they announced Hades 2, even though I gave the original a 10/10.
I stand by my score for Hades, by the way. It’s basically perfect, and that’s a bit of a problem when trying to make a sequel – how can you improve upon perfection? Hades 2 adds in a lot of new mechanical features to the game, with resource gathering, new people to meet, two separate paths to take in your adventure, and a more mechanically involved combat system as well. It’s just layer upon layer of stuff to do, and it can almost feel a bit overwhelming.
The general premise is pretty simple though. You take control of Melinoe, a mighty warrior and witch, and the daughter of Hades. You’ve been raised by Hecate, and it turns out that, while Zagreus in the previous game did get to sort stuff out for himself and his family, the problems were not over. Not a huge shock if you’ve paid any attention to Greek mythology, to be fair. Chronos has decided to wage war on the Gods, and has recruited the Titans to do so. He’s set himself up in Hell, while the other Titans are besieging Mount Olympus. Both of these things are bad, so you need to sort it out.
As you would expect, Hades 2 still plays fantastically well, a refined action RPG roguelike, though Melinoe doesn’t feel quite as slick as Zagreus did, in my opinion. She has a wider array of weapons to choose from, and a lot more layers to what boons you choose from the Gods to get upgrades and so on. The build variety is fantastic, and unless you’re actively seeking it out, you’ll be unlikely to play the same build more than a couple of times.
It still looks and sounds fantastic too, which isn’t a shock. Darren Korb has penned the soundtrack one again, and he’s one of the best in the business. The design is also steeped in style. Each new boss and monster is fantastic to look upon, and the horrors at the top of Mount Olympus are truly something to behold. So, it looks amazing, sounds exceptional, and it plays great… so what’s my issue?
Hades was sort of revolutionary, as one of the first roguelikes to use the gameplay mechanics to tell a really heartfelt story. Hades 2 is just another game that follows that form, and I don’t feel it tells the story quite as well, nor that the story is as interesting. It loses a lot of the heartfelt nature of Zagreus’ journey through the first game, and it results in one that’s just a bit more generic. You’re still overcoming trauma, sure, but the stakes are bigger, and I think that obscures some of the core themes that I’d like to see the game focusing on.
I also just think the cast of characters isn’t as good as the first one. While Melinoe is a fantastic protagonist, the supports aren’t as good, and I don’t think the bosses are either. I miss Theseus and the Furies, and instead we get Eris and her machine gun, or Scylla and her band. I like them all well enough, but I don’t love them.
To be honest, that’s how I feel about Hades 2 as well. It’s more technically and mechanically ambitious, and I appreciate that added depth and variety, but I don’t think it’s necessarily better for it.
Hades 2 is an undoubtedly excellent game, but it can’t quite escape the shadow cast by the original – I just know I won’t be playing this one as much as the first. That’s okay, of course, but it has me once again looking forward to Supergiant’s next original game, not what they’re doing now.
