Hades II Review
Not every follow-up to a game I hold dear has disappointed me, but Hotline Miami 2 is a prime example of why I'm a bit skeptical when I see developers announce sequels. As such, Hades II had me conflicted from the start. I have loved every Supergiant Games release so far, but this was the studio's first sequel. Would it be the first time a developer I love plays it safe by just delivering more of the same? That wouldn't be bad on paper, given Hades' storytelling and superb gameplay, but I was still skeptical at first.
Hades was the first roguelike since Spelunky that really got its hooks into me. The combination of Supergiant's storytelling, incredible interface design, superlative music, meticulously crafted character designs, sublime animation, and the best-in-class gamefeel had me coming back for more over many years across multiple platforms.
Hades put you in the shoes of Zagreus, son of Hades, as he attempted to escape the underworld to reunite with his mother. This was no easy task, and thanks to some divine intervention in the form of gods who are colorful characters with their own boons, Zagreus grew stronger and made it deeper each attempt and eventually dealt with Hades. Hades somehow made those gods feel not only divine, but also humanized them with distinct personalities and strong character development over the many escape attempts.
Hades II builds on the first game’s foundations in just about every way. It is still an isometric action roguelike, but the degree to which the studio has built on the original makes it feel like we have gotten two sequels in one. Hades II feels like a confident evolution of the talent at the studio that belies the fact that it is Supergiant's first sequel, which also happens to be its magnum opus. Until this month, Transistor was my favorite Supergiant Games release. That changed with Hades II.
I will say that if you've played your fair share of the original Hades, you might have to spend a bit of time getting accustomed to the new playstyle and in-game systems in the sequel, but I've enjoyed swapping between both games over the last few weeks as I was preparing for this review..
Instead of Zagreus, you play as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, and also Zagreus' sister. Despite appreciating how Hades II complements Hades, I think Supergiant did a fantastic job in making this accessible to newcomers when it comes to its story and world. As Melinoë, a witch, you explore a darker, but more luminescent world in your journey to kill Chronos, the Titan of Time. Killing Time isn't easy, though, and this is where the Olympic gods (and some other surprises) will come to your aid.
As a sequel, Hades II isn't just more Hades, but a lot more Hades. Your journey doesn't just take you down a handful of dungeons separated by multiple rooms and enemies, but two massive paths that feel quite different. As you dig deeper and learn the ins and outs of combat by taking down stronger foes and bosses, you will soon get into a groove with a weapon and boons you like, and start working towards making progress deeper into the depths or moving upwards on the surface route.
The surface route isn't available immediately, and without getting into any spoilers, it feels like the second and harder half of Hades II with how it throws you into rooms with more complex enemy encounters, stressful battles, larger bosses, and basically turns the challenge to eleven. You will also find yourself prioritizing different things on each run, and this is another area Hades II feels more varied than the original game.
One of Hades II's biggest strengths is how it keeps you on your toes, even as someone who has rinsed the original game. Getting over muscle memory is important because not only does Melinoe play differently, but the combination of new weapons, the magic system, Arcana cards (this game's equivalent of the Mirror of Night), and a plethora of enemies and bosses means you are in for an experience that feels equal parts familiar and fresh.
But Hades II isn't just about enhancing the systems from the original. It has new ones with familiars who help you during battles and gathering resources. These resources also involve seeds you can plant, but the real draw is the alchemy system, where you can cast incantations to not only make your life easier, but also unlock more of the game's mechanics over time. Supergiant doesn't just pay lip service to the idea of Melinoe being a witch. Everything about Hades II has a witchy vibe to it. Be it through menus, gameplay systems, or the core combat, everything in Hades II involves magic in some form.
Hades II's visuals deserve praise for a lot of reasons. Those familiar with Supergiant Games’ work will know how amazing Jen Zee's art is, but Hades II is a cut above in its animations, art, effects, and also for the general art direction that also applies to every interface and menu button. Everyone usually praises Atlus, deservedly so, for its stunning UI work, but I think Supergiant deserves to be mentioned in the same vein. While there are loads of great NPCs and gods in Hades II, the one I think has remained my favorite since I first played Hades II is Nemesis. Nemesis' towering and well-built design perfectly complements her brutally blunt personality, and her voice actor elevates the character to be one of my favorites in Hades II. I never tire of her interactions with Melinoe.
For the 1.0 launch, I had access to not only the Switch 2 Edition of Hades II, but also the Steam and Switch 1 versions. Hades II is a polished experience across all systems, and I covered the differences and more in my dedicated article, which you can read here. Rest assured, Hades II will not disappoint you across Steam Deck, Switch, ROG Ally, or Switch 2 when it comes to portable play. If you want the best experience for playing on your 4K TV, the PC version is the way to go right now.
Supergiant's debut game, Bastion, was praised for its art, but the real star of the show was the audio. Darren Korb (music & sound) and Logan Cunningham (voiceover) are the two major reasons I became a fan of the developer back then. It has been amazing seeing both of them with other talented folks over the years deliver unique, memorable, and sublime audio in each game. In that regard, Hades II turns things up to eleven. Darren's composition work surprised me a lot over the course of the game's soundtrack with his own performances and many guests like multi-instrumentalist and producer Louis Cole alongside Pau Figueres (an incredible Spanish guitarist).
The audio themes in Hades II feel darker, more industrial, with more distorted guitars, and odd time signatures aplenty (perfect for the narrative), and Scylla and the Sirens' vocal performances will no doubt be a fan favorite (if that hasn't already happened through the early access). They serve as Hades II's equivalent to the Fury Sisters, with how memorable they are early on as bosses. Hades' score felt influenced by Megadeth, and while a lot of what I loved from that score is present here, Hades II brings in vibes of doom metal, Black Sabbath, Mastodon, and Dream Theater.
I haven't regularly played guitar for a few years now, but getting deep into Hades II for this review and listening to the music so often got me to get my acoustic and 7-string guitars out of storage. Thank you for that, Darren. Also, if we don't get a full-on metal album from Darren Korb in the future for both Hades games, I will be very disappointed.
Music aside, Hades II's voice cast delivers in spades, but I want to highlight the performances from Becca Q. Co (Nemesis), Logan Cunningham (too many to list), Darren Korb (many characters), Sarah Grayson (Selene), and Ben Starr (Prometheus) for making Hades II feel as grand and majestic as it could be accompanied by the rest of the audio.
After putting in more than 40 or so hours into the 1.0 version of Hades II on top of a few dozen back in early access, there isn't a thing I dislike about it. Even the few songs I thought weren't great to listen to outside the game grew on me. Hades II is a more confident, polished, mechanically enhanced, and content-packed release that instantly is one of the best games of 2025.
Hades II joins Fantasy Life i as my two favorite games of 2025, and the former is also the best game you can play on your Switch 2 alongside Donkey Kong Bananza right now. It is a triumph in every way, and I can't wait to put in over a hundred more hours because it looks and feels so damn good throughout.