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Hades 2 | Early Access OT | In the name of Hades, Olympus I accept this sequel!

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire



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Where can I play Hades II?​

Hades II is now available in Early Access on:· Steam· Epic Games Store

Hades II is also Verified on Steam Deck, Valve's portable gaming computer.

We do not have a release date set for the completed Hades II v1.0, and expect to be in Early Access at least through the end of 2024. We expect for Hades II to eventually be available for PC, Mac, and console platforms (though cannot confirm which platforms yet).

How much does Hades II cost?​

We are offering Hades II in Early Access for the retail price of $29.99 USD (with variance by region). Note that depending on the duration of Early Access and the scope of additional content we add to Hades II over time, we may raise the retail price at a later point.

If you purchase the game in Early Access, you'll automatically receive the complete v1.0 once it's available (you won't have to purchase the game again).

What can I expect from Hades II Early Access?​

Early Access means you can purchase and play a work-in-progress version of Hades II, and optionally contribute feedback and gameplay data that's invaluable to our team as we work to fulfill the game's potential. Feedback from our player community through the course of development was foundational to the design and vital to the quality of the original game, so we are reprising that type of process with Hades II.

The game already has at least as much content in Early Access as the original did back when it launched in Early Access on Steam. And, even though Early Access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we have done our best to ensure Hades II will be worth your while as soon as you play it.

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Similar to how we approached Early Access with the original, following our Hades II Early Access launch, we'll have several Major Updates adding the rest of the game's core content and refining what's there based on player feedback. The story will expand with each update, as we introduce more characters and add events with existing ones. This process will culminate in our v1.0 launch, which will feature the conclusion to the story and other finishing touches.

If you start playing Hades II Early Access, we are committed to making sure your save data works all through development, including once we launch v1.0.

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Should I play in Early Access, or hold off?​

For many players, it's a good idea to wait for the complete v1.0 before diving in, as we expect Hades II to grow and improve during Early Access, and the true ending of the story won't be available until then. But, if you like the idea of seeing the game evolve over time, and watching the story unfold more gradually, then Early Access is probably for you!

You may also want to hold out for v1.0 depending on which platform you'd like to play on, as Early Access is only on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

How does Hades II relate to the original game?​

Hades II is a direct sequel, set in and around the Underworld of Greek myth after the events of the original game. Chronos, the Titan of Time and the wicked father of Hades and his brothers, has escaped his imprisonment in the depths of the Underworld to wage war on Olympus. Can Time itself be stopped?

You don't need to know anything about the original game or Greek myth to enjoy Hades II. But if you do know the ins and outs of the original game or the classical mythology that inspired it, you'll find plenty of connections, as well as plenty of new challenges you'll have to learn to overcome. We want for players to experience a strong sense of discovery in Hades II, whether they are experienced with the original game or not.

Who is the protagonist of Hades II?​

In Hades II, you play as Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld, an immortal witch and sorceress with powerful magical abilities, deadly skill with a variety of shadowy weapons, and a score to settle.



Like her brother Zagreus from the original game, Melinoë is not a character of our own invention, and is based on an ancient Underworld deity thought to be related to Hades. What little ancient mythology exists about her was more than enough to make us want to explore her story and connection to her family, and in so doing, expand on our vision of the Underworld.​

Where can I get tech support for Hades II?​

We have a comprehensive Hades II Technical Support FAQ that's the best place to start if you're experiencing any issues with the game!

What languages does the game support?​

Hades II contains English text and voiceover, and includes full text translations in the following languages: German, Greek, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

How long has Hades II been in development?​

We started working on Hades II in earnest at the start of 2021.

What tech are you using to develop the game?​

We've been using our own tech and tools ever since Bastion, our first game. With each project, we've made significant investments and improvements to ensure our tools are as efficient as possible for our team, and that our game runs as smoothly as possible for as many players as possible.

Is Hades II a multiplayer game, or are there any plans for multiplayer?​

Like its predecessor, Hades II is a single-player game. We have no plans for multiplayer, as we are creating the gameplay and narrative of Hades II with a solo experience in mind.

Hades II complete early access F.A.Q is available here.

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Critic Reviews

VideoGamer - 10 / 10
Hades 2 carefully sandwiches more nuance between the original roguelike’s kinetic combat, gorgeous visuals, and heartfelt narrative. With each end comes an opportunity to clear an obstacle, deepen a bond, and inch closer to thwarting Chronos. It takes self-awareness and restraint to tiptoe between gluttonous choices and tactical depth. Hades 2 sprints on it. [Early Access Score = 100]​
IEven in its Early Access state, Hades 2 is just about everything one could ask for in a sequel to one of the best roguelites of all time. Featuring excellent refinements to its roguelite progression, a fantastic new main character in Melinoe, and two unique sets of levels that have you fighting foes on the surface and in the underworld. [Early Access Review Score = 90]​
You may be overwhelmed with how fast Hades 2 gets going. In its current state, it sort of assumes you know the room-to-room structure of the game already and that with every failed run, you'll come back more powerful and knowledgeable about the world and its characters. Hades 2, like the first game, is about the struggle of doing the impossible and the mistakes that hone your skills. You can even flip on 'God Mode' in the options to gain damage resistance after every death if it's too punishing for you. [Early Access Review]
Hades 2 is flawless, perfecting the roguelike genre in a way its predecessor almost managed to do. Its incoming additions aren’t required to complete it – this version of the game is refined, advanced, and wonderful. They will, however, enhance an already breathtaking experience beyond comprehension. [Early Access Review]​
Supergiant's first ever sequel may feel very comfortable and familiar, but Hades' best weapon remains the power of surprise. [Early Access Review]​
Hades II Early Access launch is better than I could have hoped. If this was version 1.0 it would be better than 95% of games launched in the past decade. As is they’ve said they’ll be working on the full launch through the end of 2024. If you enjoyed Hades then know that the sequel is, somehow, even better. [Early Access Score = 95]​
Like the game's own shrouded Narcissus, Hades 2 is already inviting and attractive, even in its unfinished form. [Early Access Review]​
I’ve no doubt in my mind that Hades 2 will dazzle next year when it hits 1.0. It feels incredible to play and looks like it’ll be a bigger, deeper, more personal adventure, and I can’t wait to see how deep Melinoe’s quest takes her. [Early Access Review]​
There's a little bit of polish left to apply, but given the sheer increase in scope between Hades 2 and its predecessor, that's more than understandable. A hugely ambitious roguelike, with an improved progression loop and grander narrative, but the same ruthlessness in play and charm in worldbuilding as the original, makes this an astounding early access success.​
At first, I had my doubts, but now I cannot wait to see how it’s built upon in the year to come, and exactly where these stories and characters will go next. Every single run has memorable dialogue, new discoveries, and deepening relationships with a pantheon worth fighting for. If Hades 2 can keep up this momentum, we could have yet another classic on our hands. [Early Access Review]​
We’re just entering Early Access now, so I’m sure Supergiant will be constantly adjusting the game’s balance and adding even more features – there were several updates even during our preview period that added stuff like Hestia’s finished artwork (my favorite of the Greek gods). Personally, I’d like to see an expanded training ground with the ability to test out combinations of boons and weapon upgrades you’ve received in a run. Given that Hades II’s boons make much smaller adjustments to your playstyle individually, it’d be nice to be able to experiment in a safe environment. Hades II should enter public Early Access soon after you read this, if it’s not already, so if you’re not saving your experience for the final game it’s already well worth jumping in. [Early Access Review]​
I don’t know what your definition of a perfect sequel is, but according to mine Supergiant Games is currently cooking one with Hades 2. [Early Access Score = "Recommended"]​
I spent 25 hours on Hades 2 and loved every minute of it. Triumphant once does not conclude the story but constitutes the beginning of a new chapter that I am looking forward to devouring. This early access, in addition to providing colossal content, allows us to see that the developers at Supergiant Games have refined an already divine formula: gripping narration; a breathtaking rhythm and enjoyable and dense gameplay. There are still some that remain but Hades 2 already has everything excellent. He can already slip into the contenders for GOTY 2025, five years after his senior. For that, we will have to wait for the release of 1.0, scheduled for next year, to form a definitive opinion. Good thing we found the perfect way to kill time. [Early Access Review]​
Even in early access, Hades 2 already feels like a very polished and feature-complete game, though I’m sure there’s plenty more story content to be added in, and other little combat tweaks to come. More than anything, I find myself itching to play more to find out just what happened to Zagreus. But for now, I’m content to be back in the Underworld and to see what more this world has to offer. It’s nice to be home. [Early Access Review]​
Hades 2 has managed to improve upon every single aspect of the original. If you're a fan of difficult but rewarding rogue-lite exploration, where every run gets you closer to your objective, it's perfect. We can't wait to see the content Supergiant Games have up their sleeves for later in early access and the eventual full release. [Early Access Score = 90]​
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
I’m usually a “wait for the full release” kinda guy, but I’m so hyped for this game that I may just cave and grab it early.
 

Holammer

Member
I’m usually a “wait for the full release” kinda guy, but I’m so hyped for this game that I may just cave and grab it early.
I bought the last one when it finally hit Steam and let it stew for a year till it was finished. To me, Early Access is not much different from Kickstarter.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I could never get into he first one so I will be sitting this out. I hope a sequel or something more akin to Transistor is in the pipeline. That's their best work IMO.
kristen wiig gtfo GIF


I really loved Transistor too, but Hades was objectively better
 

reektann

Member
I’m sure early access used to cost less than the retail would cost as it wasn’t feature complete. I wonder if this will be £24.99 at 1.0.

I know I’ll buy it at 1.0 anyway, but if it was £16-£18 I likely would have bitten at early access pricing to try it a bit too.

Edit - I guess as they proved themselves with Hades they don’t really need to offer up at a lower price though.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I remember when early access used to cost less than the retail would cost as it wasn’t feature complete. I wonder if this will be £24.99 at 1.0.

I know I’ll buy it at 1.0 anyway, but if it was £16-£18 I likely would have bitten at early access pricing to try it a bit too.
From their Early Access statement

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?​

“Depending on the duration of Early Access and the scope of additional content we add to Hades II over time, we may raise the retail price at a later point.”

So the current price might well be cheaper than 1.0
 

GHG

Member
I’m sure early access used to cost less than the retail would cost as it wasn’t feature complete. I wonder if this will be £24.99 at 1.0.

I know I’ll buy it at 1.0 anyway, but if it was £16-£18 I likely would have bitten at early access pricing to try it a bit too.

Edit - I guess as they proved themselves with Hades they don’t really need to offer up at a lower price though.

Looking at the price trends for recent indie games, this might well end up being a $35-$40 final release.
 
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bender

What time is it?
So the current price might well be cheaper than 1.0

I kept reading this as cheaper than Hades 1. You caused a malfunction in my logic board.
I could never get into he first one so I will be sitting this out. I hope a sequel or something more akin to Transistor is in the pipeline. That's their best work IMO.

I've tried all of their games except Pyre and as much as I want to love them, the game play never clicks with me.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I've tried all of their games except Pyre and as much as I want to love them, the game play never clicks with me.
Pyre is the only game of theirs I was really disappointed with. After Bastion and Transistor, I knew anything coming out of this studio was an "instant buy" from me. So I bought Pyre at launch without looking into it too much, and what I got was a weird NBA-Jam-style basketball game with furries.

In fact, the situation with Pyre soured me so much on the Studio that I wasn't even planning on playing Hades when it came out. The Epic Games Store exclusivity of the game also pissed me off. I also wasn't into roguelikes.

However, this game totally changed my mind on the entire roguelike genre, and now it's one of my favorite types of games. They've earned back my "buy immediately" status for their games, and I'm now $30 poorer for it.
 

bender

What time is it?
Pyre is the only game of theirs I was really disappointed with. After Bastion and Transistor, I knew anything coming out of this studio was an "instant buy" from me. So I bought Pyre at launch without looking into it too much, and what I got was a weird NBA-Jam-style basketball game with furries.

In fact, the situation with Pyre soured me so much on the Studio that I wasn't even planning on playing Hades when it came out. The Epic Games Store exclusivity of the game also pissed me off. I also wasn't into roguelikes.

However, this game totally changed my mind on the entire roguelike genre, and now it's one of my favorite types of games. They've earned back my "buy immediately" status for their games, and I'm now $30 poorer for it.

I just always liked Greg K. and wanted to support his endeavors plus Supergiant's games oozed with style. I checked out after Transistor though and then gave Hades a whirl after al the buzz. I don't care for most of the indie roguelike/lite genre with the exception of Spelunky which is a Mount Rushmore game. Too bad that sequel sucked.
 
I loved Pyre and Transistor and I like Rogue-lites, but Hades never really clicked for me somehow.

I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either..
 
Didn't play the original. Is this the kind of sequel that makes the original obsolete, or the type where I should consider going back and playing it first?
 
How woke is it though. The first one was fine in that regard. Just the right amount of degeneracy, fitting to the setting, without actual obvious pandering.

Hades 2 has fat wheelchair Hephaestus...
 

SCB3

Member
Damn, shadow dropped in a way, I'll grab this now and wait for 1.0 as I loved the first game a lot, even though I never did 100% it
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Didn't play the original. Is this the kind of sequel that makes the original obsolete, or the type where I should consider going back and playing it first?
Mechanically it's an improvement over the first game.

Story-wise it's a sequel where some time has passed, something nebulous has happened to the main character from the first game, and you're basically on a quest to rescue him. So it's probably fine if you didn't play the first game, as this one has its own sort of separate story arc, but the story might not have the same impact since you won't know who the other / original characters are.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
I kept reading this as cheaper than Hades 1. You caused a malfunction in my logic board.


I've tried all of their games except Pyre and as much as I want to love them, the game play never clicks with me.
Pyre is their worst IMO, best one to avoid.
 
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Ogbert

Member
Interested to hear opinions.

Just watched for an hour or so on Twitch. I’ll obviously pick it up, but it does seem very similar to the first. Not seeing a huge amount of gameplay development.

Super polished though.
 
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JoduanER2

Member
I’m usually a “wait for the full release” kinda guy, but I’m so hyped for this game that I may just cave and grab it early.

For me is even more of a rule if Im excited for the game, I dont want to ruin the first experience with bugs, poor optimization or lack of content
 

John Bilbo

Member
I played for an hour. No bugs, frame drops or any kind of issues during that time. I got to the first boss.

Seems very solid.

The current version is 0.90279. They started working on the game in 2021 so 1.0 should not take forever.

Edit: The game supports uncapped framerate: it feels great at 165hz
 
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shigsy

Member
I’m sure early access used to cost less than the retail would cost as it wasn’t feature complete. I wonder if this will be £24.99 at 1.0.

I know I’ll buy it at 1.0 anyway, but if it was £16-£18 I likely would have bitten at early access pricing to try it a bit too.

Edit - I guess as they proved themselves with Hades they don’t really need to offer up at a lower price though.
Stig! <3
 

april6e

Member
Now the long, painful wait begins for the game to release 1.0. Man, I want to play this game so badly...the first game was a GOAT roguelite.
 
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John Bilbo

Member
Ultrawide support this time? Can anyone confirm?
iwyImyp.jpeg


I don't have ultra wide myself, but according to the interface options it seems there could be support for ultra wide but some scenes are not rendered in ultra wide.

I'd wait for confirmation though.
 

Buggy Loop

Member
iwyImyp.jpeg


I don't have ultra wide myself, but according to the interface options it seems there could be support for ultra wide but some scenes are not rendered in ultra wide.

I'd wait for confirmation though.

Ugh, seems like the "art" replacing the black bars like the first one..

Anyway, easily fixed with a mod. Wish it was native support.
 

clarky

Gold Member
Didn't play the original. Is this the kind of sequel that makes the original obsolete, or the type where I should consider going back and playing it first?
Play the first one it's awesome and its probably cheaper now. Its also a complete game. If you like that then jump in on this after.
 

Agent_4Seven

Tears of Nintendo
Bought it as soon as I saw Steam promo after launching Steam. I see Supergiant's game, I buy it cuz it's that simple... well, except maybe Pyre which... I just don't like the gameplay concept.

Need to goddamn finish the first one, maybe this year during the summer drought after Elden Ring's Expansion.
 
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Dr. Claus

Banned
How woke is it though. The first one was fine in that regard. Just the right amount of degeneracy, fitting to the setting, without actual obvious pandering.

Hades 2 has fat wheelchair Hephaestus...
That is my biggest worry. Hades 1 is a classic. Hades 2 already rubbed me the wrong way.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Ultrawide support this time? Can anyone confirm?
Game actually supports ultrawide out of the box! With the caveat that when you're chatting with other characters or in the menu, it goes to a forced 16:9 which looks a bit odd. Gameplay works in 21:9 and 32:9 and looks fabulous.
 

T4keD0wN

Member
The new "base" is not as cool thematically, but damn, the new cast skill and hold attacks are so much fun to use.

In-game roadmap sounds promising, i am going to put this down until 1.0 because id probably have difficulties coming back to the first game if i keep playing.
 
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