Hades 2: Is It Worth Playing in Early Access?

In May 7th, 2024, Supergiant Games, the studio which released the highly acclaimed roguelike Hades in 2019 and who is also developing its much awaited sequel, Hades 2, publish the game on Steam in Early Access, and the community which build itself around this series and was thirsting for any more details on it entered a state of collective ecstasy.

Before anything else, let’s talk about the little we know, for now, of the story! And you don’t need to worry, we won’t get into spoiler territory, neither about Hades 2 nor the first Hades!

In the direct sequel to the first game, we play controlling Melinöe, sister to the previous one’s protagonist, Zagreus. After the events of the ending of Hades, the titan Cronos decimates our new protagonist’s family, and she swears to defeat him and get her revenge, alongside the Goddess Hecate and with the help of Boons, the temporary powers gifted to Mel by her aunts and uncles, the gods from Olympus, and that make up the build for each run, exploring the Underworld and defeating villains, hostile creatures and mythological beings, in a roguelike dungeon crawler with an addictive gameplay, just like its predecessor.

The game is similar to the first installment in several aspects, and at the same time approaches some other ones in quite different ways, that may or may not please those used to the gameplay as Zagreus. There’s not that much to be said for now since the game is not even close to being complete, but from now on, we’ll compare the similarities and differences between the two, review what has changed and answer the question everyone’s asking: Is it worth it to get Hades 2 while in Early Access?

What Has Remained The Same?

The aspects the two games have the most in common are undoubtedly the gameplay and the mechanics it entails, such as the Boons previously mentioned. The overall feeling of the game is definitely the same, you have a base camp where you are sent back to each time you die, and as you progress in the runs, going further and further into the Underworld, new cutscenes that tell the story are triggered, always following a death.

This base camp is where Melinöe talks with her mentor Hecate, has access to a merchant, to switching between weapons among the multiple options you unlock, and we even have a new training master, a character who is totally not Skelly, Schelemeus! Basically, the entire systems of stat improvements, equipment, weapons, etc., remains the same or similar enough.

Thankfully, one of the most important core aspects of the first game was also kept: Despite Cerberus’s absence, at least for now, each time Melinöe dies and returns to base camp, the player can (and, frankly, must) pet Frinos, the gigantic frog who hangs around Mel’s respawn point.

Other aspects which keep their previous excellence are the art direction and soundtrack. Hades’s art style became incredibly popular, incredibly fast, art communities on Twitter are filled with fanarts of characters from the most diverse and random franchises one can think of, drawn in Hades’s art style, and the soundtrack does not stay behind, having several scores who are absolute successes among fans - which are not few - up to this day. The original game was, actually, awarded in the Game Developer Choice Awards with Best Design, Best Audio and the award’s GOTY.

In Hades 2’s soundtrack, composed by Darren Korb (just like the first one) it’s worth mentioning songs such as the undisputedly fantastic Coral Crown, that immediately conquered the hearts of fans, and some others like Edge of Erebus and Risen Fleet, highlights to the eyes (or ears, putting it better) of fans addicted to the game and its music.

What Has Changed?

The Main difference between the two game’s gameplay is, likely, very intentional from the developer’s part. Zagreus is a fighter, trained for combat since he was little, while Melinöe is a witch, trained by Hecate (who was worshiped as the goddess of Witches). From this, a few differences in the dynamics of gameplay and combat stem from.

The game definitely gives off the feeling of being “slower” than the first. The weapons are weaker, the effects granted to you by the Boons are less powerful or less impactful in combat, comparatively, with a reduced number among them which really make a difference in the runs. The dash is significantly less focused on, with fewer improvements available, and this differentiates quite notoriously the dynamics of moving around if compared to the first title.

Now, we have a mana bar on top of our life one, and it’s now another resource we must keep an eye on. Mana is used by Mel to cast magic spells, and the attacks now have to be charged up, or otherwise they won’t do that much damage.

Due to the fact Melinöe is a witch and not a trained warrior, the differences in gameplay make perfect sense. We don’t know if it will remain this way or if it’s a balance thing which will be changed in the future, but everything points to the sequel having the intention of offering a new play style within the same setting and genre.

Another difference are the gods and mythological characters you’ll meet along your journey. Most of them merely show their faces again, such as Zeus, Poseidon, Artemis, Aphrodite (who has one of the best character designs in the game) and Hermes, but in Hades 2 we have the presence of gods the fans missed in the first one, such as Hephaestus and the very much requested Apollo.

From the mythological figures, it’s worth pointing out the presence of Odysseus, king of Ithaca and one of the great names from the Trojan War, that pleased players just as much as the presence of another hero from the same war did in the first Hades: Achilles.

In the Roadmap we have inside the game client, it’s indicated that Hades 2 will be in Early Access for the entirety of 2024, with a release date yet to be announced, but probably set to the first half of 2025. It’s also said that we will still get a big and significant update this year.

If you’re like myself, highly anxious and terribly in love with the franchise, very likely this question has an obvious answer, and you’re probably already exploring the Underworld alongside Melinöe. The bugs found so far interfere little or nothing at all in the gameplay, and evidence in an incredible way the fantastic work put in by the developers, delivering an already polished result.

However, if what you want the most out of Hades 2 is the story, and you want to experience it first hand when it’s complete, it’s not a good idea to get the game yet. Not even all the gods who show up to give you their Boons have been implemented yet, and definitely the final version will have many, many new additions, extra cutscenes, and the story told in a more rich way, as it’s expected from the masterpiece in Storytelling that is Hades.

On the other hand, playing from now will get you more used to controls and battles, and will for sure make your future experience with the game easier! A few adjustments and enhancements might be done, but the gameplay, Boons and weapons should remain the same, so practicing longer can assure you’re used to them when the full game comes out.

Overall, if you are not set on getting to know the story for the first time with it fully complete, buying the game in the Early Access stage is very much worth it! Even though it’s not yet complete, Hades 2 is another evidence of the mastery that Supergiant Games has at what they do, and of the care and attention from the developers with every aspect surrounding this IP which has quickly solidified itself as a must-play classic to fans of the genre.

Right after finishing this article, on June 4th, the second update patch for Early Access was released on Steam and the Epic Games Store, bringing with it, in the words of Supergiant Games, “many new UI icons and weapon-related balance changes aimed at enhancing core combat and related choices.” We’ll see if these changes will make the gameplay resemble the original Hades’s more closely, or keep making Melinöe turn into a different kind of protagonist than her older brother.

So, have you played any Hades 2 yet? What are you looking forward to seeing the most, be it in the Early Access or in the full game? Tell us below, and we’ll continue to keep an eye out to bring you future news!