The Supergiant Games team has announced that Hades II is now available in its Early Access version. The game had a technical test a few weeks ago that ended on April 29th, and it is now available for all players on Steam and Epic Store.
Hades 2 Early Access Is Here
In recent weeks, Supergiant held a technical test for Hades 2, a closed test before its release in Early Access, to ensure that everything worked correctly and there were no technical issues. Shortly after, the game was released, following the same strategy as its predecessor: it is released in Early Access, where it will likely be for more than a year before its final release in version 1.0 on PC and also consoles.
But of course, expectations are sky high, after its predecessor, Hades, was the 2020 GOTY, winning dozens of awards and hailed as the best roguelike game of all time. Hades 2 in Early Access is larger than the final version of the first Hades.
The sequel will be played similarly: same roguelike action structure in a top-down view, but with new weapons, powers, and enemies, as well as a new character, Melinoe.
You Don’t Need To Play Hades 1 First
You can easily jump into Hades 2 without knowing what happened in the first game or how it was played. But I would say you should stop right now and play it. It’s not that you can’t appreciate Hades 2 as a newcomer, it’s that the two games are similar enough for you to first enjoy the complete experience.
Hades 2 takes place some time after the first game and is centered around Melinoë instead of Zagreus, although the two are siblings and share the same basic combat abilities. The family of gods at the heart of Hades 1 no longer exists, and Hades 2 is a story about what they left behind. If Hades 1 was a heated and anguished fury, Hades 2 is a slow-burning furious rage.
If you already know the game’s structure from room to room and that with each failed run, you’ll come back stronger and with more knowledge about the world and its characters. Hades 2, like the first game, is about the struggle to do the impossible and the mistakes that hone your skills. You can even activate ‘God Mode’ in the options to gain damage resistance after each death if it’s too tough for you.
Is It Worth Buying Now or To Wait For Version 1.0?
Supergiant confirms that, at a minimum, it will be in Early Access throughout 2024, but “for now, it’s too early to know when version 1.0 will be released.
“However, what is available now in Hades 2 is more than what was in Hades in its final version: more environments, enemies, voiced characters, and almost two and a half hours of soundtrack (also available for purchase separately).”
You won’t see the “true” ending of the game, but what’s there guarantees hours and hours of underworld raids, mixed with “heart-wrenching” narrative telling the story of Melinoe, Immortal Princess of the Underworld (sister of Zagreus), who must defeat Cronos, Titan of Time, with the help of the rest of the gods of Olympus.
“Just like with the original, we designed Hades II for Early Access from the ground up and look forward to hearing your feedback on everything we’ve done so far and integrating that feedback into our plans for the rest of production.”
Hades 2 Update Roadmap Explained
The first major Hades 2 update is coming later this year. Supergiant has stated that it will take some months following the game’s initial launch, so expect to hear more about the patch sometime this summer.
Currently, the following features are being worked on. Not all of these are guaranteed to be included in the first major update, but these will be the first things added to Hades 2 during the early access period.
- New region
- Crossroads cosmetic and decoration update
- New main weapon
In addition to these major new features, new story, music, and artwork will also be added to Hades 2 as well. Supergiant Games wants to get a better feel for early access development before providing a more concrete roadmap and timeline for updates, so stay tuned for more information.
You can check the current Hades 2 roadmap at any time by clicking “Coming Up Next” on the game’s main menu.
Supergiant Games also revealed that the roguelike sequel will be in early access “at least through the end of 2024,” because it’s currently “too early” to place a date on the 1.0 launch.
For more Fextralife news, be sure to check out Hades 2 Has Finished The Technical Test & Seems To Be Ready for Early Access and Gaming News – Elden Ring Future DLC, Manor Lords Sales, Dune: Awakening Leaks, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Trailer
