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For the first time, Supergiant Games is making a direct sequel. The developer behind Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre is now working on Hades II, a follow-up to the 2020 roguelike Hades. Having played the technical test, Hades II is already an exciting sequel with confident changes–below, we go over everything we know about the game, including when it’s coming out and what systems it’s coming out for.
If you haven’t checked out the original Hades, you absolutely should in preparation for the sequel. Hades is one of the best games of 2020, utilizing the trappings of a roguelike for an innovative take on storytelling with a reactive script that not many other games have been able to emulate (and those that do, don’t do it nearly as well). Plus, it’s got some of the best music and voice acting of any game out there, and it reimagines the Greek pantheon with incredible artwork–Hades II is bringing back many of the Greek gods and adding a few new ones.
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Now Playing: Hades II – Reveal Trailer
Table of Contents [hide]Release dateWhat we knowPlatformsPC system specsTrailersDLC/Microtransaction details
Release date
Hades II’s official launch date is still up in the air but the game is scheduled to release in early access in Q2 2024. The original Hades was in early access for almost two years, initially releasing in early access in December 2018 for PC before officially launching for PC and Switch in September 2020 and then Xbox and PlayStation in September 2021.
In a development update, Supergiant Games wrote, “Hades II will have at least as much content from day one in early access as the original game did back when it launched in Early Access on Steam. And, even though early access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to make sure Hades II is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity.”
Presumably, Hades II could have a shorter early access period since Supergiant is building on an already-established formula. In the aforementioned development update, the studio wrote, “We’ve approached development of Hades II knowing early access will be no less important this time, though now knowing a bit more of what to expect from early access development, as well as more about what a Hades game needs to be. We believe the timeframe we’re planning for will be the ‘sweet spot’ where the game is far enough along that player feedback won’t mostly consist of stuff we already know isn’t there yet, but isn’t so far along that it’s too late in development for us to act on the feedback we receive.”
After launching in early access, Hades II will–like the original game–receive several large content updates that expand the number of story events, introduce more characters, add new weapons and boons, and implement additional environments and musical scores. These updates will culminate in the 1.0 launch update, which will add the conclusion to Hades II’s story.
What we know
In Hades II, you play Melinoë, the sister of Hades protagonist Zagreus. In Greek myth, the relationship between Melinoë and Zagreus fluctuates depending on the story. In most incarnations, she’s his half-sister–both of them have the same mom (Persephone) but have different dads as Zagreus is Hades’ son while Melinoë is Zeus’ daughter. Yes, two brothers had children with the same woman. That’s Greek myth for ya.
There are versions of the story where they’re both Hades’ children, however, and Hades II seems to be implying that’s the case here, as Melinoë refers to the titular god as her father. But all of that should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Supergiant has a knack for using misdirection to subvert fans’ expectations in its stories and that could very well be the case here. The original Hades initially seemed to be about Zagreus trying to escape the Underworld to join the rest of the Greek gods on Olympus but was, in truth, a story of a boy trying to reconnect with his birth mother. So we won’t really know what Hades II is truly about until we’re playing it.
Unlike Zagreus, who was attempting to go up through the Underworld to reach the surface, Melinoë starts close to the surface and tries to descend deeper into the Underworld to find and kill Chronos, the titan of time, who has Hades captured. She’s aided by the goddess of witchcraft Hecate, the god of light Apollo, the personification of doom Moros, the personification of retribution Nemesis, and several other specters, gods, and titans–even Homer is a character in the game and the Greek poet seems to be the undisclosed narrator of both Hades games.
In terms of gameplay, Hades II plays a whole lot like its predecessor. It’s a roguelite action game in which you fight your way through hordes of enemies room by room, upgrading different weapons, finding and using the boons and magic of different mythological figures, and unraveling the twisted family dramas of the Greek pantheon. Though you do unlock permanent upgrades with each run, your progress toward reaching Chronos and the boons you possess are reset each time you die, encouraging you to adapt with each attempt as you strive to go further and further.
Platforms
So far, Hades II has only been confirmed for PC, releasing on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game is set to release for additional platforms as well, but they haven’t been announced. If the original Hades is any indication, we can assume Hades II will eventually make its way onto the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 and maybe even that rumored Switch 2, but that’s all hearsay until Supergiant confirms anything.
PC system specs
As part of Hades II’s technical test, Supergiant Games has released the minimum system requirements for the game. They are detailed below:
OS: Windows 10 64-bit (or Steam Deck)Processor: Dual Core 2.4 GHzMemory: 4 GB RAMGraphics: 2GB VRAM / DirectX 12 (Feature Level 12_0)
In a development blog post, Supergiant Games wrote that it will announce the full PC system specs for Hades II closer to the game’s early access launch.
Trailers
Hades II has one trailer so far, but it’s incredible! A mix of both cinematics and gameplay, the trailer introduces Hades II protagonist Melinoë, as well as a few of the gods and god-like characters she’ll meet in her journey to kill Chronos.
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DLC/Microtransaction details
The original Hades (and all of Supergiant’s previous games) did not have post-launch DLC or feature microtransactions so, presumably, Hades II won’t either. That said, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
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