Oh no, Hades 2 is already sick as hell to play and it hasn't even entered early access yet

GamesActionHades 2Oh no, Hades 2 is already sick as hell to play and it hasn’t even entered early access yetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Hades 2 key art with Melinoe standing in front of Hecate looming behind her

Surprise! Hades 2 is finally here andplayable. Supergiant’s hack-and-slash, flirt-with-gods roguelike isa brief technical testaway from its Steam early access debut. I’ve slashed my way through its opening area and first boss and now I need more. Even though it’s clearly in an unfinished state, it’s good. Like,really good.

A small part of me was a little hesitant to see Supergiant do its first direct sequel. Every game since 2011’s Bastion has taken us to completely different worlds with new approaches to combat. I wasn’t even a huge fan of Pyre, but I respect any game that is brave enough to mix strategic action with sports game elements à la NBA Jam. Bastion was my favorite until Hades grabbed that torch and brought it into the realm of a roguelike action game wrapped in a story about a family of Greek gods and goddesses.

After playing a few hours of Hades 2, that small part of me has been proven wrong. The world absolutely needed another Hades, and Supergiant is already pushing the first game’s satisfying loop even further than before.

Zagreus and the rest of his family are gone. In Hades 2, you play as Melinoë, his staunch young sister, as she descends into the underworld hunting for Chronos, the Titan of Time. Melinoë is just as pissed off as Zagreus—you can press a button to brood after every run—but has a much stronger command over combat from the start.

Although her basic movement mirrors Zagreus' (plus the ability to sprint), her attacks can be modified for different effects using a new magick resource. With the Witch’s Staff equipped, you can hold the button for a special attack to transform it from a bolt of energy into a big bubble that explodes on impact. The risk, of course, is the time it takes to charge it up. Her cast ability normally drops a circle on the floor that roots enemies in place, but holding it down causes it to also deal a chunk of damage as it expires.

My action RPG build-obsessed brain has already started to connect the dots.

You can’t play Melinoë exactly like Zagreus because the creatures you face are nastier than the ones I remember in Hades' first area. Stages fill up with ghosts spewing projectiles and launching fists at you quickly and the only way to manage it all is to prioritize the most dangerous ones. It’s easy enough to dart between them in the early sections using her dodge (which leaves a streak of stars that retracts to visually communicate its short cooldown), but once the enemies get armor on top of their health, you have to carefully look for openings in their barrage of attacks.

Boons are back and can modify each layer of Melinoë’s abilities just as they did for Zagreus. Poseidon—who still has extreme uncle energy, don’t worry—turned my sprint into a tidal wave that crushed enemies as I ran into them for a small magick cost. I wasn’t able to pick up Apollo’s boon that restores magick while you stand in your ensnaring circle in the same run, but my build-obsessed brain has already started to connect the dots. My splashy sprint still synergized with a second boon that made my circle move with me, locking enemies in my path.

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Just like the original game, you’re going to die a lot. But don’t worry, that’s your ticket into the other half of the Hades experience: the chance to speak to more unbelievably hot gods and maybe even romance them. Each death sends you into The Crossroads, an outdoor hub with characters who will help you unpack what happened in the time between Hades 2 and the original Hades.

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(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)

(Image credit: Tyler C / Supergiant Games)