Hades II’s early access gives an in-depth look at this phenomenal sequel

Warning: There are some Hades II early access spoilers ahead.

I’ve been playing Hades II‘s early access on my ROG Ally, and it’s been such a great time. Occasionally, I play on the handheld, but I often connect my ROG Ally to my TV and play with a controller.

You play as Melinoë, the little sister to Zagreus from the original game and the daughter of the God of the underworld, Hades, and his wife, Persephone.

This game has the same cycle as the original Hades, where you go forth each night on your adventure; however, this time, Melinoë is trying to break into the House of Hades instead of escaping to the surface like her elder brother. In the House of Hades, it’s believed that the titan of time, Chronos, has trapped her family and is waging war on Olympus.

Surprisingly, with this early access, you can get down to the House of Hades and fight against Chronos. I’m currently trying to fight Melinoë’s grandfather (and also her great-grandfather on her mother’s side 😲) but haven’t been able to beat the titan yet.

The early access also has another area allowing you to go up to the surface and fight your way to Olympus, although I was stopped in my tracks by one of the daughters of Nyx, Eris, the goddess of discord, who has teamed up with Chronos.

I love that this game is much larger than the original Hades, offering different routes when stuck. I hate facing a difficult boss and have to keep circling back to it repeatedly. This actually happened to me in the first title, so I never beat it. However, when I’m having trouble with Chronos in this game, I go back up to the surface, fight against another series of bosses, and start losing against Eris instead.

Hades II also has a lot more to offer. There’s a resource-gathering system in which Melinoë collects seeds, iron, fish, and more and uses them to concoct incantations in a cauldron— very ‘double, double toil and trouble.’ This is cool and offers a way to change the game, and there’s even an Arcana system that allows you to add an assortment of passive buffs to Melinoë. This goes far more in-depth than what was available in the original game, and it’s fun to collect the resources needed to level up the Arcana.

Hades II also has so many Gods and characters — it’s insane. Some of the gods who give you boons (or power enhancements) are the same as the original title, like Poseidon, Zeus and Demeter, but there are many new ones, such as Apollo, Hephaestus, and Hestia. Interacting with the gods and goddesses is fun, especially since most are related to Melinoë, but some are meeting her for the first time. There are also many more bosses, this time from Gods, mythological figures and more. As someone who loves Greek mythology, I haven’t come across a figure I haven’t recognized, but there are some deep cuts that many probably won’t know.

The title also has five unique weapons you can customize and change up slightly, and there will be at least one more when the full game launches. You also have new Omega moves that are activated when you hold down either your attack, special or cast buttons. Omega moves, your regular moves, are special commands given to you by a certain goddess and make the combat fun and change things up compared to the original title. Some boons add effects to your moves, but there are others, as well as the return of the Daedelus Hammerm that can completely change how you use your weapon.

This is just early access, so I don’t want to go too deep, but this is super impressive for a game that’s not even out yet. Hades II has more characters, more in-depth combat, and a lot more fun. I’ve done more than 60 nights trying to get through this game, and I’m eagerly waiting for my next trip to the surface or down into the pits of Hades.

Supergiant Games might have released my favourite game of the year, and it’s probably not even fully coming out until next year.

Expect MobileSyrup to do a full review of Hades II when the game officially launches.

Image credit: Supergiant Games