The Review
Hades II entered Steam Early Access in May 2024 and immediately set a new benchmark for what an Early Access roguelike can look like. You play as Melinoe, sister of Zagreus, fighting upward through the underworld toward the Titan Chronos. The tonal shift - from a son escaping a demanding father to a daughter on a war footing - gives the sequel a darker, more mythologically dense flavor that rewards players who want lore alongside loot.
The combat has expanded considerably. Melinoe's six starting weapons each have distinct movesets, and the Arcana Card system replaces the Mirror of Night with something that feels more strategic at the meta level. Biomes feel more varied than Tartarus-Asphodel-Elysium - the surface world introduces entirely new visual and mechanical environments. Boons from returning Olympians have been rebalanced, and new gods like Hephaestus and Hestia bring genuinely fresh build directions.
As of mid-2025, the game is still in Early Access with Supergiant actively shipping major content patches. Existing content is polished to a degree that embarrasses many finished releases, but the story is incomplete and some late areas feel thinner than the opening acts. If you need a complete narrative, wait. If you want one of the best-playing roguelikes on the market right now - even unfinished - the answer is obvious.
