It’s been over a month and I still can’t stop playing Hades 2. Which is a good thing, because Supergiant hasn’t slacked in its regular updates for the super sexy dungeon crawler. Its first patch cemented why I love the studio’s approach to game development so much, while the second is a bittersweet reminder of exactly how much early access can change a game like this. Not in any negative way. If anything, I am embracing every little tweak.
Supergiant has said that almost every single alteration in this update was spawned from its community feedback, such as changes to how certain boons, items, and mechanics work in the grand scheme of things. It’s all a case of balance, or responding to issues or concerns to make Hades 2 the most satisfying game it can possibly be. If that means changing resource gathering systems or core ways in which Melinoe plays, then so be it. Part of me was a little worried that, at first, Supergiant would make major changes to a game I’ve already put 30 or more hours into, but when immersing yourself in an early access game, that comes with the territory.
Even With A Roadmap, Every Hades 2 Update Is A Cool Surprise
I never considered this before, but early access updates to a game like Hades 2 are similar to how fans of live-service games like Fortnite or Destiny 2 respond to how they evolve over time, reacting in real time to strange bugs, overpowered weapons, or content which no longer has a place.
You have to imagine Supergiant will phase out some of the specific dialogue you’ll encounter when defeating Chronos for the first time or reaching the end of runs where new zones will exist in the months to come. It’s only a matter of time until those vestigial limbs no longer have a purpose, and will become a fascinating piece of lost media that doesn’t just function as this placeholder asset, but a unique facet of storytelling in itself. Seeing that change is so cool.
As for this second update, it isn’t even a major one, but it shifts and changes so much that it acts as the bedrock for new zones, characters, and weapons to come. It will play a crucial role in the finished product, and that alone is worth paying attention to. My advice for Hades 2 in early access is not to worry that you are playing an incomplete game, but a game that is learning lessons each and every day, and you are watching it transform and take risks right in front of your eyes despite it already being an excellent experience out the gate. It worked in the original game, and now Supergiant is taking that strategy and running with it.
For starters, you will now encounter an additional Olympian each night, meaning every run will outfit you with an additional boon if you choose to take it. This would in theory make the game way easier, but additional adjustments have been made to select boons to make sure that everything runs smoothly. And even if it doesn’t, that’s what updates like this are for. It’ll give me an opportunity to hear more dialogue, meet more characters, and likely shake up all the builds I’ve been using to this point in terms of boon synergy.
Every New Update Brings With It New Art That Helps Hades 2 Feel More Alive
Melinoe’s weapons have also changed, made stronger and weaker in some cases to make sure all the Nocturnal Arms and their respective upgrades and permutations are fun to use. I found myself outright ignoring a few of them after a couple of runs because they just weren’t very fun or effective to use, and I have to imagine Supergiant is looking at these stats and trying to figure out how to right the ship a little bit.
A number of abilities linked to all your weapons found on each run have also been modified, likely so they gel nicely with your boons and don’t turn our heroine into an unstoppable titan killing machine too quickly. Some things have been slightly altered, while others have been completely eradicated, but I can’t say I’ll miss them when the replacement is just as interesting to delve into.
Placeholders are inevitable in early access games like Hades 2. Supergiant has priorities, so sometimes major character designs or smaller things like individual keepsakes have to wait until future updates. There are countless gods in Hades 2 right now who are represented by nothing but coloured capes, while certain objects both in some of the menu screens and out in the world are depicted using old assets, and we’ll see many of them replaced in the future.
But that’s all part of the fun, and a part of this game I’ve come to accept, as I signed up for a year of early access, I’m more than willing to get invested in it. I already love how it plays, how it looks, and the stories it is telling, so I’d be foolish not to trust what Supergiant has in store for all of it.
Hades 2
Hades 2 is the sequel to Supergiant Games' smash-hit roguelike dungeon crawler. This time you'll play as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and Zagreus' sister, as she takes on the forces of the Titan of Time.
