Well, looks like I made a mistake. I was so engrossed in Supergiant’s Hades II that I forgot until now that I was supposed to write a blog post for class! I have two in the back that I’m working on, but I’m starting this third for one simple reason.
Hades II might be the greatest game I have ever played.
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I dare say it cracks the top ten. The way it builds off the first game makes such an exceptional duology that I can’t help but be obsessed with it.
For those who are unaware, Hades II is a game for PC, the Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The player takes control of Melinoë, the princess of the underworld and daughter of Hades and Persephone. Something has gone terribly wrong, and Chronos, the Titan of Time, has kidnapped her mother, father, and older brother Zagreus (the protagonist of the original Hades.) Melinoë is on a mission to fight the Titan and get them back.
Melinoë was theorized as a protagonist for the Hades series years before Hades II was announced, because as the goddess of nightmares and madness, she fit in very well with the themes of the underworld and is usually the daughter of Persephone in mythology.
Hades II was in early access for over a year, starting May 6th, 2024 and continued to be updated until the full release on September 25th, 2025.
And if you’re asking me why I’m reviewing this game two months late, it’s because the physical edition didn’t release until November 20th, 2025. Which was yesterday. I strolled into Target the day it was released, immediately bought a copy, and have been playing it non-stop since.
Yes, I waited two extra months for a box.
To start off, the characters feel complex and deeply motivated. Melinoë herself especially. Her family was taken when she was just a baby, and she has no memory of them— only knowing of her responsibility to find them. She was raised by Hecate, the witch of the crossroads, and has many other companions from Greek Mythology such as Odysseus, Nemesis, and Moros.
EPIC: The Musical fans are probably cheering right now.
The story is also intriguing so far, though I’m only about five hours in so I can’t make too much of a judgement on that— I just know that I want to do everything I can to help Melinoë on her quest, and that’s not just because I miss Zagreus!
The gameplay is where Hades II really shines. It’s a roguelike, which means that you push through levels until you die and then you start all over again, each time getting stronger and better at the game. I was never the best at the original Hades, so I’m glad that God Mode, where you gain more damage resistance the more times you die, returns. There’s a variety of weapons, so any player will be satisfied. The Sister Blades are speedy while the Moonstone Axe is powerful, and there are more weapons than this to unlock throughout the game. The gameplay is very similar to the original Hades, though the weapons are different and Melinoë herself plays extremely differently from Zagreus. Melinoë has access to magic, which Zagreus never did, which means that she can cast spells and make potions. She can even get animal familiars, which would make anyone who was obsessed with animals and witches as a kid very happy.
There’s no bond stronger than between a girl and her… frog?
The thing about this game is that it feels at once exactly the same as and incredibly different from Hades. It’s a different world, a different story, but my hands find the controls easily and I’m getting through the game a lot faster than I did the original Hades. I know how to work this game almost instinctively, and it feels like coming home to rest.
Melinoë is not Zagreus, but that’s because she shouldn’t be. We lived through his story years ago, and we enjoyed it immensely, but now it’s Melinoë’s turn to shine.
This game is a masterclass in how to make a sequel. The art direction is as stunning as the first game’s and the world feels just as alive as it did back then.
Zagreus from Hades.
Melinoë from Hades II.
That’s really what makes Hades and Hades II special. The way the world draws you in. You’re among legends, gods, and monsters, but to Melinoë and Zagreus, these are their friends and family. And they adore them more than anything.
Hades II is $29.99 on Steam or the Nintendo eShop, but the physical edition is $49.99 at most retailers if you’d prefer that.