Hades 2 Primer: What to know before 1.0

⚠️ This page mixes confirmed information with industry rumors and speculation. We’ll keep it updated as new details and leaks come to light.

Hades 2 sees developer Supergiant Games branching out into sequel territory for the first time, expanding on the studio’s beloved 2020 roguelike hit. Hades 2’s has arrived, and we’re here to help any players feeling unprepared or on the fence about diving in without experiencing the first game.

So, if you never got around to Supergiant Games’ original underworld adventure and are worried about having to do homework, or if you’re a longtime fan waiting for 1.0 and wondering what new boons and battles Hades 2 is bringing to the table, we’ve got you covered.

The Escapist recaps

• Hades 2 is Supergiant Games’ first sequel, and its stakes are much higher.
• The story in Hades and its sequel is delivered in short, character-focused bursts between runs.
• Hades 2 was much closer to completion than the first game when launching in early access.
• Hades 2 is a timed exclusive for Switch 2 and PC.

The story so far

Hades’ story is mostly an internal, self-driven one, allowing players to hop into the sequel without fear that they’ve missed too much lore and context. 

That being said, the basic pitch for the series can be useful in determining which game would be preferable as a starting point.

Prince Zagreus, son of Hades, lord of the dead, has had enough of his stifling underworld existence, resolving to break out of his father’s realm and reach the surface world. He isn’t alone on this journey, being aided from afar by his family on Mount Olympus. 

What initially seems like a straightforward act of rebellion becomes much more complex, as players struggle through run after run, gradually learning more of what compelled Zagreus to strive for the surface in the first place.

While Hades’ story was very internal, Hades 2 ups the stakes considerably, placing this fractious family of gods in real peril. Lord Hades has been kidnapped by the Titan of Time, and the Olympian Gods cannot directly help as their home is under siege, prompting new protagonist Melinoë to attempt to aid both.

While this is bad news in-world for pretty much all involved, the war on two fronts gives the game a greater sense of scale and provides players with the freedom to tackle multiple challenges.

Hades 2 pushes in a more dire direction than its predecessor, but is no less enjoyable for it. Both games centre around reunions and protecting and coming to terms with family, but under drastically different circumstances.

New features, old favourites

Hades 2’s roguelike gameplay expands on the original with deepened, slightly more methodical combat, additional varied stages to explore, a larger roster of menacing foes, and a host of new character customisation elements. The wide variety of custom playstyles emerging over the course of a run that have made Hades so beloved is still very much intact, however. 

Melinoë’s multiple fighting styles, wielding the weapons of Night and godly boons, are reminiscent enough of the first Hades game to ensure returning fans will be right at home. However, Hades 2’s combat is distinct enough from Zagreus’ gameplay to cut repetition off at the head and allow Supergiant’s first-ever sequel to stand as a true evolution.

The full set of Hades 2 characters is also more expansive than the first game’s. New members of both the Olympian pantheon unseen in Hades, such as the sun god Apollo and forge-master Hephaestus, and major figures of the underworld like Hecate and Nemesis all make an appearance here. 

Supergiant’s sequel blends the old and the new with its cast of characters, allowing players to check in with returning favourites like Dionysus in Hades 2 and see how their stories have progressed, as well as pushing brand new perspectives and intriguing relationships to the forefront.

Just one more story

Players coming fresh to the Hades series from other roguelikes or RPGs can rest assured that, alongside their blistering action, Hades and its sequel contain story and character development aplenty. Though granted, this may not seem the case at first due to the game’s incremental progression system.

Hades and Hades 2 each carefully balance story against spectacular action. Their primary plot and budding relationships between characters develop between each run, successful or otherwise. 

Whenever you die during a run, you’ll return to a hub level: The House of Hades in the first game and The Crossroads in Hades 2. At this point, short new interactions with a cast of NPCs will unlock, sometimes with additional gameplay requirements. These short scenes eventually add up into layered, long-term arcs and are the beating heart of Supergiant’s Hades games.

For returning fans of the studio, it can be easy to assume at first that the Hades games don’t match the depth of character writing and plot of Supergiant’s previous titles. But rest assured, that assumption will be blown out of the water once settled into the game’s rhythm and structure. 

What’s more, if you see a character who you heavily suspect has a questline, but it just won’t seem to trigger, don’t worry, it almost certainly isn’t a bug. The Hades games’ slow-burn pacing can take some getting used to, but the results are always rewarding. Take your time with Hades 2, and you’ll eventually be able to get to know even the most closed-off characters. 

Ending early access

Players paying only cursory attention to the fresh buzz around Hades 2 could be rightly confused; didn’t the game already have a surprise launch back in 2024? 

Not quite. As with the first game, Hades 2 has been brewing in early access ever since its announcement, but it launched in an unusually complete state for the service. The first Hades entered early access in a comparatively less finished condition, with progress only available through the first two of an eventual four major biomes.

Thanks to Supergiant’s experience developing the first game, Hades 2 was a markedly more polished product on its early access launch, feeling much closer to the state of Hades at its broad 1.0 launch than its first steps through early access. 

The consequence of this extra development time is a feature-rich game, with regular Hades 2 updates across the early access period, building on the already impressive scaffolding of Hades to deliver the most long-lasting Supergiant experience yet.

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