Hades II

• 1. Introduction

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  Hades II arrived without warning on the 5th of May 2024, and a rival studio rearranged its calendar because of it. Evil Empire had planned to release The Rogue Prince of Persia on the 14th of May. It pushed the launch to later that month rather than compete with the surprise early access debut of the new game from Supergiant Games. Hades II is a roguelike action role-playing game dated 2025, and it is the first sequel the studio ever made. Its heroine is a new figure named Melinoë. A sequel to a hit invites hard questions. Why did the team decide to make one at all? Where did its new protagonist come from? And why did a game that critics met with near-universal praise end up facing an online backlash over its ending?

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• 2. Making a Sequel

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  By the time Hades reached its full release in 2020, after early access that began in 2018, it was the most successful game Supergiant had made. Even so, lead writer Greg Kasavin said the team had not decided whether it deserved a sequel. The studio has a habit. After finishing a game, the team asks which next project excites people the most.

  This time, many on the team felt that stories and mythological characters remained that Hades had never explored. That feeling tipped the choice toward a sequel. It also meant a first for the studio, so the developers wanted to expand on the original in meaningful ways without losing its core. Studio head Amir Rao named Portal 2 and Diablo II as sequels worth following. Work began near the start of 2021.

  The public learned about the project on the 8th of December 2022, when Hades II was revealed during The Game Awards 2022. A technical test followed in April 2024, giving players their first hands-on look.

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• 3. Finding Melinoë

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  Greg Kasavin knew early that the sequel would not star Zagreus again. Searching Greek mythology for another lead, he came across the Orphic Hymns. One of them describes Melinoë as a daughter of Hades and Persephone, and it says almost nothing else about her. Supergiant had never mentioned her in Hades beyond her family tie to Zagreus, so the writers had a fresh story to tell.

  Melinoë also belongs to the occult side of Greek myth. That link gave the team a reason to build magic into the way the game plays. It also brought in Hecate, who serves as Melinoë's mentor.

  Jen Zee, who had been art director on Hades, kept that role. Asa Butterfield voices Icarus, and Amelia Tyler voices Hecate. Logan Cunningham, a staple of Supergiant's games, returned as Hades, Chronos and several other mythological figures. Judy Alice Lee performs Melinoë herself. Darren Korb again composed the music, and the soundtrack appeared on Supergiant's YouTube account and its Steam page at the same time as the game.

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• 4. Eight Regions, Two Paths

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  The original Hades sent players along a single route from Tartarus to the surface, across four biomes. Its sequel splits the journey in two. One path runs through the Underworld, passing Erebus, Oceanus, the Fields of Mourning and Tartarus. The other climbs across the surface, through the City of Ephyra, the Rift of Thessaly, Mount Olympus and the Summit. Each region opens only after the player clears the one before it.

  Every region ends with a boss. Hecate waits in Erebus. Oceanus holds the sea monster Scylla and two sirens, and Cerberus guards the Fields of Mourning. Chronos stands in Tartarus. On the surface, the Cyclops Polyphemus holds Ephyra, Eris rules the Rift of Thessaly, Prometheus fights on Mount Olympus, and Typhon waits at the Summit.

  In a fight, Melinoë has a primary attack, a secondary special attack that depends on her chosen weapon, and a dash. A new version of the magic cast can lock enemies in place. A Magick Bar fuels certain moves and refills as she strikes enemies. The goddess Selene lends power through three Hexes, which are summon attacks. The player picks one per run and strengthens it through a skill tree.

  The Olympians hand out Boons, and each Boon offers a choice of three boosts and effects that last for that run. Mythological figures such as Arachne, Narcissus, Echo, Medea, Circe and Icarus also aid her. Clearing a room pays out rewards that either make her stronger or restore lost health.

  When Melinoë loses all her health with no death defiances left, she returns to the Crossroads, the game's overworld between attempts. There the player spends recovered items on abilities and weapons. Incantations crafted there cause new features to appear in later runs. She can deepen her bonds with the characters she meets, and the player can romance some non-player characters as the plot advances.

  A returning option called God Mode eases the climb. It starts at 20% extra damage resistance and adds 2% after each failed run, up to a total of 80%.

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• 5. A War Against Time

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  Melinoë was a newborn, the baby sister of Zagreus, when the Titan Chronos returned from the defeat his children had dealt him ages before. He took over the Underworld and imprisoned Hades, Persephone and Zagreus. Hecate escaped with the infant to the Crossroads in Erebus. There she raised Melinoë and trained her to take revenge one day. When the training ended, Melinoë descended to Tartarus. With blessings from the Gods of Olympus, she defeated Chronos. He used his power over time to come back to life, however often she killed him.

  While she searched for a permanent answer, word came that Chronos' army was attacking Mount Olympus. The Titan Prometheus led it, seeking revenge on the Olympians for imprisoning him. Beside him fought Typhon, the Father of All Monsters. Melinoë helped the gods repel them, but the victory was brief, since the attackers kept returning to renew the siege. She and Hecate eventually found a way to slay Typhon for good and turned its power against Chronos. Help came from a past Zagreus, whom Melinoë reached through Nyx's Mirror.

  After destroying Typhon, Melinoë built a spell for the final blow. She had to kill Chronos in the present while Zagreus struck in the past with Hades' spear. Melinoë defeated Chronos as planned. Zagreus did something else. Rather than kill Chronos, he reasoned with him, and Chronos repented after glimpsing an alternate timeline in which he lived happily with Melinoë and her family. The reformed Chronos freed Hades and the others, and together they restored the Underworld. Melinoë went back to the Crossroads with Hecate to help repair the damage.

  The story continues past that ending. Chronos helps Melinoë confront versions of himself and of Typhon from alternate timelines, to end any chance of their rising again. In the epilogue, the Fates visit and say they will step back from influencing events. That would let the gods rule themselves in a "golden age" where mortals choose their own destinies.

  Afterward Melinoë speaks with Hecate and learns that her mentor is a version of Melinoë herself, from an alternate timeline in which Chronos was killed. She had entered his mind to destroy him permanently but was flung back to the beginning of time. She then made her way into the House of Hades so that she could train her younger self to finish the job properly.

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• 6. From Early Access to Consoles

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  On the 16th of October 2024, a major update called The Olympic Update added an entirely new region, new weapons and new characters. The same release brought Hades II to macOS, which had not been available before. A second major update, The Warsong Update, followed on the 19th of February 2025.

  In May 2024, players discovered that the game's source code had been left in its files, which made modding easier. Many believe the move was intentional, though Supergiant Games has not commented on it.

  During the April 2025 Nintendo Direct, Supergiant announced that the full game would launch as a timed console exclusive for Nintendo Switch and the newly unveiled Nintendo Switch 2, alongside the Windows version. The studio also said its current focus was only on the PC, Switch 2 and Switch versions. It did not confirm any release on other consoles, even though several video game journalism outlets expected one. On the 17th of June 2025, The Unseen Update arrived as the final major update for PC early access.

  The full game launched on the 25th of September 2025 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and Windows. A physical version followed on the 20th of November 2025.

  Supergiant announced the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S ports on the 26th of March 2026, during that day's Xbox Partner Preview presentation. They were released on the 14th of April 2026. The Xbox version supports Play Anywhere cross-progression with the Windows version sold on the Microsoft Store, and it arrived on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service at the same time. Alongside those ports, a general update with new content and quality-of-life improvements reached every platform.

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• 7. Praise and Complaints

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  Elijah Gonzalez of Paste, writing about the technical test, said Hades' mix of convincing characterization, witty dialogue and excellent performances was "alive and well here." He found Melinoë more purposeful than Zagreus but also weighed down by self-doubt and the pressure of being a savior. Ana Diaz of Polygon argued that the game gives players witches who are both clever and strong, and that Melinoë is stronger for having been raised by one. Kotaku praised the sex appeal of the character designs. Patricia Hernandez of The Guardian compared the Hades series to Emily Wilson's modern translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey. She said it had the "audacious aim of expanding those myths."

  The early access version drew strong reviews. Mitchell Saltzman of IGN gave it 9/10 and said it felt "impossibly huge and unbelievably polished by any standard, much less an early access game." Tyler Colp of PC Gamer said it "plays like a polished demo." Diaz sounded a caution in a separate Polygon review. Players "super invested in the story and characters might want to wait," she wrote, because many story interactions were not yet added.

  After the full release, Metacritic reported "universal acclaim." OpenCritic found that 98% of critics recommended the game. In Japan, four Famitsu critics gave it a combined 35 out of 40. IGN's perfect review called the gameplay "snappy and delightful." GameSpot described it as the "best looking game the studio has delivered yet." Dualshockers called the voice acting "incredible across the board," and Eurogamer admired how Darren Korb's music "interacts with the experience."

  The ending drew a different response. Polygon said the story's conflicts were not resolved well and that its complex narrative suggested a more nuanced conclusion. Rock Paper Shotgun found it unsatisfying, noting that the game did not end with the player killing Chronos as advertised. Several outlets reported widespread online backlash from players frustrated that Zagreus took precedence over Melinoë in her own game. Endless Mode also found the ending unfulfilling but offered a reading of it as a meta-fictional comment on the nature of gaming.

  A month after release, Supergiant announced changes to the ending. The studio added extra scenes and introduced a feature that reverts the game to its state before the conclusion.

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• 8. The Awards Circuit

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  The Game Awards 2023 listed Hades II under Most Anticipated Game, a full two years before the finished version shipped. In 2024, the early access build appeared in the Golden Joystick Awards for Best Early Access Game and the UCG Game Awards for Most Promising Game in the independent category. The Steam Awards listed it for Outstanding Visual Style and Best Game on Steam Deck.

  The 2025 lists were far longer. The Golden Joystick Awards included it for Ultimate Game of the Year and Best Indie Game in the self-published group. Logan Cunningham was listed for Best Supporting Performer. The Game Awards 2025 listed Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Art Direction, Best Action Game and Best Independent Game. The Hollywood Music in Media Awards considered a song from the game.

  In 2026, the New York Game Awards named Hades II in several categories, including the Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year and the Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game. Judy Alice Lee was listed for Best Acting in a Game. The D.I.C.E. Awards included it for Action Game of the Year, Game Direction and Game Design. The Game Audio Network Guild Awards listed it for Audio of the Year, Best Ensemble Cast Performance and Dialogue of the Year, among others. The Game Developers Choice Awards included Best Visual Art, and the Pégases Awards for Video Games listed Best foreign video game.

  The British Academy Games Awards list is the longest. It covers Best Game Animation, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Game Design, Music and Narrative. Lee was listed as Performer in a Leading Role for Melinoë, and Amelia Tyler as Performer in a Supporting Role for Hecate.

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