Hades II has a surprising but very successful Early Access launch

The first part of Hades was released by Supergiant Games in December 2018. It is a roguelike game in which players take control of Zagreus - Hades freedom-seeking son who is trying to escape from the underworld. The levels are procedurally generated and are different every time. With each escape attempt, Zagreus learns more about his own origins, his family and the complicated relationships between the Olympian gods.

Hades has been highly praised by players and has a very good rating of 98 percent positive reviews on Steam with over 230,000 opinions. It is currently on Steam discounted by 66 percent and available for $ 8.33 instead of $ 24.50. After the huge success of Hades, it was clear that the indie developers from Supergiant Games had to make a sequel - and it was announced in December 2022.

Hades II brings a new main character

After fans had expected the game to be released in spring 2024, Hades II was only released in Early Access on May 6, but very surprisingly. Unlike its predecessor, which was initially offered exclusively by Epic Games, Hades II is available both on Steam as well as on Epic right from the start. The game costs $ 28.99 on both platforms. The sequel introduces a new main protagonist: Melinoë, Hades' daughter and princess of the underworld.

In Hades II there are also new boons (blessings that players can receive from the Olympian gods) as well as lots of new witchcraft elements, such as tarot cards, witches' brew and magic circles. Because unlike Zagreus, who also knows magic but is more inclined towards melee combat, Melinoë is a true witch. Most fans like this, as can be seen from the very positive reviews on Steam : 98 percent positive opinions from over 5,000 reviews. Also on Reddit the fan community has been positively impressed so far.