Hades 2 Early Access preview: An exceptional trip back to the Underworld

Hades 2 lept into Early Access this week, and it’s seen a great deal of praise and success thus far. As a huge fan of the first game, I was incredibly excited to finally get hands-on with the sequel. It has completely taken over all of my downtime - if I’m not working, I can probably be found playing Supergiant Games’ latest roguelike. Visually appealing, and mechanically satisfying, it feels like a real step up from the first game - which was already incredible in its own right.

There’s still plenty for me to do in the Underworld, but Hades 2’s Early Access has been incredibly satisfying. After spending the many hours I have in the game so far, it’s hard for me to believe this is Early Access and not the finished product. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Instead of controlling Zagreus again for Hades 2, players control another daughter of the underworld: Mellinoe. She’s the bringer of nightmares and madness, and her upbringing is an interesting one. Some sources cite her as being Zeus’ daughter, while others suggest she’s Hades' daughter.

No matter what her patronage is, she has a similar feel and control to Zagreus. That’s not a negative, mind - the previous game had phenomenal controls. She has a few useful attacks: Her melee strikes, a ranged spell attack button, and the ability to cast magical circles around herself. These can trigger a wide assortment of abilities, depending on what boons and upgrades she has.

There are also charged powers, which deplete her mana bar: Omega Attacks. These are devastating and satisfying to use but do require a brief charge time. Like Zagreus, Hades 2’s Mellinoe also gets a hand from the various gods of Olympus.

Many of the gods from the previous game are still lending a hand,