Good Luck Killing Time: Hades II Review

The Greek mythos is a vast, rich, colorful palette and features an endless cast of characters with strong motivations and, on occasion, questionable actions. It isn’t surprising that it is a source of inspiration for a lot of modern media, be it films (Troy 2004, books (Percy Jackson series), comics (Lore Olympus) or video games (God of War 2005). Even the least enlightened members of the populace have at least a working knowledge of the Olympic Pantheon.    

But Hades brought a long forgotten Greek God hiding in the shadows of Orphic mythology and thrust him into the spotlight —Zagreus. While his origins are as obscure as the depths of Erebus, Supergiant Games gave him a tether. Basing him off one of Aeschylus’ lost Sisyphus plays, Zagreus in Hades is the Prince of the Underworld, son of Hades and Persephone. A quick refresher for the uninitiated; Hades is the Greek God of the Dead whose domain is the Underworld. He’s the older brother of Zeus, the King of Gods who wields thunder and lightning and Poseidon, the God of the Seas.  

Hades saw Zagreus fight to break out of his dark domain and reach the surface. He was going to get out or die trying — again and again and again.  

And now, in a strange twist of fate, his younger sister Melinoë is the opposite — she’s trying to break into the Underworld, over and over and over again.  

This is a historic first for Supergiant Games because they aren’t known to make sequels to any of their games. But again, there is much Greek mythology to explore. On May 6, 2024, the game hit Early Access, giving players a taste of what’s to come. Five hundred and seven days later, Hades II has officially launched. 

Chronos, Titan of Time, has escaped from Tartarus, the deepest recesses of the Underworld with the intention of restoring his reign over the natural order. The result is a game that’s essentially a second Titanomachy. With the Hades and the rest of the Underworld denizens (including the ever-loyal Cerberus) out of commission, it falls squarely on the shoulders of young Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld to set things right once again. Will she be successful? Even with the might of the Olympians supporting her? Luckily for her (and you) she has an infinite number of chances to find out. 

The sequel has a lot in common with its predecessor—they’re both roguelikes with similar controls, populated with familiar faces and both protagonists are the offspring of Hades and Persephone. At the same time, Hades II is strikingly distinct from Hades. 

In the first game, all Zagreus had to contend with was the Underworld itself and the final boss was Daddy dearest, Hades himself. Zagreus was charming, impulsive, sometimes naïve, and often reckless in his way of handling things. It showed in his fighting skills as he battled his way out of his father’s domain. Zagreus’s strategy in Hades was more or less to brute-force every door open. His Infernal Arms were straight to the point (which were very sharp). He fought like he had nothing to lose, because he didn’t.  

Melinoë in contrast is more reserved, serious, respectful, and incredibly hardworking. The stakes are higher this time. Knowing only life on the battlefield, she has never met her family, but holds them in very high regard. Trained under Hecate, Witch of the Crossroads, Melinoë wields Magick (an expendable energy resource to cast spells) , allowing her to use devastating Ω-moves, which turn the tide of battle in her favor. Executing these Ω-moves require careful thought, especially while running around trying to avoid getting hit by opponents, striking with her Nocturnal Arms, setting up a counterattack and simultaneously keeping track of her Magick reserves.  

In addition to this, Melinoë also has access to Hexes, bestowed by the Moon Goddess, Selene. When the Magick cost has been met, she can use these Hexes. Melinoë can choose one of three Hexes each night, and can even continue to upgrade them via the skill tree —the Path of The Stars. 

The Melinoë in Greek mythology is often associated with Hecate, possibly the reason for Hades II to define their relationship as student and teacher. Being associated with witchcraft, suffice to say, Melinoë is a witch-in-training herself. And every good witch needs a bubbling cauldron. In the Crossroads, which is where Melinoë and her allies reside, there is a large cauldron. This cauldron allows Melinoë to perform various Incantations to aid her in her journey.   

Animal lovers can rejoice — Melinoë doesn’t need to venture into battle alone. The game features Familiars, who are animal companions that accompany Melinoë on her quest. There are a total of five that can be unlocked when the criteria are met. Each Familiar has a specific skill so Melinoë can decide who gets to tag along depending on what build the player is going for.   

There’s also a dress-up element in the game. Arachne’s Silken Fineries lets Melinoë change the color of her outfit. These provide armor as well as boost certain abilities depending on what dress Melinoë decides to don for the run. One provides extra health, another generates Magick, while others affect attacks and supplies.   

Hades II is a much larger canvas than Hades. Chronos has attacked two extremes—the Underworld and Mount Olympus, —and Melinoë must strike both locations. Both paths have their own unique enemies, mini-bosses, Guardians and inhabitants (Arachne can only be encountered when going down to Tartarus, while Icarus is always found en route to Mount Olympus). Not only have the locations doubled, but so has the cast. 

With all the Olympians up in arms, Melinoë has quite a lot of people (including gods) who are eager to help in the form of boons. There are any number of permutations and combinations of what boon she’ll get and from whom. There are familiar faces from Hades, like Zeus and Artemis, and new ones like Apollo and Hephaestus, all of whom have distinctive personalities. It’s also interesting to see the difference in how the returning characters treat Melinoë versus Zagreus, with some, like Chaos, remarking that he prefers the older son of Hades.    

As is the norm with Supergiant Games, the aesthetics are unmatched. The character designs are highly stylized, and for the mythology enthusiasts, there are fun easter eggs and callbacks to the source material. No two areas are alike, and the environment details will have you stopping and staring before moving onto the next chamber.  

For fans of the Hades OST, Hades II has you covered, especially in Oceanus, where the boss encounter is the rock band Scylla and the Sirens. Before going for the lead vocalist (Scylla), Melinoë needs to take out the guitarist and drummer, and depending on who is taken out first, the corresponding instrument is taken out of the track.  

The story, visuals and music are the strongest selling points of this game. The only gripe one could possibly have is the amount of grinding Melinoë has to do to unlock her full potential. Gathering ingredients for incantations means getting the ability and the tools to do it first. At times, the game can be punishing, especially when starting off. The Nocturnal Arms take a while to get used to, unlike the Infernal Arms. Turning on God Mode does make things a tad easier for Melinoë, but has no effect in unlocking her abilities earlier. The game wants you to focus on exploring her abilities as a witch rather than Zagreus’s methods of mixing and matching boons. Depending on your luck, Melinoë’s run could either be a breeze, or as grueling as Sisyphus rolling his boulder uphill.  

There are more mechanics to balance compared to the first game, but once you make it over the steep learning curve, it’s smooth sailing. Perhaps it’s because of how well everything synergizes after Melinoë masters her talents that Hades II feels significantly easier to beat than Hades. It took two tries to make it to Chronos and beat him, clocking just under half an hour — albeit thirty hours were spent unlocking a lot of Melinoë’s abilities.  

At the end of the day, Zagreus and Melinoë are different people so it makes sense that their games would also be different.  

But one thing is certain: killing Time has never been more fun.