Hades II Announced; Early Access 2023

During The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant Games announced a new roguelike action game called Hades II, obviously the sequel to Hades. Early access will occur in 2023. This time around, players will control the immortal witch and sorceress Princess of the Underworld, Melinoë, as she sets off on a quest to defeat the forces spawned by the Titan of Time.

Like Zagreus, Olympus is supporting her efforts. Although, she is not wholly original, as she does exist in ancient mythology, but only minimally. This vagueness surrounding her made the team want to explore her character.

Her weapons of the night can be infused with ancient magick, and she can gain boons from Olympus’ gods. And like the first game, interaction and affinity will be present and fully voiced, with dozens of unique characters.

Further, aside from the essential roguelike systems, familiars can be tamed, an intriguing object known as the Arcana Altar can be investigated, and the Tools of the Unseen can gather reagents. In addition, permanent upgrades and God Mode from the first entry will be re-implemented, allowing for greater accessibility. Players can also anticipate an original score and smoother real-time 3D characters.

The developer has stated while this new game does take place after the original Hades, no prior knowledge is needed. Connections will be present for those familiar with that title, however.

The official FAQ page confirms the following points:

• More than 20 people are on the team, including seven of the members who worked on their debut game, Bastion.
• The team works on one main project at a time, with Hades II being the current one.
• Hades II development was initiated in 2021.
• There are no multiplayer plans for Hades II.
• Studio Grackle worked on the animated reveal trailer.
• They chose to make this entry their first-ever sequel because they wanted to create new stories in this world and see if they could re-capture that first game’s magic that made it so beloved.

The game’s official Steam and Epic Games Store pages shared the following screenshots:

SuperGiant Games’ art director, Jen Zee, shared full key art for the game, viewable below:

You can view the official announcement trailer below. A gorgeous animated sequence is showcased alongside gameplay that is highly familiar to the first game.

Developer Supergiant Games has worked on other stellar titles such as Bastion and Transistor. The former was actually the first game I ever played on Steam, so I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Supergiant and the consistently qualitative work they have done.

If you missed it, check out our review of Hades’ PC version.