Alex’s indie game of the year 2024: Hades II

Now I’ve written many times that things like DLCs, expansions, remakes and even Early Access titles really shouldn’t be in these kinds of lists or articles. But then Geoff Keighley went and changed the rules for us, so I’ll do the same. There have been many great indie games this year that I have had the pleasure of playing. The Rise of the Golden Idol, Flock, Animal Well, Balatro and more have charmed in a year that otherwise could have been rather dry for releases. One divine roguelike, however, stood out above them all.

That game is of course, Hades II, a title that does remain in Early Access, but launched with more content than the previous game, and more to come. In the era we now live in for gaming, Early Access releases can sometimes be frustrating. More of a shadow of a full release, but that is not the case with Hades II. The game was mostly complete upon release, and we are mostly wrapping up the story with each major content update.

But enough about the game being Early Access. Hades II is a bold move for Supergiant Games, in the sense that it is not something very different from anything it has done before, but is actually very similar to the original Hades. Sure, the god powers are different, you have new weapons and a mana pool, but the essence is exactly the same. You travel through the underworld or the overworld, as the case may be, fighting enemies until you get to a boss, with the ultimate goal of defeating the final boss without being sent back to base camp.

The beauty of Hades II is precisely in that. It hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel, and every extra feature feels handmade to add or take away. Hades and its sequel feel like different experiences without feeling like I can’t play one now that I’ve had a good time with the other, which is extremely difficult to pull off.

I like that Hades II also feels like a bigger challenge. There are fewer instantly overpowered builds, and while you can stomp your enemies with ease once you get used to the gameplay, it instead requires a little more than just building up damage and spamming dash. Crutches that you relied on in Hades, such as Divine Dash, just aren’t there, leading to the player needing more individual skills or engaging god mode. It took me about as long to defeat Cronos as it did Hades in the first game, but then you have the overworld, which tests your mettle even more.

Once again, Darren Korb and co. have done a phenomenal job with the soundtrack. Making your way into the siren’s lair to hear a great song sung by them as they try to tear you to pieces is such a memorable moment that I can’t wait for the release of 1.0 so everyone can experience it for themselves. If you’re hesitant about buying Hades II, given the Early Access tag, I understand, but as someone just craving more Hades, I can’t recommend it enough.

It’s more than just doing run after run, however, as Hades II picks up where its predecessor left off in its story. Characters from the first game pop up here and there, but I found that my favorite interactions were with new faces, such as Odysseus, Nemesis and Eris. The dialogues are just as snappy, the stakes are much higher this time, and while this somewhat detracts from the more wholesome family drama of the first game, like any story about the Greek gods, family is still central to Hades II, and with each new update, I can’t wait to see where the story goes.