San Francisco based studio Supergiant Games has never had a sequel to any of their previous games Pyre (2017), Bastion (2011), and Transistor (2014). With the explosive success of Hades (2020), the 25 person studio unveiled Hades II at the Game Awards in 2023. On April 17th, 2024, Greg Kasavin (Supergiant Games’ creative director) and Amir Rad (Supergiant Games’ Studio Director) live streamed a three hour technical test of Hades II.
Kasavin said that the game’s main themes were inspired by the intertwining of Greek mythology and witchcraft, the latter which is heavily prominent in many Greek myths. This makes sense: the main character, Melinoe, is working under Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic. Unlike Hades, where the main character Zagreus fights up and out of the Underworld, Melinoe fights her way down to the Underworld. The developers confirm that just like the first game, the player does not need to know any previous Greek mythology to play.
Melinoe uses a staff, changing her playstyle from Zagreus. While she has melee attacks, she also has an arsenal of magic. Her attacks can be modified by boons, similar to the last game. There are many new boons, some which affect multiple types of attacks in Melinoe’s arsenal. Omega moves are a special move where the player can press and charge up. She also has a sprint instead of a dash. Melinoe’s cast is a binding circle.
Every Olympian also offers their own way of regenerating magic. The players can also pick molly and resources off of the map, which will aid her in crafting. The developers have also added a dialogue log for players who wish to backtrack conversations. This can be accessed in the same area as the inventory.
When the player fails a run, Melinoe will respawn back at the Crossroads, a place stuck between the Overworld and the Underworld.
Hecate, Melinoe’s mentor, at the Crossroads.
Hypnos, the god of sleep. Hades I sprite (left), Hades II sprite (right)
Hades II seems to also utilize additional backgrounds behind character portraits when they speak. In addition to new characters such as Hecate, recurring Olympians from the first game have updated character portraits.
Supergiant Games says they will begin to roll out demos soon for Hades II.