First Impressions: Hades II

I’m just a few hours into Hades II, and it’s clear this sequel represents quite a shift in tone, rhythm, and mythic focus. Where Hades was a sprint through fire and rebellion, Hades II opens with ritual, shadow, and quiet resolve. You play as Melinoë, sister of Zagreus, a witch trained by Hecate and driven by vengeance against Chronos, the Titan of Time. And from the first run, the game feels both familiar and fundamentally changed.

First of all, Melinoë isn’t Zagreus. She’s more deliberate, more mystical. Her animations are fluid and graceful, her voice calm but steely. The camp she operates from (deep in the woods, surrounded by allies like Hecate and Moros) feels like a coven preparing for war. The tone is darker, more mournful, but still laced with Supergiant’s signature warmth.

The core loop remains: enter the Underworld, fight through chambers, collect boons, die, repeat. But Melinoë’s combat style leans into spellcraft. Her weapons include a staff, daggers, and even a torch, each with unique magical properties. My favourites so far are the daggers. I find the torches… difficult. She can channel elemental magic, cast hexes, and manipulate time. It’s still fast and satisfying, but there’s more layering, more setup, more payoff. You’re not just dashing and striking; you’re weaving spells mid-combat. It’s different enough that I still don’t feel I quite have the rhythm of it.

The Olympians return, but their tone shifts to match Melinoë’s journey. Hecate is stern and enigmatic. Apollo is radiant but distant. The boons feel more thematic but more subtle. They’re less about brute force, more about synergy and control. And the dialogue? Still sharp, still funny, but with a quieter melancholy. These gods are fighting a war, not just cheering on a rebellious nephew.

These early impressions suggest Hades II is less about escape and more about restoration. It’s a game of reckoning, of reclaiming time, of fighting not just for freedom but for balance. And while the loop remains, the emotional texture is deeper, more haunted, and full of promise.