Hades II review: the underworld, deeper and darker
Supergiant's sequel trades Zagreus for a witch on a mission, and builds the richest roguelike it has ever made.
Hades II left early access on September 25, 2025, on PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. It casts you as Melinoë, princess of the underworld and a witch trained by Hecate, sworn to defeat Chronos, the Titan of Time, who has taken her family captive.
A witch, not a prince
Where Zagreus fought with weapons alone, Melinoë adds magick. A cast that pins enemies in a circle, charged Omega moves that spend magick for bigger effects, and a crossroads hub where you brew incantations and grow reagents: every system feeds the next run.
The result is denser than the first game, and it rewards experimentation. A build around the witch's staff plays nothing like one around the twin blades or the lantern, and the Olympian boons combine in ways that still surprise after dozens of runs.
Two roads
The biggest structural change is the second route. Alongside the descent towards Chronos, you can climb to the surface and fight your way to Olympus, with its own regions, bosses and story. Alternating between them keeps the loop fresh far longer than a single path would.
Still the best storytellers in the genre
Supergiant's writing and voice cast remain the glue. Characters react to what just happened, to the boon you took or the boss that beat you, and the story unfolds a few lines at a time across a hundred deaths.
Verdict
Hades II is bigger, stranger and more generous than the game that made its studio famous, and it never loses the clarity that made the first one so easy to love.