“Can time not be stopped?” That’s the question Hades II asks you every time you clear a run. The stakes are bigger in Supergiant Games’ first-ever sequel: This is no longer just about family drama, it’s about a dysfunctional family defending all they have against the clutches of the Titan of Time. It’s a story of tragedy, of failings, and of the Unseen, headed up by the Princess of the Underworld Melinoë, attempting to save her home.

I love Hades II, though I love just about everything Supergiant Games has ever made. It was the original Hades that sent me down the path of checking out the studio’s back catalogue. An Ancient Greek soap opera about Zagreus attempting to defy his father and escape Hell. It’s extremely personal, using Greek myth to expertly spin a yarn around a roguelike structure.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

Hades II once again showcases a horde of beautifully written characters and stories amidst that roguelike cycle. The writing is the star here, with tons of new characters for the writers to sink their teeth into, and they do it fantastically. Even returning characters have a few surprises up their sleeves, whether in how they conduct themselves during the war, their brand new — and almost always gorgeous — designs, or their impeccably realised voices.

I have to talk to every character after every run, because they always have something different to say and something to react to. Nemesis might chide me for dying too early one run, while the next might be jealous as I managed to conquer Chronos. Hecate, Melinoë’s mentor, is always looking for more from the Princess, but is equally ready to praise.

And, this time around, the Gods and Goddesses are never shy about what they dislike about mortals, even Melinoë. Surprise! It turns out that Greek deities suck, actually, and that leads to some very interesting discussions about greed or misunderstanding of the human need for hope and the like.

I’m glad Supergiant’s character writing is still on form, as the narrative itself fell a little flat for me. The game uses Greek Tragedy as a framework for Melinoë’s plight fantastically, but her war on the Titan of Time began to feel a little rushed towards the end, and I missed that emotive connection. Family is still key here, as with any good tragedy, but it all feels a little more at arm's length.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

Those little narrative trip-ups are easy to overlook, though, as the game is staggeringly beautiful, particularly on Switch 2. Jen Zee’s character art truly shines, with every portrait featuring little flicker animations to highlight their specialities or traits, and environments that hide secrets where the attention to detail screams at you. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing docked or handheld, either, Hades II is utterly faultless, though the 120fps docked has a slight edge for me (handheld is locked at 60fps).

The gameplay still has magic, too. Initially, everything felt extremely familiar, but after fumbling or getting greedy a few times, I quickly realised that I needed to completely rethink how I approached the sequel. You can’t play it like it’s Hades; that’s been true since Early Access (I transferred my save data over from Steam seamlessly), and it took me time to adjust to Melinoë’s moveset. She’s not just the Princess of the Underworld, she’s also a Witch, and Magick is the key difference between her and her brother.

While almost all of her actions are the same, each one acts differently; the Cast in particular took me forever to nail down. I was so used to firing magic missiles from range or setting up icy laser beams that the idea of getting down-and-dirty with a more fragile, slower-attacking character, before dashing away again, was hard to overcome. But I became obsessed with it; it’s now my favourite part of Melinoë’s kit.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)

I spent hours running different builds focusing just on the Cast - there was one where I stacked different explosive skills from Hephaestus and Apollo with one of the Moonstone Axe’s aspects: I’d drop the ring down on a huge group of enemies, dash away, and charge up a special which would cause the ring to blow up.

Another build let me regenerate Magick all the time I stood in the ring, so I slapped on Zeus’ lightning or Hera’s Hitch effects to do extra damage or enfeeble enemies all so I could dash through and backstab them with the twin blades inside the ring while they’re afflicted. There’s so much flexibility, I keep finding new ways to ensnare foes with just this.

And, this is only one part of Melinoë’s moveset. When you combine everything together, Hades II’s mechanical richness is staggering. Omega attacks (one for Attack, Special, and Cast) are affected by every weapon type, aspect, and every deity has a boon that affects each of these. Magick management becomes a vital part of every encounter that can be managed with Boons and other things. Melinoë can bring a familiar with her that helps gather resources or attack and enhance her own skills. I can even call upon Selene’s moon magic to briefly turn invulnerable or revive dead foes and have them fight for me. Admittedly, this feels like a bit of an afterthought on most builds, and is easily the part of my kit I dug into the least. Sorry, Selene. Your design is beautiful, though.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

Time and time again, I embarked on a run, tried some new weapons, boons, keepsakes, aspects, and felt the familiarity and comfort of Hades return, just in new wrapping. But this time, there isn’t just one run – there are two different paths: one to the Underworld, the other to the top of Mount Olympus.

The former eventually suffers a bit from that familiar Hades structure — though the Fields of Mourning’s open environments make for a good change of pace — and eventually felt easier than the first game's runs ever did. The Surface, however? Oh boy. I still get my backside handed to me every so often.

Surface runs change things up in a number of ways, such as the City of Ephyra presenting at least ten different doors in one room, allowing you to choose six and strategise your build more carefully early on. The Rift of Thessaly lets you jump between ships and fight multiple waves of enemies in the same location. The last couple of biomes are structured more like Underworld runs, but everything hits a lot harder. There are still times I get caught out by the third big boss of the Surface, and the final one? Ouch.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)

If I ever got bored with one run, I’d swap and go for the other. You have to do them both multiple times anyway, and given how differently each boss and encounter can and should be approached, it’s good practice. And with every death, with every failure to stop time, you get a little better. Plus, there’s always the joy of hearing Darren Korb’s outstanding soundtrack wherever you go; I could probably write an entire review about Scylla and her band as she belts out tunes during battles with Melinoë about clawing my eyes out and drowning me to death, but that would be discounting the rest of the music. It’s a must-listen.

After every run, you’ll bring back a handful of resources, some of which you forage along the way, while others are rewards. These are required to cast Incantations (which often help out in your runs or are story-related), buy items or Nectar, decorate the Crossroads, and so on. But there are way too many of these to manage, and some are more scarce; every biome has its own flower, seed, metal, fish, etc. And then there’s excess currency I can sell for another currency. When there’s already so much stuff to play with, I could do with fewer resources or currencies to manage.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)

So, there’s a lot going on — a little too much — though almost all of it is exceptional. To be honest, I’m amazed that Supergiant has largely managed to live up to the towering heights of Hades with this sequel; there’s no doubt that, mechanically, this is a huge improvement. I was worried about the team continuing with the formula, but there are plenty of fresh ways to approach every run that make the whole game so moreish. I’ve varied my playstyle far more than I ever did with Hades, and I feel like I’ve got so much more to discover beyond the credits.

Conclusion

Supergiant Games is five-for-five with Hades II, a huge, triumphant sequel that manages to diverge mechanically and offer more challenges and variety than its predecessor. It helps that it’s nearly faultless on Switch 2 in particular.

Sometimes there’s a bit too much going on, and in shooting for a bigger, more tragic story, I think it’s lost a bit of heart. But, quite frankly, I don’t want time to stop because if it does, I won’t be able to play Hades II anymore.

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