Let me be very honest with you right from the start… I didn’t enjoy Hades 2 at first. Yeah, I know. Everyone online is calling it a masterpiece, the next evolution of roguelikes, GOTY potential and all that. But when I booted it up I caught myself thinking: “Maybe I should just play Hades 1 again instead.” But hold on… because things changed. Big time. Let me walk you through it.
Hades 2 drops you into a bigger, darker, deeper world than the first game. Melinoë takes center stage instead of Zagreus, and right away you can feel the difference in tone and pacing. Everyone is calling it richer, more ambitious, more detailed, better looking… you name it. But to be fair? It didn’t click for me in the beginning. I felt off. The pacing threw me off. The new systems felt like too much. I genuinely thought: “Yeah nope, give me the comfort of Hades 1 again.”
Let’s get this out of the way: the visuals are stunning. Supergiant went all-in on detail, shading, animations, lighting… everything feels alive. The characters look sharp, the environments are insane, and the overall vibe hits harder than ever. It just didn’t pull me in immediately. Weird, right? Because it’s gorgeous, but my brain was still stuck in Hades 1 mode and needed some adjusting.
So here’s where things flipped. I kept going. I did a few more runs, stubborn as always, and somewhere around run 4 or 5 it suddenly clicked. The combat felt smoother. The magic system started to make sense. The boons and builds got exciting. The world opened up and felt massive. All those “this feels weird” moments transformed into “ok wait… this is actually really good” moments, and from that point on? I was hooked. Big hooked. “It’s midnight but one more run” hooked.
Things I Loved (after actually giving it a chance)
The world is bigger and deeper than Hades 1
Combat feels more layered with witchcraft and new abilities
Environments are beautiful and immersive
Characters and story hit harder the more you play
That classic roguelike loop? It’s still here and stronger than ever
The replayability is insane. The builds feel fresh. The game rewards learning without being unfair (well… mostly).
Things That Annoyed Me at First
Early game pacing feels slower than Hades 1
Some systems feel overwhelming until you learn them
You might die a few times simply because you’re used to Zagreus’ flow
he adjustment period is real
Honestly though, the game expects you to take your time with it. Once you accept that, everything improves.
Hades 2 went from “not feeling it” to “why did I play 5 hours straight?” It wasn’t love at first sight for me, but once I got comfortable with Melinoë’s style, the witchcraft, the new mechanics, and the larger world… it grabbed me completely. If you loved Hades 1 you might need a moment to adjust, but trust me… give this game a few runs and you’ll see exactly why everyone is calling it a top-tier sequel.
