Tin tức
Hands-on with Hades II’s spellbinding Early Access launch, available now!
M
Matt Cabral
The sequel to the award-winning 2020 roguelike action role-playing game was in development for more than three years before today’s Early Access launch. Having spent the weekend with the game, it already feels like a worthy follow-up to the acclaimed 2020 genre-redefining game in surprising and delightful ways.
Several hours into Hades II, I find myself playing as an adorable sheep, helplessly bopping around the battlefield and bleating at the ghastly minions swarming from all sides. While it's a totally unexpected turn of events, it makes more sense than you might think. Prior to being morphed into a farm animal, I was battling a boss baddie from behind the staff of fresh protagonist Melinoë. In addition to being Princess of the Underworld, daughter of Hades, and younger sister of the first game's hero Zagreus, she’s a witch on a quest to rescue her family from the clutches of Chronos, the Titan of Time.
But Melinoë’s potion-brewing profession isn't merely a personality trait or plot point. Witchcraft is the driving force behind her ghoul-slaying skills and abilities, and it's woven into pretty much every part of the game. So you see how being reduced to wooly livestock by a powerful enchantress isn't all that unusual in Melinoë’s version of Greek mythology.
That's not to say Hades II won't feel comfortably familiar to fans who hacked and slashed their way out of hell in the first game. On the contrary—the sequel retains the eye-popping visual presentation, personality-packed characterizations, lightning-quick combat, and absorbing gameplay loop of its dungeon-crawling predecessor. It's all just a bit witchy this time out.
This is especially true of Melinoë's magical prowess on the battlefield, as well as the rich suite of RPG-flavored systems fueling both her temporary and permanent upgrades. Right out of the gate, she possesses more basic attacks than her big brother did in Hades. In addition to her standard weapon, she has a powerful special, as well as a cast. The latter is a significant differentiator, as it summons an area-of-effect circle that temporarily immobilizes enemies.
The kicker is that all of these abilities can be imbued with magick—a mana-like replenishable resource—by holding their respective inputs versus pressing them. Of course, this also introduces a new risk-reward dynamic, as leveraging magick also means widening Melinoë's window of vulnerability. That said, when not standing still to harness more power, she utilizes incredibly peppy sprint and dash maneuvers. And like Zagreus, she has access to Boons, impressive upgrades gifted by the gods on each run.
But the real magic happens, quite literally, back at the Crossroads. Similar to the House of Hades in the original game, the area is a sort of hub-world, a respite where Melinoë can hobnob with deities, confide in (and cuddle with) her pet frog, and brood over a painting of her abducted family. While the Crossroads is filled with engrossing story-expanding, world-building, and character-developing distractions, it also hosts numerous opportunities to tweak and upgrade Melinoë's magic.
Like any good witch worth her weight in Eye of Newt, she owns a massive cauldron brimming with bubbling green goo. More than apt set dressing, the crucible is used to brew incantations that assist Melinoë in both the underworld and at home. During my time with the simmering pot, I brewed several incantations, including one that helped locate resources in the wild, and another that invited a merchant to set up in the Crossroads. Conjuring the shopkeeper further evolved the hub area, making the vendor a permanent resident I could trade with between runs.
When not concocting goodies, Melinoë can manage her keepsakes and meditate at her altar. The former are a growing collection of equippable buffs like health-restoring jewelry, while the latter serves as one of the game's cooler character-progression systems. Interacting with the altar accesses Tarot-like cards called Arcana, which bring a bevy of buffs, perks, and bonuses.
The powerful items are unlocked with Ashes—a resource obtained in the field—but only so many can be equipped at once. Each Arcana carries a cost that consumes a portion of the limited (albeit expandable) space allotted for them. Deciding which cards to unlock, use, and combine injects an incredibly satisfying layer of strategy to an already-deep game.
Deeper into the Crossroads, you'll discover a dedicated area where you can unlock new weapons, and acquire different resource-mining tools. Cook up the right incantation, and you can also carve out a spot to plant and harvest your own resources. But whether you're nourishing your own nightshade garden or mixing its toxic fruits into the cauldron to summon doom incarnate, you'll find Melinoë's home an endlessly engaging, activity-packed hub that continuously rewards your efforts.
In fact, during my weekend with Hades II Early Access, I was as invested in managing and allocating resources, upgrading Melinoë's witchcraft, and preparing her for the next run as I was in actually executing my efforts on the battlefield. That said, I can't wait to dive back into the underworld and get a rematch with the swaggering sorceress who effortlessly reduced me to mutton chops.
As an Early Access title, players can expect a number of changes and additions to the title in the coming months. A “coming soon” tab inside the game outlines what players should expect. Currently, the section says that the game’s first major update will take some months to emerge. The team is working on three major initiatives: a new region to explore, expected to hit later this year; an update to the Crossroads that allows players to unlock various cosmetics; and one more main weapon, along with new Weapon Aspects.
The team said it will also keep expanding the story, adding more music, artwork, and building on and polishing what’s already in place.
“Please remember Hades II is a work-in-progress,” the team writes.
Hades II Early Access is available on the Epic Games Store.