Hades 2 Switch 2 Review – A Fantastic Follow-up

Hades 2 Switch 2 Review
Hades is a near-perfect roguelike, a triumph of design and execution that captured the whole gaming community for years. To that end, a sequel has some gigantic shoes to fill. Hades 2 does a downright admirable job of living up to the hype built by its predecessor. But is it enough? Better yet, does it need to be? Plenty of franchises out there are purely iterative, making little adjustments to a winning formula to keep fans coming back. I’m quite happy to just have more Hades, honestly. Any adjustments or expansions on this formula are icing on a truly delicious cake.

To that end, Hades 2 is jammed with little bonuses. Things that keep you playing for just one more run. You’ve got scores of different resources to amass for all of sorts of subgoals. Weapons to unlock/upgrade, gardens to tend, prophecies to fulfill, and people to please. I wish the upgraded weapons were a little easier to get your hands on, mostly so I can experiment with and master them even sooner. Every weapon feels distinct and unique, enough that I can’t stand using some of them. There’s so much more to do, but unfortunately, a lot of that is crafting and ingredient hunting.

Underworld Scavenger Hunt
Technically, you’re making incantations and arcana rather than armor, but it still gets overwhelming at times. I understand the vision, sure. If there’s a ton of things to find on runs, and just as many projects to funnel them towards, then every run feels more worth it. This is a core philosophy behind the Hades design. It just reveals how lean the overall game structure is, and how hard it is to add significant new elements without breaking that original blueprint. Most of the new additions can’t be that big, otherwise the game doesn’t feel like Hades anymore. It’s a pretty delicate ecosystem.

Even so, the core gameplay loop in Hades 2 feels even stickier than the first game. Every run is a chance to perfect your skills, scoop up valuable resources, and learn more about the story. I never once felt like a run was a waste of my time. You’re always pushing towards a handful of immediate, tangible goals. While the original Hades gave us this revolutionary idea, Hades 2 sees it return in a more cohesive, well-crafted form. To that end, the crafting stuff makes more sense. It adds an extra weight to your runs that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

Never A Wasted Run
Combat feels less fluid, at least at first. There’s a few reasons for this. Melinoë’s rhythms are so different from Zagreus’ that it’s downright jarring. It comes down to the weapons, at least for me. Zag had some real bangers, whereas Mel feels a little more restrained. But this is down to the new focus on magic. There’s a fresh set of synergies to discover. Charging up to use the Omega versions of spells and strikes is a dangerous choice that yields greater rewards. It’s the same with the moon powers. All of these new mechanics feel clunky and weird at first. But once you latch onto that perfect synergy, suddenly they make sense. Although the moon hexes need so many steps, they’re a pretty tough plane to land, at least in my experience. The weapons just need practice and patience, which Hades 2 is constantly teaching you.

The soundtrack to Hades 2 has some serious hits. Specifically, Scylla and the sirens. I’m truly grateful you fight her repeatedly. Every chance to hear that music is greatly appreciated. The rest of the soundtrack is great! But those songs are incredible, total standouts.

Top-Tier Soundtrack
Hades also had some fantastic writing, and the sequel keeps that momentum going. You’re thrown into the mix with very little context, at least at first. But every run brings you new precious scraps of story, and soon you’ve got a whole narrative assembled. It’s not just major plot beats, either. Bits of backstory, personal histories, and family drama all unfold at that same gradual pace. Like your resource collection, you slowly amass an impressive inventory of lore.

While I still love the visuals, they don’t really distinguish themselves from the first game. And they don’t have to, honestly. Instead, small but significant design changes give Hades 2 a more magical and mysterious palette. This is an underworld rooted in ancient witchcraft and strange powers. Your skills are wreathed in acrid smoke and slow bolts of electric power, and your weapons are all crafted from the night sky itself.

Guardian battles (boss fights) are meant to be tough, and they are. They feel like perfect tests of all your skills, which I love. I do have some tiny grievances about the Chronos fight, though. Maybe skip this next paragraph if you’d rather not know.

Cram It, Chronos
In particular, the second phase of the Chronos fight feels like a spiritual successor to the token-taker mechanics from the old arcade games. Instead of harvesting your quarters, it just eats up your time. By which I mean you can be one-shotted into oblivion, sent immediately back to the Crossroads for a whole new run. At least with Hades, you were beaten down by a relentless assault from all sides. It felt like something you could practice and eventually master. Chronos feels like trying to solve your own murder. Something got you to the kill screen in half a second, but what?

I love this game. In fact, it’s got everything I loved about Hades. If you’re hoping for a sequel that reinvents the wheel, you might not find it here. Beyond the scavenger hunts and the excursions to the surface, this is a pretty familiar experience. On the other hand, you’ve got a whole new roster of spells and weapons to master, bosses to beat, and a new story to uncover. Yes, this is largely more of the same Hades we know and love. But I am totally okay with this. Hades 2 is an iterative improvement on the old formula. And the old formula was pretty much perfect. If you’ve been hoping for more Hades, you simply can’t pass up on Hades 2.

***A Nintendo Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher***

The Good

Addictive gameplay loop
Clever progression system
Charming cast of characters
Lots of little additions

90

The Bad

Best bits very familiar
Combat not as fluid
So much crafting