The video game gods have smiled upon the gaming community, and Supergiant has released an early access version of Hades II. But the pre-v1.0 drop isn’t the shocker — It’s that Hades II (watch trailer, runtime: 2:13) is pretty much perfect already. The first installment of the roguelike came out fully in 2020 and has received 20 awards since. While it lost the officialGame of the Year award to The Last of Us 2, it was a winner in the eyes of the gaming community.

ICYMI: The first Hades followed Zagreus, son of Hades, on a quest to escape the underworld and find his mother. Throughout the three planes of the afterlife, Tartarus, Asphodel, and Elysium, gods from the Olympic pantheon offer to help Zagreus by granting him special abilities as he fights all kinds of monsters.

Hades II follows another branch of the family tree. Melinoë, Zagreus’s sister, wants to kill Chronos. Yes, the god of time. Father to Hades, grandfather to Zagreus and Melinoë. Why? All in due time, young grasshopper.

Early access means early access. The game is by no means complete — Supergiant will be implementing major updates through 2024 to refine the game’s core content based on feedback, and add the ending. The true ending of the story won’t be available until Supergiant releases the game in full, so you may want to hold off on the purchase if you’re as impatient as we are. But, if you like the idea of seeing the game evolve in real time and being a part of the patches, clicking the buy button may be the move.

You don’t have to play Hades to play Hades II. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t (especially with the game being available on Steam for USD 2.8 right now), but knowledge of the first game and Greek mythology is entirely optional going into Hades II. Though we do have to say that you might enjoy and appreciate the game more if you have roamed the dungeons of Tartarus before.

? Rating: 10/10 on Steam.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 15-20 hours to complete the main story.

? Replay value: 10/10.

? Platforms:Steam and Epic Games for PC, coming to Nintendo Switch early 2025.

? Price: USD 14.99, OST DLC for USD 5.79.

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