As with all Early Access games: Hades2 brings with it a dilemma: do you play now, knowing it’s not quite ready yet, or wait for the 1.0 release, whenever that may be? Luckily, the decision for Hades 2 is easier to make than most. You should absolutely play it now, and not just out of FOMO or impatience. Instead, you should experience how the Early Access journey is tied into its story.
You may have heard that Hades 2 is absolutely packed. This already exists more than Hades 1 managed to fit in there even when it was fully released. And yes, there’s enough to make it worth playing in its current state. After nearly 30 hours, I’m still amazed by new discoveries, still have recipes I’m saving for, and have a number of relationships I need to improve.
Myth in the making
But there is more to it than that. You should play Hades 2 in Early Access for the same reason you played Hades 1: because it makes thematic sense. The game’s repeated tagline, Time cannot be stoppedis currently true. I won’t give anything away here, but I don’t have to – all you need to know is that the game isn’t finished yet. You can’t throw Chronos out of Hades’ house and save the day. You have to experience the same purgatory as Melinoe, cursed to keep trying and never succeeding.
Divine DNA
Hades 2 review: “The roguelike DNA at the heart of this sequel remains as tight and murderous as its predecessor.”
Once the game is finally fully released, it will theoretically be possible to take out Chronos in the first playthrough. That’s not exactly likely, considering how Melinoe unlocks new abilities and becomes stronger through her repeated dives into the underworld, but it should be possible.
At the moment, however, it is not. And Melinoe getting up every night and trying anyway is a part of the story that won’t always be there. For Zagreus in the first game, this contributed to his personal tenacity. He had a Sisyphean task (ironic, considering how this character appears in the game), but everything about him was determination and ambition. Even when he couldn’t escape hell, he made hell better for those around him.
Things are a little different with Melinoe. She is obviously stubborn, but she is not without doubt. She’s been learning how to defeat Chronos her whole life, but the reality is very different and she’s still fighting. On the other hand, their journey is already more communal. She is surrounded by people who want to see her succeed but won’t rush her. Her mentor Hekate in particular urges patience when Melinoe has doubts. It’s a sweet moment made even more meaningful by the fact that it has a very literal basis at the moment. Melinoe has to be patient, just like us.
And while “Hades 2” initially feels more fleshed out than its predecessor due to its richness, the mythos of Melinoe that Supergiant is building isn’t yet set in stone. This is another nice resonance to the source material they’re working with, which consists of fragmented and often contradictory stories layered on top of stories. Similarly, as this version of Melinoe changes, she will be able to build her own mythology – one that is pretty much unique to Early Access video games.
In most cases, I’m the kind of person who likes to wait for a game’s full release before trying it out. But when friends tell me they’re doing that with Hades 2, I have to disagree. In this case, Early Access isn’t just a way to test the game. It’s part of what makes Hades 2 work, and it’s the best way to experience it: layered like a myth and full of failures.
Here is the Hades 2 Roadmap It breaks down what to expect in the future.