It’s time to defeat the bad guys and harness the power of some very sexy gods. Developer Supergiant Games released Hades 2 Monday in early access. The game may be a pre-release version, but it is certainly not a completely unpolished work-in-progress. A select number of players tried out the game in April as part of a technical test, and the characters have already piqued fan interest. Now Windows PC users can download the early version of the game on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Those who are familiar with Hades will immediately recognize several elements of the original roguelike Hades 2, but there are many changes worth knowing about. In the sequel, players can take on the role of Melinoë, sister of Zagreus and princess of the underworld. Her story begins as she embarks on a mission to defeat Chronos, the Titan of Time, with the help of the dark sorceress Hecate. To achieve this goal, Melinoë wields weapons such as spears and her sickle and dagger, and uses her magical powers to cast spells.
Fans of Hades might be wondering if it would be worth playing the early access version of the game, or patiently waiting for one final experience, whenever that may be. According to the developersgives early access players the chance to play a “work-in-progress version” of the game. Early Access players will have the opportunity to contribute feedback and gameplay data that will help the development team improve and refine the game for the final release. As Supergiant’s FAQ says: “(…) even though early access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to ensure Hades 2 is worth it once you get to play it in any capacity.
So, should you download Hades 2 now, or wait for the final version 1.0?
As with any decision, the correct answer will vary from person to person. The team has said that the early access version would release with “at least as much content” as the early access version of the original game Hades. The amount of content is still a bit unclear, but since Polygon was able to play the early access version, we’ve put together some top-down bullet points to help you decide.
Benefits of playing Hades 2 now:
- The developers plan to transfer your save data between versions, so you can maintain your progress and continue playing until and after the final version comes out.
- The combat feels polished and we encountered minimal bugs and issues while playing.
- We don’t want to spoil you, but there is a lot of content in the game! You won’t be done in a few hours.
- You can play Hades 2 now!
Reasons to wait for the full release:
- You pay full price for a game that is still in development and does not yet have a definitive release date.
- Hades 2 doesn’t have all the characters and final artwork yet.
- The complete Hades 2 story and depth of character interactions are not yet available
- It is only on Windows PC.
As for early access games, Hades 2 isn’t a bad one to jump on. Just the fact that your saves are transferred between versions is a huge benefit. Again, from what we’ve played, the game plays smoothly and has a lot of content. It’s not like you’re limited to the first world or anything like that. It’s not perfect – I’m pretty sure I ran into a bug where an enemy couldn’t take damage for a very, very limited time during a certain walking animation – but overall the game feels great. It’s not the all-encompassing adventure of the last 1.0 Hades release, but fans will find a wealth of content to discover.
The only caveat is that people who are super invested in the story and the characters may want to wait. The team is still adding new characters and interactions. When Hades was in early access, the story changed a lot during the development timeline. If you want a fully realized story, and don’t want to be part of the process of the team figuring it out, then early access might not be for you. If you’ve decided you still want to play, we’ve included instructions on how to download it below.
How to download Hades 2 early access
Players can download the early access version of Hades 2 via steam and the Epic games store. All you have to do is go to the game page for either store and purchase it. Your purchase unlocks the early access version and all other future versions of the game when it is formally released.