Supergiant Games is handing over the keys to the underworld early. Hades II, the sequel to the studios’ critically acclaimed roguelike, is now available to buy for $30 on PC via Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Hades II follows Melinoë, underworld princess and sister to the first game’s hero, Zagreus, on her journey to kill the titan Chronos. The game features a rotating cast of Greek gods, from Aphrodite to Zeus, who assist Melinoë on her journey with powerups and special abilities. Although the version of the game that dropped Monday is not the full, finished title, Supergiant will allow players who purchase it to carry over their progress to the final game. The company expects development to continue “at least through the end of 2024,” with updates coming every few months.
On top of its stellar gameplay, the original Hades was also beloved for its hot gods and open sexuality; players could woo both female and male characters, together, for a threesome with the right attitude. The sequel is keeping up at least some of that tradition with more Greek gods whose beauty is on full display.
Hades II’s early release shouldn’t be a total surprise. Its predecessor was released before it was fully formed in late 2018; the completed version came out in 2020. “We designed the original Hades for Early Access from the ground up, and the same is true for Hades II, our first-ever sequel,” Supergiant wrote in its announcement. “We believe everything about this game benefits from ongoing feedback, from the balancing to the storytelling.”
Currently, the game has more levels, foes, and voiced characters than even the finished version of the original game, Supergiant says. Key areas, characters, story, and more are still being built.
The Early Access release follows a technical test by Supergiant last month, where members of the team played the game live on-stream. Interested players were allowed to sign up for the test. Hades II has already been in development for three years. Although there’s no word on when the final product will be ready, players who want the chance to help shape its development can do so through feedback. “We expect to make many changes and improvements inspired by our player community, and reflect these in our patch notes,” Supergiant wrote in a statement.
“The combination of our impressions as a development team, feedback we’re hearing from our player community, and gameplay data we’re collecting from players all should help us form a more complete picture of how we can make Hades II the best it can be.”