Summary

  • Hades 2 on Steam Deck allows for gaming anytime, killing time and enemies at once.
  • Early gameplay confusion in Hades 2 due to lack of tutorials, magic mechanics unclear.
  • Friction from incomplete aspects of Hades 2 in early access leads to frustration for players.

I’ve been enjoying Hades 2 a lot, and just like lead features editor Jade King, I bought a whole Steam Deck just so I can play the game at any time when my full focus isn’t required for something else. Watching a B-grade horror movie with my housemates that I don’t particularly care about? I’m zooming through Erebus while actors scream and die on screen. Listening to a podcast? I’m fighting with my mentor and getting sent shamefacedly back to base. Languishing in bed with the flu? I’m bashing my way through sirens till I fall asleep, Steam Deck still in my hands. Idle hands make the devil’s work, and my hands are always killing time – or killing Chronos, rather.

It wasn’t easy going when I first booted up the game, though. Honestly, it still isn’t. I don’t mean that the game is unfairly difficult – it’s not – it’s more that Hades 2 doesn’t tell you what’s what. The game opens on your first run, which is fine, except I haven’t played Hades in years and I forgot what buttons I’m supposed to press. While fumbling through a couple of levels and figuring out how to dash and attack, I inadvertently found out I could use a whole new mechanic that involved magic, though how to use it and what exactly it did was still unclear. I died fairly quickly, as my gameplay lacked any semblance of grace or skill at this point.

I would not say that I have managed to develop much more grace and skill in the hours I’ve played the game since.

Upon my death, I materialised in the Crossroads, came across a familiar skeletal face, and finally got the basics of combat down, though it still wasn’t clear exactly what effects magic had on my attacks or what my cast did. The skeleton also doesn’t explain what hexes are to you, which meant that Selune’s boons and their accompanying notes about the Path of Stars were very confusing to me.

There’s also a Ward in the Crossroads, with no indication as to why it’s there or how to unlock it. How do I take these baths with my friends that I’ve heard so much about? These Arcana cards are just here, with no explanation. So are incantations. Apparently, I can also grow a little garden? What are all these items I’m collecting as currency? Everywhere I turn, there’s something new to confuse me. It feels like Supergiant skipped the whole part of the game where new mechanics are explained to you.

Realistically, this is exactly what happened. Hades 2 is in early access, after all, and that means it’s incomplete. This is likely one of the aspects of the game that just hasn’t been done yet, and while it’s creating a bit of a rough start for players jumping in before the official release, that’s the kind of thing that’s to be expected in an early access game, especially an early version.

That said, it’s still creating enough friction that it’s getting frustrating. There are plenty of guides online – TheGamer has a ton, if you need some good ones to refer to – but it’s always more convenient for the player when you don’t have to start looking up explainers for basic mechanics just to start playing the game properly. I’m not yet far enough in the game that I’d feel particularly hamstrung by starting a new save, and I’ll probably do just that if Supergiant releases an update with some decent tutorials so I can properly orient myself. This is just one of the pains that come with playing unfinished games, but it’s still worth it.

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Hades 2

Action Roguelite Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 90/100 Critics Rec: 93% Released May 6, 2024 ESRB t Developer(s) Supergiant Games Publisher(s) Supergiant Games Engine Proprietary Engine Prequel(s) Hades
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Hades 2 is the sequel to Supergiant Games' smash-hit roguelike dungeon crawler. This time you'll play as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld and Zagreus' sister, as she takes on the forces of the Titan of Time.

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