Though Early Access by definition, don’t be misled by the headline. Hades 2 is already far more well-polished and content-rich than the majority of games that are released in full nowadays. If you enjoyed the original, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t start right immediately.
There’s no denying that the Early Access designation has some weight. What you’re playing is incomplete technically. It’s possible that a game will take years to complete, with hundreds of problems to fix and dozens of essential features to add.
From that angle, you’re essentially joining in early to assist in testing a project while developers labor to complete the full build in order to release it to the public later. Sometimes, though, this isn’t quite the case. The Early Access tag is out of date for Hades 2.
Supergiant is releasing its first-ever sequel, Hades, in a manner akin to the original. The plan is to start in Early Access and work your way up to a v1.0 release by adding new systems gradually, fixing bugs that the small independent team hasn’t yet run into, and refining the product. Even yet, Hades 2 feels more finished than most games when they first hit shop shelves, even though there may still be a year or so left to go.
IMAGINATIVE GAMES
Hades 2 is not your average Early Access release, even though it bears the Early Access title.
An almost faultless premiere for Hades 2
I’ll admit that I’m not too knowledgeable about early-access games. Even with the original Hades, I usually choose to forego this early window in favor of waiting for the final product. In addition, even on my best days, I’m not the largest PC gamer. But I couldn’t resist the temptation when it came to Hades 2, a follow-up to one of my all-time favorite games by one of my favorite studios.
With the Technical Test, which began as soon as it was feasible, it was soon evident how the sequel’s Early Access period would differ slightly from the original’s. After using the most recent build for a while, it’s evident that Supergiant is handling things differently this time around.
Instead of releasing a little portion, testing it for a few months, and then adding the next area and boss battle, Hades 2 is, even in its most early iterations, a fully-fledged, content-rich game.
I have just spent 20 hours working on the first draft of the sequel, and I have only just begun. Both the story and the gameplay are fully present. New mechanics are being introduced at a cadence that is completely right, the plot is progressing at a familiar and wonderful pace, and best of all, everything is operating just as it should.
