Hades II Early Access First Look — Olympus, I’m getting this message — GAMINGTREND

There’s something magical about watching a game build over time. While the best way to experience it is to create one yourself, the second best way is to play an incredibly polished game in Early Access. Although we got a small taste of Hades II last month, we’ve been playing the Early Access version ever since, which somehow already feels like a finished game in many ways. Still, Supergiant still has a lot to do and we can’t wait to see it all come together. In the meantime, let’s talk about the current state of the game.

For the basics of Hades II, check out our previous preview here, because we’re going to get straight down to business for this one. We had access to five different weapons: the staff, a mid-range magic weapon; a dagger and sickle, a fast, close-range melee option; a massive axe, for when you just want to hit really hard; and a skull that works like thrown grenades or a basketball at enemies, meaning you have to pick up the shells to reload. While fast melee is still my favorite, each weapon has its niche and can really change your playstyle for a run. At first I was skeptical of the ax and skull, but once I learned how to use them properly, they really appealed to me. My longest run to date was actually my first attempt at using the skull.

Speaking of which, how deep can you go in Early Access? Well, you can at least descend to the depths of Tartarus to challenge Chronos, but unfortunately I couldn’t beat him in time for this preview. He has a ton of tricks up his sleeve that I’ll let you discover, but the descent is also full of surprises. The second zone, Oceanus, is on the border between Hades and Posidon’s domains, so it is filled with undead sea creatures for enemies. There are also traps and explosives, which can hurt you but also be used to defeat your enemies. For example, there is a hermit crab enemy that can hide in its shell and become invincible, but if you lure it into the path of the water cannons, you can stun it. It can be difficult to properly take advantage of the dangers here, but it’s worth it when you can.

After Oceanus comes the Fields of Mourning, a desolate and oppressive zone where shadows wallow in eternal torment while Chronos occupies Tartarus. While Asphodel has you moving from room to room to gain buffs and perks and Oceanus mixes that up a bit by hiding additional routes behind optional encounters, the Fields is completely different from anything that came before it. Each room is huge and contains multiple rewards, all of which you must find to open the next set of rooms. However, before you can collect each item, you must defeat a few waves of enemies, which hit very hard at this point. There are also optional items you can collect along the way, although these don’t require you to fight enemies to grab them.

Finally, Tartarus is an inversion of the opening of the Fields of Mourning. Its critical path is entirely linear and offers no rewards for successfully completing an encounter. If you want last-minute upgrades, you should delay progress and risk even more damage before Chronos by heading to side rooms. The longer you stay in Tartarus, the more enemies will also spawn in each encounter, so you really need to manage your time here (pun intended).

In my first preview, I mentioned that the game seemed a little too easy. Even though Asphodel’s difficulty seems perfect now, I think the other three areas are a bit outdated at the moment. Maybe not as much in Tartarus since it’s the last zone and should be the biggest challenge, but everything in Oceanus and the Fields just has too much health. The best example I can give is finally taking down the last enemy in the shield of an encounter, then having to stand there and mash the attack button for a good 30 seconds to kill them. Since enemies without shields stagger when you hit them, I encountered no resistance, just crushing. Oceana’s boss, Scylla and the Sirens, has an amazing song (the whole OST is great, but it’s a highlight) but it’s a fight that goes on a little too long, while Fields’ boss feels like it lasts forever. This particular boss has attacks that you have to react to very quickly and precisely to dodge, and it’s very taxing to maintain this for so long. If I took even a few hits there, I knew I wasn’t going to last long against Chronos. I’m okay with the damage you take, but the duration of some of these encounters could be shorter and sweeter.

Instead of going down to confront Chronos, Mel can also return to the surface to help Olympus. However, just like Zagreus before her, she cannot stay on the surface for long and your health will constantly deplete in exponentially increasing amounts. It’s a much more frenetic version of normal gameplay, being subject to a soft time limit, and while I didn’t get to play it much, it’s a lot of fun rushing to get what you need. you need before you die. There is a spell you can perform to extend your time on the surface, although it requires materials from above ground to cast. It will take a lot of preparation to reach Olympus, but it is assumed that something up there will be useful in the fight against Chronos.

We’re just entering Early Access now, so I’m sure Supergiant will constantly be adjusting the game’s balance and adding even more features – there were several updates even during our preview period that added things like the final illustration of Hestia (my favorite of the Greek game). gods). Personally, I’d like to see an expanded training ground with the ability to test combinations of perks and weapon upgrades you’ve received during a run. Since Hades II’s perks make much more minor adjustments to your playstyle individually, it would be nice to be able to experiment in a safe environment. Hades II should enter public early access shortly after reading this, if it hasn’t already, so if you’re not saving your experience for the final game, it’s already worth jumping into.

Hades II Early Access First Look — Olympus, I’m getting this message