Hades 2 is finally in 1.0 after almost a year and a half in early access. I’ve scarcely been able to pull myself away from it over the past two weeks, and pretty soon my playtime with Hades 2 will eclipse that of the first game. Though I don’t have a beefy gaming rig, I technically could have been playing Hades 2 a lot sooner in early access via my Steam Deck, but I’m so glad I didn’t. Waiting for 1.0 before playing Hades 2 was absolutely the right call.
Hades 2 in its fully realized form is a splendid sight to behold, with developer Supergiant Games flexing its collective artistic talent. In early access? The gods were hot, yes, but everyone’s favorite merchant Charon didn’t have a complete design yet and someone like poor Narcissus was only just fully revealed in June. Other final artwork, like Melinoë’s now-gorgeous Arcana Cards, were also added over time.
Those are just the superficial aspects, though; Melinoë’s arsenal of Nocturnal Arms was consistently tinkered with throughout the early access period, and they weren’t all available until the game’s first major update five months later. That Olympic Update, like the Warsong and Unseen Updates after it, brought major changes to the game. It introduced a whole new area and more story content and dialogue.
That right there is the real crux of why waiting for 1.0 feels like the right decision. So much of the joy in Hades and Hades 2 comes from interacting and bonding with their casts of gods, incarnates, and other characters. To play through the game without the full cast available — someone like Ares, for example, wasn’t added until nine months in — and without their dialogues complete would be to miss out on so much of what makes these games rewarding.
Waiting for Hades 2 to fully launch is par for the course for me. I’m the type who loves to escape into a great game, spending hours and hours during one play session like I’m a Twitch streamer trying to rack up subs over the course of an eight-hour stream. Because of this, however, sometimes I get burned out by games by playing them too much, too quickly. (I’m working on it.)
Getting burned out on Hades 2 before it was even completed sounds like a capital-B Bummer. It’s the reason why I wait to play nearly every early access release; I don’t want to get full on a half-baked meal. Sure, I could always return to a game once it graduates to 1.0, but there are just too many new games to play. I don’t think I’d be nearly as excited for Hades 2’s full launch if I had already pumped countless hours into the still-baking version of it, especially with new and upcoming releases like Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yōtei vying for my playtime.
The one time I tried an early access title? No Rest for the Wicked in spring 2024, and it crashed twice in 20 minutes on my Steam Deck. It’s now Steam Deck verified, so maybe I should give it another shot, though really I’ll wait for its full release, which, like Hades 2, will allow me to enjoy Moon Studios’ ARPG in its complete glory.
For now — back to Hades 2. I’ve got plenty to catch up on. So for the next little while at least, when I find some time to kill, I’ve got the Titan of Time to kill.
