Hades 2 has been announced, and I can hardly believe it.
The sequel to developer Supergiant Games' storied action rogue-like was announced at The Game Awards tonight. This is the studio's first direct sequel; its previous works, like Bastion and Pyre, were all set in original and independent universes. But it seems the deep lore, bottomless style, and explosive popularity of Hades convinced the team to deliver a second act.
From the reveal trailer, we know Hades 2 stars a new, female protagonist. She's the immortal princess of the underworld, and her goal is to vanquish Chronos, the titan of time. I'm a bit behind on my theology, but unless our hero's an original character, I think that would make her Melinoe, the daughter of the underworld queen Persephone. That would also make her the estranged sister of Zagreus, the protagonist of the original game. Her distinctive heterochromatic eyes certainly fit the bill, but there's no telling how the classical myths may have been tweaked for the game's universe.
We're still firmly in Olympus territory, but Hades 2 will feature a new cast of supporting gods and goddesses; we meet Moros, Apollo, Nemesis, and a shade named Dora in the reveal trailer alone. It seems old Zeus is back as well. Supergiant promises "a cast of dozens of fully-voiced, larger-than-life characters, including plenty of new faces and some old friends." We'll need their help to power up in "a bigger, deeper mythic world" as we clear run after run of procedurally generated glory.
Like the original game, Hades 2 will start off in Steam Early Access. Its newly minted Steam page doesn't include a release date, but Supergiant said on Twitter that details about Early Access will come in 2023. Here's hoping the first playable version of the game does, too.
Another unmissable indie, Dead Cells, turned up at The Game Awards with Castlevania DLC of all things.
