Hades 2 early access is out now — but should you play it?

Hades 2 early access is out now — but should you play it?

It’s time to slash through baddies and wield the power of some very sexy gods. Developer Supergiant Games released Hades 2 in early access on Monday. The game might be a pre-release version, but it’s certainly not a completely unpolished work-in-progress. A select number of players tried the game as part of a technical test in April, and its characters have already piqued the interest of fans. Now, Windows PC users can download the early version of the game on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Those familiar with Hades will immediately recognize several elements of the original roguelike in Hades 2, but there are many changes worth knowing. The sequel allows players to assume the role of Melinoë, sister of Zagreus and the Princess of the Underworld. Her story kicks off as she undertakes a mission to vanquish Chronos, the Titan of Time, with the aid of the dark sorceress, Hecate. To accomplish this goal, Melinoë wields weapons like spears and her sickle and dagger, and uses her magical powers to cast spells.

Fans of Hades might be wondering if it would be worthwhile to play the early access version of the game, or patiently wait for a final experience, whenever that may be. According to the developers, early access gives players a chance to play a “work-in-progress version” of the game. Early access players have the option to contribute feedback and gameplay data that will help the development team improve and refine the game for final release. As Supergiant’s FAQ says, “[…] even though early access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to make sure Hades 2 is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity.”

So, should you download Hades 2 now, or wait for the final 1.0 release?

As with any decision, the right answer will vary from person to person. The team has said the early access version would launch with “at least as much content” as the early access version of the original game Hades. The amount of content is still a bit unclear though, but given that Polygon has been able to play the early access version, we’ve rounded up some top-down bullets to help you decide.

Pros of playing Hades 2 now:

• The developers plan to allow your save data carry over between versions, so you can keep your progress and keep playing until and after the final version comes out.
• The combat feels polished, and we encountered minimal bugs and issues with our play-through.
• We don’t want to spoil you, but there is a lot of content in the game! You won’t be done in a matter of hours.
• You get to play Hades 2 now!

Reasons to wait until full release:

• You pay full price for an in-progress game that doesn’t have a final release date yet.
• Hades 2 doesn’t have all the characters and final art yet.
• The full Hades 2 story and depth of character interactions aren’t available yet
• It’s only on Windows PC.

As far as early access games go, Hades 2 isn’t a bad one to hop in on. Just the fact that your save will carry over between versions is a big perk. Again, from what we’ve played, the game plays smoothly and contains a lot of content. It’s not like you’ll be restricted to the first world or anything like that. It’s not perfect — I’m pretty sure I encountered a bug where an enemy couldn’t take damage for a very, very limited amount of time during a certain walking animation — but overall, the game feels great. It’s not the all-encompassing adventure of the final 1.0 Hades release, but fans will find a wealth of content to explore.

The one caveat is that people super invested in the story and characters might want to wait. The team is still adding new characters and interactions. When Hades was in early access, the story changed a lot throughout the development timeline. If you want a fully realized story, and don’t want to be around for the process of the team figuring it out, then early access might not be for you. If you’ve decided you do want to play, we’ve included instructions on how to download it below.

How to download Hades 2 early access

Players can download and play the early access version of Hades 2 via Steam and the Epic Games Store. All you need to do is go to the game’s page for either storefront and purchase it. Your purchase will unlock the early access version and all other future versions of the game when it formally releases.