Hades 2 continues trucking along in its journey through Steam Early Access with its third major update which adds new character interactions, art, and weapon aspects. With the longest set of patch notes yet, it’s seemingly the last major overhaul before the game hits 1.0 and launches on Switch 2 later this year.
“Expect Hades II to get bigger and better with the addition of a new Hidden Aspect for each of the Nocturnal Arms, a new variation of every Guardian encounter, expanded relationships with a number of key characters, lots of new visual flourishes, and much more,” Greg Kasavin, creative director at Hades developer Supergiant Games, wrote on the game’s Discord on Tuesday. “After more than a year of Early Access development, we’re now starting to prepare for our v1.0 launch! The final phase of Hades II development involves adding the story’s true ending and other finishing touches. Some additional details are in the in-game Development Roadmap.”
A dramatic reading of the new patch notes runs over 38 minutes and includes things like revamping The Flames of Ygnium for snappier combat, new final forms for Nocturnal Arms, and enemies spawning in faster during waves to limit downtime. Probably most noticeable at the outset is that Narcissus has an actual 3D model, animations, and an updated portrait now. No more being self-obsessed with placeholder art. The game’s main menu has also been updated to state that the next update will coincide with the 1.0 launch on PC, Switch 1, and Switch 2 (PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S will come later).
While Hades 2 is confirmed to be coming out in full sometime in 2025, Supergiant Games isn’t ready to reveal the exact timing just yet, and I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if it slips to 2026. “We really appreciate your patience on this,” Kasavin wrote. “Sometimes the last stretch of development on a game can make all the difference, so we have always taken this phase seriously and appreciate your continued support.” We also don’t know what the final price will be. Hades 2 is currently $30 on Steam ($27 with the current 10 percent discount), but it could go up to $40 once it’s out on consoles.
The action roguelite is launching simultaneously on both Switch 1 and Switch 2, with improved visual fidelity and framerate on the newer hardware. Supergiant hasn’t confirmed yet whether that “next-gen” upgrade will cost more or be a free upgrade. Hollow Knight: Silksong, another sequel to a critically acclaimed indie action game, is also set to arrive later this year. I can only pray that both sides are talking to one another and not planning to shadowdrop on the same day.
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