Hades II
Without much ado, Supergiant Games simply released Hades II in Early Access in May 2024, after only a short technical test run. This is a sign of confidence, and the San Francisco-based team can be proud of their first sequel, because even in Early Access, the game is the crowning achievement of their creative work to date.
In September 2024, US indie studio Supergiant Games celebrated its 15th anniversary. It all began in 2011 with their action RPG Bastion, which set new standards in style, storytelling and gameplay. This was followed in 2014 by Transistor, a sci-fi action RPG with a choice of real-time or turn-based combat. Pyre (2017), also an action RPG, introduced sports elements to the game, but fell short of Bastion and Transistor. Hades, which entered Early Access at the end of December 2018 and was released as a full version in September 2020, was the studio's biggest success to date, as both its interpretation of Greek mythology and its superbly playable combat made it one of the best roguelike action RPGs of all time - accompanied by amazing music by Darren Korb and excellent voice acting. At The Game Awards 2022, the studio announced Hades II. It's their first sequel ever, because they saw a lot of potential in their interpretation of Greek mythology: new stories, more characters. Their aim was to deliver a meaningful expansion, not just a new coat of paint for Hades I, especially as the second game has been in development since early 2021.