Every time I check back in with Hades 2 I look at the amount of stuff that’s been added and wonder if Supergiant is about to change the name to Hades 3. Every one of its major early access updates has been brimming with things most games call DLC and charge for. The new Unseen Update, which dropped today, is no different.
I already loved the new weapons in Hades 2, and now they all have new fighting styles through the new Hidden Aspects you can unlock. Melinoë’s staff, for example, can summon a horde of shades that run over enemies, and her newly reworked Umbral Flames can summon spiked balls to orbit around her.
That’s good news because you’ll probably need some new tools to take out the powered-up bosses. It was hard enough getting my ass kicked by my witch mom, but it now looks like there will be three of her on me at once with the new Vow of Rivals system—which looks very similar to Hades 1’s Pact of Punishment. Presumably, defeating these new baddies will reward you with rare materials or cosmetic rewards like in the first game.
The trailer for the update gives us a peek at Narcissus in the Hades 2 artstyle and, well, my entire X feed is full of fans losing their minds over how pretty he is. It looks like there’s been another big pass on the art in the game, replacing the placeholders and touching up what was already there. On top of that, there are new story events, new music tracks, and a bunch of other stuff that even Supergiant doesn’t get into in the announcement (but is probably mentioned in the patch notes).
This update also marks the beginning of the end of Hades 2’s early access phase. Supergiant says outside of follow-up patches, it’s focusing on adding a “true ending” to the game, achievements, and as much extra polish as it can before it’s time for the 1.0 release.
“We have a big game to wrap up!” the announcement post on Steam reads. “While we can’t yet say when our v1.0 launch will be, we’re very excited to be getting close, and to share the complete experience with you.”
Given the cadence of the last few major updates, I’d expect to see Hades 2 out by either the end of the year or early next year. Right now, I’m seriously fighting the urge to jump in when I know the full thing is probably not that far away. I still have the game installed though and I don’t know if I’m strong enough.