Supergiant Games' Hades 2 elevates and expands upon the foundations laid down in the original Hades in a lot of ways. When comparing the size of Hades vs Hades 2, it's hard to argue that the sequel is a significantly larger game, but it's not just larger in the literal sense – it's much more mechanically dense and complex in terms of its gameplay, too.
Hades 2: True Ending Walkthrough
To get the True Ending, Hades 2 players must complete Melinoë's lifelong task to kill Chronos – but there's more to do in the epilogue afterward.
Though the original game got a lot of the formula right, Hades 2 improves upon Hades in a lot of ways. This list points out seven things Hades 2 does better than Hades and offers a brief explanation on what was expanded, how systems differ from one another, and other details that elaborate on what is better in Hades 2.
1 More Gods & Boon Variety
New Gods & More Regional NPCs Give More Narrative & Bonus Opportunities
In the original Hades, players could get Boons from a total of nine Gods, not including special NPCs you can encounter in each region that grant Boon-like bonuses (Sisyphus, Eurydice, and Patroclus). In Hades 2, this number is about doubled. There are ten main Gods that Melinoe can get Boons from, many of which are new (like Hestia and Hephaestus), and there are also significantly more NPCs that can grant her game-changing bonuses.
This is in large part because of the expanded number of regions in Hades 2. As you explore the game's eight total regions, you may run into Arachne, Narcissus, Echo, Hades, Medea, Circe, Icarus, Athena, Dionysus, or Hermes in addition to the ten main Boon-granting Gods. This adds a lot of variety to runs, and the expanded number of Boons each God can offer gives Melinoe more options than Zagreus ever had.
2 More Than One Route
Bring Death to Chronos, or Save the Olympians?
Indeed, one of the biggest improvements in Hades 2 compared to Hades is that Melinoe is not restricted to just one route. While Zagreus could only traverse the Underworld and its four regions, Melinoe can take either the Underworld route (which features all-new regions), or the Surface route, which takes her to the top of Mount Olympus to confront Chronos' armies.
Playing the same regions over and over can feel repetitive after a few dozen runs. But in Hades 2, if you get tired of one route, you can just swap to the other for your next run to get a change of scenery – after you unlock the ability to Go Up from the Crossroads, that is.
3 The Arcana System
Unlock & Equip Cards to Gain Permanent Bonuses
The Mirror of Night allowed Zagreus to gain permanent bonuses that carried between runs, like Death Defiances, Boon rarity chance, and the like. However, the way players interacted with this menu was not very interesting – all you had to do was gain Shadow during a run, spend it, and toggle your newly-unlocked abilities on or off.
In Hades 2, the Arcana system gives players a lot more to think about before going into runs. Because of how cards interact with each other and the limits of Melinoe's Grasp, it's almost like a puzzle to solve in and of itself, one that becomes easier as you gain the capacity to equip more Arcana Cards.
Though the two systems functionally work the same in giving the player a choice of bonuses for their run, the Arcana system in Hades 2 is much more fun to interact with and experiment with.
4 Characters From Greek Myth
There Are About 50% More Greek Mythological Characters in Hades 2
Hades did an excellent job of adapting the legendary figures of Greek mythology to a video game narrative. The game had plenty of references to Greek mythological stories in its own narrative, but Hades 2 turns it up to 11 and adds 50% more characters from Greek Myth.
There were just over 30 characters in Hades that Zagreus could interact with. In Hades 2, there are about 45, most of which were not in the original game. Though Supergiant Games does take some liberties in how it represents these characters in the game, for the most part, every character is a very close reflection of their real-life mythos, and it's impressive to see how much thought went into developing these legends.
For example, try bringing the Knuckle Bones keepsake from Odysseus into the fight against Polyphemus.
5 Animal Familiars
You Can't Pet the Dog – But You Can Fight Alongside the Frog
In Hades, Zagreus had exactly one animal companion: Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld. Cerberus never joins us on our journey through the Underworld, though Zag can pet him at any time.
In Hades 2, Melinoe can take one of five Animal Familiars with her on each run. Each Familiar offers a set of minor bonuses that benefit different playstyles and gathering goals. But to get their help, you have to find each Familiar in both routes, then give them a Witch's Delight to coax them to your side.
6 Omega Moves
Hades 2 Doubles The Number of Combat Maneuvers Available to Mel
One of the biggest improvements in Hades 2 over Hades is the combat variety. Zag could use an Attack and Special that changed based on his weapon, and a Cast that launched a blood bolt projectile. In Hades 2, Melinoe has the same three attack types (though her Cast is a slowing circle instead of a projectile).
But if you hold down each combat input, you will charge up an Omega Attack. These are essentially completely different spells that Melinoe can cast using each of the three main inputs, with Attacks and Specials producing unique attacks based on her currently equipped weapon.
This essentially doubles the number of attacks Melinoe can use in combat over Zagreus, and the addition of Magick as a resource gives players something else to manage as they weave Omega moves into their normal combat rotation.
7 The Crossroads Hub
A Much Larger & More Interesting Hub Area
The House of Hades, the hub area of Hades 1, is a marvel to look at, but it's not exactly very large. There is the main hall that leads to Hades' desk and Cerberus, the left wing that leads to Achilles, Dusa, Thanatos, and the Administrative Chamber, while the right wing leads to Zag's small room and the training grounds.
In Hades 2, the Crossroads is significantly larger than the House of Hades in Hades 1, and Melinoe has significantly more customization options available to her.
After spawning near Melinoe's Tent, head outside to the List of Minor Prophecies next to the Taverna and the Fishing Pier (where Eris can usually be found), the Cauldron where you cast Incantations, the Broker and Nemesis' corner, the Garden and Odysseus' table, the Hot Springs, and of course, the Training Grounds – which is about twice as large as the Hades 1 training grounds.
On top of all this, every area can be customized with decorations and scenery after you give Dora the job of reconstructing the Crossroads. It's more than twice as large and mechanically dense compared to the House of Hades, and after spending so much time there, you'll have a hard time saying goodbye when you finish Hades 2.
Hades 2
- Released
- September 25, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Prequel(s)
- Hades
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
