Hades II has been a real treat to play. It's more of the same of what we loved about the first game, however this time it expands on everything to offer combat that feels faster paced, more precise and with increased mechanical complexity behind the builds and unlocks. It's added a lot more depth to what already was a successful formula, positioning itself once again in the discussion for a potential second Game of the Year award.

For someone who hasn't played the original Hades in years I found the game’s introduction quite abrupt, and that I was missing some context. It wasn't the greatest way to start things off, but given the gameplay is so intuitive it's effortless to dive in and immediately begin that fun process of learning new boons, unlocking features and tinkering with the system in what is one of the easiest and most enjoyable learning curves you could build.

I appreciated the new emphasis on movement. Action RPGs and Rogue-likes sometimes have a tendency to devolve into mindless button-bashing, but Hades II will punish you if you get lazy and neglect the rhythms and timings unique to each weapon and build. Dashing, casting and increased magical elements are welcomed and take the arcade DNA of the first game and push it further towards a more tactical-feeling game, complementing the new larger map design and boss encounters, and enabling my playtime to move well beyond the 50-hour mark.

Experimenting with the different boons and builds is extremely fun and what makes the game so good. You frequently mix up your play style in a process of trial and error that produces all these personal favorites and committed strategies, before eventually hitting a mastery of synergistic combinations that see you melt through the biggest boss fights in the most satisfying way.

A nice sign of this mechanical quality is when the player community all arrive at differing conclusions as to what works best — for me it was a well-pommed Hephaestus blast, but I saw many players in the forums rank Heph's offerings as a hard pass. The same was true for weapons, with some initially feeling underpowered to me, like the torches, but with a bit of community nudging, became absolutely devastating once I worked out how to best augment their unique capabilities.

The other system elements such as arcana, familiars, incantations and upgrades also contributed to growth and momentum that made each stage in the game fun to play in its own ways. Bosses, for example, were initially chaotic and felt impossible to navigate, but soon become more and more manageable. A sweet spot then emerges that produces the right amount of challenge, where fights are heart-pumping, frantic and almost desperate as you swing wildly and take everything to the wire. Soon you stack together so much power and experience that it's nothing but calculated calmness that makes even Typhon a walk in the park, and that too is a great feeling after the many hours I'd sunk in.

You just can't put it down honestly, and there's always one more run in you. Those long sessions into the night frequently burned visuals of exploding casts and hammer strikes into my retinas as I closed my eyes and attempted to fall asleep. No surprise given how visually expressive everything is. It's a visual feast for the eyes actually, and even though the hand-painted 2D approach is not typically my preferred style, those vibrant colors and distinct designs were hard not to love. Arriving at the Palace for the first time was fantastic, and all the little details, from combat animations to world design, were wonderfully done.