The highly-anticipated return to the Underworld isn’t quite the complete experience yet, but it might as well be. Five months after Hades II launched in early access, Supergiant Games’ beloved roguelike has rolled out its first major content update, packing so much new content that its patch notes on Steam come in at over 3,500 words.
Aptly titled the Olympic Update, the surprise rollout opens up a whole new region, which isn’t all that difficult to guess. Protagonist Melinoë will be heading up to Olympus, the mountain of the gods, with the final Nocturnal Arms in hand — a new pair of jetpack gauntlets called Xinth, the Black Coat. Players can visit multiple new locations in Olympus, alongside fresh additions to several other existing areas.
Athena and Dionysus, who were both in the original Hades, are also set to appear. There are certainly some artistic choices here, especially with the latter wearing nothing but leopard-print underwear, while boons from the Goddess of Wisdom are always welcome (Deflect, anyone?). Two new animal familiars, Raki the Raven and Hecuba the Hound, can be befriended, and Melinoë now has access to two new allies with unique keepsakes.
Prometheus, a Titan known in Greek mythology for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans, will debut as the apparent boss of Olympus. Voiced by Ben Starr of Final Fantasy XVI fame, the character is set to bring the surface route “closer to the Underworld route’s level of completion”.
As mentioned, the latest update for Hades II is, well, supergiant, but other notable additions include 2,500 new voice lines in total, new music, “dozens” of new cosmetic items, a new world map that appears when Melinoë moves between regions, and native support for Macs with M1 chips or later. There’s also the option to listen to a 27-minute-long dramatic reading of the patch notes if the usual reading doesn’t cut it.
Beyond the Olympic Update, Supergiant plans to add a “climactic confrontation” after the new region, more boons, and improved enemy variety. The next major update for Hades II is expected to bow in early 2025.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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