The beloved indie developer Supergiant Games has yet to make a sequel for any of its games, but a Hades 2 has the potential to break that trend. Released back in 2020, the mythological roguelike Hades sees players repeatedly fight to escape the Greek Underworld. Cast as Zagreus, the son of the titular Hades, players progress further and further towards the living world by upgrading their abilities and mastering the title’s combat system. The 2021 Hugo Awards honored Hades as the ceremony’s first-ever Best Video Game, and Supergiant Games would be wise to ride that wave of success.
Before Hades, the auteur team at Supergiant Games released three games of a similar outstanding quality. 2011’s Bastion, the developer’s first project, received immense praise for its art direction, music, voiceover narration and variety of gameplay options. Rather than create a direct follow-up to Bastion, the team next released a cyberpunk successor titled Transistor. The sci-fi adventure maintains the masterful art direction and music composition of its predecessor, but it greatly enhances gameplay depth with its Turn mechanic and Functions system. Supergiant’s sophomore effort Pyre, meanwhile, combines strategy RPGs like Oregon Trail with gameplay reminiscent of sports titles like NBA 2K. Finally Supergiant Games released Hades in 2020, demonstrating a commitment to delivering fresh experiences rather than dwelling on sequels or downloadable content.
While Supergiant Games’ resistance to churning out sequels is admirable, Hades is a particularly strong candidate for a follow-up title. As a fast-paced roguelike dungeon crawler, the mythic adventure delivers a gameplay loop that remains fresh and engaging even after hundreds of hours. Resources collected during each run make Zagreus stronger over time, and a clever branching narrative means that players are constantly fed new story beats even as they fight through the same levels over and over. Many outlets named Hades the best game of 2020, demonstrating that the desire for Hades 2 is far greater than the call for a Bastion 2, Transistor 2 or Pyre 2.
Hades 2 Can Challenge Players With Exploring New Mythic Worlds
While Hades sees players conquer the Underworld and repeatedly reach the surface, a potential Hades 2 could explore new parts of Greek mythology or the lands beyond. Since the first game saw Zagreus climb up to the mortal world, a sequel could see the son of Hades climb from the surface to the peak of Mount Olympus in a quest to meet his extended family. Hades 2 could also take cues from the God of War franchise by letting Zag cross over into other realms like Norse, Egyptian or Celtic mythology. Hades was missing Greek gods and characters like Hecate, Hera, Apollo and Heracles, too, and Hades 2 could give these figures representation in the form of Boons or bosses.
Supergiant Games has yet to release a sequel to any of their games, seemingly preferring to forge ahead with new ideas and fictional worlds. However, the world of Greek myth created in Hades has plenty of room to grow should the indie developer craft its first sequel. Given the endlessly enjoyable gameplay loop created by Hades, a potential Hades 2 could easily avoid retreading old ground.
