Hades getting a sequel is clearly improbable information, however query marks cling over whether or not will probably be attainable to duplicate what made the primary sport so particular whereas nonetheless discovering new methods to make Hades II in some way even higher.
Hades II stole the present for me at The Sport Awards. A sequel to certainly one of my all-time favourites and the most effective video games on Sport Go whereas it was nonetheless round, from a studio that does not miss… what’s to not like, proper? Nicely, the extra I give it some thought, the extra I query whether or not it is even attainable for a sequel to have the identical type of impression because the god-tier unique. Not a lot whether or not it will, as I belief Supergiant greater than most studios to ship one thing wonderful, as its observe file is mainly flawless, however whether or not it even can. Please enable me to elucidate.
Can Hades’ magic be replicated?
For me, a lot of what made Hades so particular exists past its tight mechanics and delightful presentation, past the issues that make Hades good as a sport and transcending into the issues that formed it as an unimaginable expertise, one which was each unforgettable and distinctive. That second half is very vital, because the second you return to the effectively, you instantly face a brand new problem — discovering a strategy to make a direct sequel in some way really feel distinctive once more, separate from the unique and ingenious by itself phrases. Within the case of Hades, one of many main causes it stood out from its friends was that everlasting development went past mere character upgrades that carried over between runs, incorporating components like narrative and character relationships in a method that few (if any) different video games within the style had accomplished. There’s roughly no such factor as a lifeless run in Hades, since even in the event you do not do effectively sufficient to earn something persistent from a gameplay perspective, you’d nearly all the time have alternatives to strengthen bonds with characters and progress narrative beats.
The issue with this for a sequel is that it stops being one thing revolutionary for the style and as an alternative turns into one thing required in an effort to maintain tempo with the unique sport. It is now an expectation, not a shock. It will undoubtedly nonetheless really feel nice to know that each try will ship some type of development, however the identical system cannot have that very same spark once more with out important funding and growth. Once more, whereas I belief Supergiant implicitly, I am simply mentioning the uphill wrestle the crew will face in evolving this mechanic to a degree the place it has the identical impression because it did within the unique, and whereas not fairly a Sisyphean job, it’s going to be a labour worthy of Hercules if the studio can in some way nail this. One boon that Hades II has on its facet is that this breadth of development is not one thing that has been extensively emulated within the style since Hades, so Supergiant actually solely must one-up itself. It is accomplished that again and again since Bastion over a decade in the past, too, so I am assured the crew will discover a method, and I am excited to see what kind it’d take.
One other factor to think about is that Supergiant’s catalogue to this point is constructed on fixed reinvention, with no given pair of its 4 launched video games being all that alike. It has no expertise in direct sequels, having bounced from challenge to challenge, so it’s going to be actually attention-grabbing to see how the crew approaches this follow-up. Certain, they might fairly simply simply give us a brand new primary character, a bunch of latest weapons and boons, and new areas and enemies and ship an ideal sport, however that is the crux of my level right here — ‘nice’ is not actually sufficient once you’re doing a sequel to an all-timer, and we have seen this again and again throughout each type of media. Supergiant made a rod for its personal again when it made Hades nearly as good as it’s, and all eyes would have been on no matter got here subsequent no matter what it was, so a direct sequel is barely going to be topic to even higher scrutiny. My intent right here is not to be a part of that, quite to level it out — it should not be an particularly spicy take to say that Hades will probably be a tough act to observe, particularly in the identical universe.
Sequels are exhausting. I may most likely depend by myself two fingers the variety of instances a direct sequel has blown me away even to the extent that an unique (or a minimum of the primary large hit of the collection) has, not to mention extra. One prime instance can be Burnout, going from tech demo unique to wonderful arcade racer in Burnout 2 to the takedown carnage of Burnout 3… a outstanding evolution and I’d argue a textbook case for anybody questioning what good sequels seem like. Mass Impact is one other good one — ME2 is no doubt the collection excessive level, however the first sport had to be extra of a lore dump to arrange the collection’ world within the first place… probably not one thing Hades has to fret about when it is dealing within the well-trodden floor of historical Greek mythology. All too usually, although, sequels are likely to both underdeliver or to overreach, to try to do an excessive amount of to set themselves aside from the sport that spawned them, and I suppose that is my concern right here. It is an extremely troublesome stability to strike. And as a lot as I place confidence in the studio, bottling lightning a second time won’t be a straightforward job.
How are you feeling about Hades II? Excited to revisit this glorious world, or anxious that Zagreus’ sandals would possibly simply be too large to fill? Tell us down within the feedback!