Hades getting a sequel is clearly improbable information, however query marks cling over whether or not it is going to be doable to copy what made the primary recreation so particular whereas nonetheless discovering new methods to make Hades II by some means even higher.
Hades II stole the present for me at The Recreation Awards. A sequel to one among my all-time favourites and probably the greatest video games on Recreation Move whereas it was nonetheless round, from a studio that does not miss… what’s to not like, proper? Properly, the extra I give it some thought, the extra I query whether or not it is even doable for a sequel to have the identical form of influence 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 superb, as its observe file is principally flawless, however whether or not it even can. Please permit 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 recreation and transcending into the issues that formed it as an unimaginable expertise, one which was each unforgettable and distinctive. That second half is particularly necessary, because the second you return to the nicely, you instantly face a brand new problem — discovering a method to make a direct sequel by some means really feel distinctive yet again, separate from the unique and creative 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 performed. There’s roughly no such factor as a lifeless run in Hades, since even for those who do not do nicely sufficient to earn something persistent from a gameplay perspective, you’d virtually at all times 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 a substitute turns into one thing required with the intention to preserve tempo with the unique recreation. It is now an expectation, not a shock. It’s going to undoubtedly nonetheless really feel nice to know that each try will ship some form of development, however the identical system cannot have that very same spark once more with out important funding and improvement. Once more, whereas I belief Supergiant implicitly, I am simply mentioning the uphill wrestle the crew will face in evolving this mechanic to some extent the place it has the identical influence because it did within the unique, and whereas not fairly a Sisyphean job, it will be a labour worthy of Hercules if the studio can by some means nail this. One boon that Hades II has on its facet is that this breadth of development is not one thing that has been broadly emulated within the style since Hades, so Supergiant actually solely must one-up itself. It is performed that repeatedly 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 type it would take.
One other factor to contemplate is that Supergiant’s catalogue to date 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 will be actually fascinating to see how the crew approaches this follow-up. Positive, they may fairly simply simply give us a brand new principal character, a bunch of recent weapons and boons, and new areas and enemies and ship a fantastic recreation, however that is the crux of my level right here — ‘nice’ is not actually sufficient while you’re doing a sequel to an all-timer, and we have seen this repeatedly 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 just 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 can be a tough act to observe, particularly in the identical universe.
Sequels are onerous. I might most likely depend by myself two arms the variety of occasions a direct sequel has blown me away even to the extent that an unique (or at the very least the primary massive hit of the sequence) has, not to mention extra. One prime instance can be Burnout, going from tech demo unique to superb arcade racer in Burnout 2 to the takedown carnage of Burnout 3… a exceptional evolution and I might argue a textbook case for anybody questioning what good sequels appear to be. Mass Impact is one other good one — ME2 is doubtless the sequence excessive level, however the first recreation had to be extra of a lore dump to arrange the sequence’ world within the first place… not likely one thing Hades has to fret about when it is dealing within the well-trodden floor of historic 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 other than the sport that spawned them, and I suppose that is my concern right here. It is an extremely tough steadiness to strike. And as a lot as I think about the studio, bottling lightning a second time won’t be a simple job.
How are you feeling about Hades II? Excited to revisit this glorious world, or nervous that Zagreus’ sandals may simply be too massive to fill? Tell us down within the feedback!