Hades, the godlike roguelike from Supergiant Games, is getting a sequel,Hades 2, and it’s already out in early access on Steam. Even though the game hasn’t been finished yet, it’s received tons of positive reviews from fans of the originalHades. On Steam,Hades 2has earned a commendable 94/100 user score, which is just 4% less than that of its predecessor. In its current state, the game offers dozens of hours of high-quality dungeon-crawling content, and with Supergiant Games updating it regularly, players will have a hard time running out of stuff to experience.
Even thoughHades 2is already in a fairly polished state, some players may wish to hold off until it has fully launched. Unfortunately for those people, however,Hades 2doesn’t have an official release dateyet, and Supergiant Games hasn’t provided any details on when it expects the game to leave early access. IfHades 2follows the same development timeline that the originalHadesfollowed, then it’s likely that it won’t be out until mid-2026 at the earliest. In the meantime,Hadesfans shouldn’t sleep onSpiritfall.
While Waiting for Hades 2 to Leave Early Access, Hades Fans Should Give Spiritfall a Shot
While it is disappointing thatHadesfans will have to wait a while to play the final version ofHades 2, there are fortunately a bunch of great roguelike games that they can occupy themselves with in the meantime. Thebiggest games in the roguelike/roguelite genre, likeBalatro,The Binding of Isaac,Into the Breach, andDead Cells, are already ubiquitous, but there are some notable roguelikes, such as the recently-releasedSpiritfall, that have kind of flown under the radar, despite getting glowing reviews.
Spiritfall is a Cross Between a Platformer Fighter and an Action Roguelike
Spiritfallis a 2D action roguelikethat mixes elements of the platform fighting genre with RPG mechanics. This game is the first-ever project from Gentle Giant, an independent studio that was established in late 2020. LikeHades,Spiritfalloriginally made its debut as an early access title in April 2023, but it later received a full launch on PC in February 2024. It was then ported to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo systems early last month.Spiritfall’s console releases haven’t attracted much attention from the broader gaming community, perhaps due to the title’s limited appeal.
If there’s one phrase that accurately describes what type of gameSpiritfallis, it’s “HadesmeetsSuper Smash Bros.” AlthoughSpiritfallis completely single-player, it has taken a lot of inspiration from Nintendo’s long-running crossover series. In the game, players fight against enemies in large, side-scrolling arenas, which are filled with platforms that can be jumped on. To defeat their opponents as swiftly as possible, they have to unlock special abilities and test them out with different builds and weapon combinations. Each time a player dies, they obtain new resources that they can use to upgrade their current skills.
Spiritfall isn’t a One-to-One Replica of Hades, But It Does Share a Few Similarities With the Game
Spiritfallhas a relatively light story and a handful of talking NPCs. Interestingly, some of the characters inSpiritfallare divine spirits and gods, so the game is kind of similar toHades 2in that regard. The game’s art style, meanwhile, is very vibrant and stylized, not unlike how striking the visuals are in many ofSupergiant Games' best games. At the end of the day,Spiritfallisn’t exactly theHadesclone that some fans are looking for, but it may whet the appetite of many roguelike enthusiasts, especially those who are impatiently waiting to get their hands onHades 2.
