Hades getting a sequel is clearly improbable information, however query marks cling over whether or not will probably be attainable to copy what made the primary recreation so particular whereas nonetheless discovering new methods to make Hades II someway even higher.
Hades II stole the present for me at The Sport Awards. A sequel to one in all my all-time favourites and among the finest video games on Sport Cross whereas it was nonetheless round, from a studio that does not miss… what’s to not like, proper? Effectively, 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 form of impression because the god-tier authentic. Not a lot whether or not it will, as I belief Supergiant greater than most studios to ship one thing superb, as its monitor report 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 recreation and transcending into the issues that formed it as an unbelievable expertise, one which was each unforgettable and distinctive. That second half is particularly essential, because the second you return to the nicely, you instantly face a brand new problem — discovering a option to make a direct sequel someway 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 parts like narrative and character relationships in a approach that few (if any) different video games within the style had finished. There’s kind of no such factor as a useless run in Hades, since even in the event you 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 a purpose to preserve tempo with the unique recreation. It is now an expectation, not a shock. It will 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 vital funding and growth. Once more, whereas I belief Supergiant implicitly, I am simply mentioning the uphill battle the workforce will face in evolving this mechanic to some extent the place it has the identical impression because it did within the authentic, and whereas not fairly a Sisyphean activity, it’s going to be a labour worthy of Hercules if the studio can someway 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 finished that again and again since Bastion over a decade in the past, too, so I am assured the workforce will discover a approach, and I am excited to see what type it would take.
One other factor to think about is that Supergiant’s catalogue so far 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 mission to mission, so it’s going to be actually fascinating to see how the workforce approaches this follow-up. Positive, they may fairly simply simply give us a brand new major character, a bunch of latest weapons and boons, and new areas and enemies and ship an important 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 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 simply going to be topic to even better scrutiny. My intent right here is not to be a part of that, reasonably 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 palms the variety of occasions a direct sequel has blown me away even to the extent that an authentic (or not less than the primary large hit of the sequence) has, not to mention extra. One prime instance could be Burnout, going from tech demo authentic to superb arcade racer in Burnout 2 to the takedown carnage of Burnout 3… a exceptional evolution and I’d 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 historical Greek mythology. All too usually, although, sequels are inclined to both underdeliver or to overreach, to attempt 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 think about the studio, bottling lightning a second time won’t be a simple activity.
How are you feeling about Hades II? Excited to revisit this excellent world, or frightened that Zagreus’ sandals would possibly simply be too large to fill? Tell us down within the feedback!
