Hades 2’s September 25 Launch is a Boon and a Curse

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Eagerly anticipated due to my admiration for its divine precursor in the roguelike genre, “Hades 2” is a game I’ve been eagerly waiting for since Supergiant announced their first sequel. So far, I’ve only played two games in early access – “No Rest for the Wicked” and “Hades 2”. While I appreciate and comprehend why some developers opt to release a game in early access for an extended period before its complete version, I personally prefer playing a game once it’s fully developed. This way, I can commit fully to the game, assured that there won’t be a sudden halt in content development until the 1.0 release. Fortunately, a release date for “Hades 2” has finally been disclosed.

Early access periods offer wonderful chances to help developers, but because they don’t have fixed deadlines and may not meet all their objectives yet, I often find myself shifting my attention to other games that are coming out. In the period between when I stopped playing the early access version of Hades 2 and now, my excitement for its full release has grown significantly. However, in a bittersweet turn of events, Hades 2 is set to be released on September 25, which coincides with the release date of Silent Hill f. Regrettably, this means that there’s a high chance that even Silent Hill f might not surpass my anticipation for Hades 2 now that Hollow Knight: Silksong has been launched.

Hades 2 1.0 is Finally Nigh, But It’s Contending With a Psychological Horror Titan

Without the upcoming release of Silent Hill f, my list of eagerly anticipated games for the remainder of the year would be sparse and bare. For example, I’m hesitant about starting Ghost of Yotei in early October; the recent debut of Hollow Knight: Silksong has me fully engrossed, taking my time to explore it thoroughly, which might be completed within a few weeks. Aside from Little Nightmares 3 and Metroid 4: Beyond, I don’t find any other upcoming releases particularly intriguing until the next few months. I’m still trying to find time to play Cronos: The New Dawn.

If the 1.0 version of Hades 2 had been released in October, November, or December, I would have been able to fully dedicate my time to it. However, since it’s set to launch on the same day as one of my highly-anticipated games of the year, unfortunately, I will prioritize the release date of Silent Hill instead.

On the 22nd of September, I’ll actually start playing the game a couple of days early due to the bonus included in the Digital Deluxe edition of Silent Hill f. However, it’s likely that it will take me more than just a few days to complete it.

It’s evident that game appears to be expertly designed with the perfect combination of elements, promising an outstanding Silent Hill-style game. Moreover, its fresh and daring approach in a franchise that had been stagnant since Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake leaves me optimistic about its future direction. While Hades 2 was impressive when I played it in early access last year, it didn’t revolutionize its IP like seems to be doing for Silent Hill. Similarly, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill , and Hades 2 all releasing in the same month makes September 2025 a particularly exciting time for me.

Has Hades 2’s Hype Dwindled in Early Access?

If you’ve been looking forward to the roguelike sequel of Hades, even if you decided to take a break from following its development during early access or have another game coming out by the end of September, you’ll probably be excited again now that it’s launching this month-unless, of course, you’ve grown tired of it after playing it for nearly 16 months-which is just a couple of months shy of one and a half years since its release on May 5, 2024.

The upcoming release of “Hades 2” is set for September 25, coincidentally on the same day as “Silent Hill f”. It’s the only game that could potentially overshadow my excitement and anticipation about it, given that “Hollow Knight: Silksong” has already been released.

The time span leading up to the complete release of a game like Hades, whether it feels long due to excitement about its final launch or the curiosity of newcomers unfamiliar with early access periods who joined during full launch, is something many can relate to if they were part of the community during Hades’ early access. Hades initially became available for early access on December 6, 2018, as an exclusive title on the Epic Games Store, and didn’t officially launch version 1.0 on Nintendo Switch and PC until September 17, 2020.

Compared to many other gaming communities, the Hades community is particularly lucky as they’re getting the sequel’s version 1.0 less than two years since the early access launch. This is impressive when you consider that the content of Hades 2’s early access already surpasses the entirety of the original game. Early access plays a crucial role in Supergiant’s creative and development process, and it seems they will likely continue this approach, whether their next project after Hades 2 is another sequel or a completely new intellectual property.

The early access period for Baldur’s Gate 3 lasted nearly three years, which might be the standard approach for games to develop fully and launch with a 1.0 version that is both comprehensive and highly refined.

Unfortunately, after about a dozen hours into my early access play of Hades 2, I chose to halt my progress and patiently await its official launch to reinstall the game. With a sad feeling, I’ll place it on hold in my collection until at least October, as Silent Hill f is scheduled for release on the same day. However, I can’t really grumble – playing Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill f, and Hades 2 in quick succession will be a delightful experience that I won’t overlook.

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2025-09-13 02:56