Hades 2 technical test beginning soon, early access version launching afterwards, thank the gods

The roguelike gods have answered your prayers, for the Hades 2 technical test will soon begin.

The Hades 2 technical test

If you’re a fan of the original Hades and need more content, your prayers have been answered. You can get your god-like roguelike fix with the upcoming Hades 2 technical test, which will commence soon. The reason developer Supergiant Games is doing this is to use player feedback and reports to find and squash bugs and issues they come across.

Players will have access to the first major area of the game, as well as early-game characters, systems, and content. To improve the game, Supergiant will require participants to report any technical issues and crashes to them. If you’re hoping your save data carries over to the early access, I’ve got bad news. Structural differences between both versions of the game ensure that won’t be happening.

To participate in the test, players need to go to the game’s Steam store page and click on the ‘Request Access’ button. Certain players who sign up will receive an email with instructions to download the game. Anyone who isn’t invited right off the bat may be invited in the future, though this will not be the case for everyone.

Supergiant explains that they will invite a group of players and fix any issues they encounter, after which more players will be invited, followed by the developer fixing any more issues that pop up. The test is estimated to last for more than a week, but less than a month. As such, the developer also doesn’t know when Hades 2 will be launching in early access.

What is Hades 2?

Hades 2 involves you controlling Melinoë, the daughter of Hades, who has been imprisoned by Kronos, the Titan of time. Gameplay-wise, this looks to be more of the gameplay that made Hades a hit in the first place, with boons from gods, a cast of new faces as well as familiar ones from the first game, various upgrades for weapons, and a riveting story featuring characters from Greek mythology. God Mode will also return, allowing roguelike newbies to get stronger whenever they fail a run so they’ll have an easier time with the game.

The first-ever sequel by Supergiant Games was revealed back in 2022 during The Game Awards. The developer explained that after Hades 2 launches in early access form, multiple updates will add to the core content of the game, with new updates including new characters and story content. This will eventually lead to the 1.0 version of Hades 2, which contains the finale to the story and any “finishing touches” Supergiant wishes to add. The early access launch will occur sometime in Q2 2024.