Hades II's first major update adds a new region, main weapon and native Mac support

Hades II just got its first major update, which is all the reason I need to jump back into the inspired roguelite. Supergiant Games is calling the Olympic Update “practically mountain-sized”, likely because there’s a new region set in the mountains of Olympus.

With a new region, comes new story elements. The studio says “hours of new dialogue” has been added to the game. The area will also feature two new allies, but Supergiant remains mum on their identities. In other words, you’ll have to traverse Olympus to find out. I’d bet some Obol Points that they are Greek Gods of one type or another, given the region.

The update also includes a new main weapon, two animal companions and “dozens of new cosmetic items” to liven up Crossroads. There’s even a world map now, which will be displayed when moving from one region to another. That’s a small flourish, but a pretty fun one.

There are also dozens of quality-of-life improvements that’ll pop up throughout the game. These include faster weapon attacks, new special moves, a more responsive dash and a refined aiming system. Finally, the game now runs on Macs, so long as the computer boasts an Apple M1 chip or later.

Despite the boatload of new features, the game’s still in early access. Supergiant says this won’t be the last major content drop while still remaining in early access, as another big update hits early next year. So we have that to look forward to. The first game was in early access for nearly two years as it slowly transformed into the game we know and love today. Hades II has only been around five months.

For the uninitiated, Hades II is a roguelite hack-and-slash action game with fluid controls, a diverse array of upgrades and a story that expertly weaves itself into every unsuccessful run. There’s also a cute cat you can pal around with. It’s quite obviously a sequel to the mega-hit Hades, which was the first video game to ever win a Hugo Award.