Even with the artistic endeavor and challenge that Supergiant says Hades II provides, a sequel to the studio’s biggest game yet is and always will be the safest path forward. In the Noclip documentary about Transistor, Kasavin said that it would have been easy to make Bastion 2 after the success of the first game. But the world and systems are directly linked to Hades. What surprises will Hades II hold? The trailer showcases new characters, a new protagonist, and surely there will be new weapons and skills to help traverse the underworld. What bigger challenge is there than making a sequel to one of the most well-received games made in the past decade? Making a sequel can be intimidating, while it will almost surely sell well at launch, there is no certainty that the magic of the original can be recaptured. In a weird way, it is the most expected route for the developer. In the 13 years that Supergiant has been making games, it has become the norm to not make a sequel. There is something to be said about this decision. Hades is the studio’s biggest and most well-received game. Some of our all-time favorite games achieved this! The question is, can we?”

One such challenge we've long considered was to try and make a sequel that could somehow re-capture the sense of wonder and delight of its predecessor. “With each of our projects over the years, we've aimed to take on a new challenge that stretched our team's creativity and taught us more about how to make games well together. Return to hell - On the official Hades II FAQ page, there is a section titled “ You've never made a sequel before! Why now?” that seeks to explain the studio’s reasoning.

So why is Hades II different? Why now? Well, Supergiant already knows this question is on everybody’s mind. No game is a sequel in name, but they are spiritual successors that give Supergiant an opportunity to apply what they have learned and experiment in a new direction outside the confines of a direct sequel. Hades clearly draws on the combat of Transistor and the procedural storytelling and repetition of Pyre.

The third game, Pyre, experimented with procedural storytelling and combat encounters in a break from the tight narratives of Supergiant’s first two games. Transistor is a clear innovation on the first draft that was Bastion, but also incredibly different in combat complexity. Supergiant Games has never made a direct sequel.

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