Hades 2 is pretty great, but as we all know, developer Supergiant Games rarely steps away from its hits right after dropping a killer 1.0 launch. Now, alongside yesterday’s PS5 and Xbox release, the second post-launch patch has arrived.
The patch notes on Steam give a solid idea of what to expect, including a bunch of improvements to romances, new narrative beats, and the ability to give everyone gifts forever. But the shocker comes in the form of an entirely new game mode the developer has kept a secret until players found it themselves.
Dream Dives are described as “a breezy alternative to your regular nightly routine that will always keep you guessing.” Hades 2’s traditional area progression isn’t used in this mode. Instead, four zones are selected in random order while keeping enemy difficulty similar to the regular runs no matter their order of appearance.
Shiny Stars are a new resource you can exchange for “special rewards” and the other materials are gone. Dialogues are also scrapped (even when picking boons), since the mode is built around the idea of getting straight into the action. To access Dream Dives, you need to first complete the quest which has you waking up Hypnos and then lie down on a “dreamy bed” that appears in the Training Grounds.
Icarus will also form bonds with players more easily after the update, as reported by VGC. It’s a tweak worth underlining after players complaints about him being difficult to romance. Considering all the changes and additions packed into this patch which directly respond to player feedback, I’d expect similar updates in the future.
Eurogamer’s review of Hades 2 called it an “emboldened” evolution of “Supergiant’s visionary approach to storytelling and roguelike design.”
