Compare Hades II vs Absolum

Progression is widely praised for making failed and successful runs feel useful, with steady unlocks, resources, arcana, and new systems.

Progression was the most divisive system: some liked the steady growth, while others felt it over-relied on grinding and numbers.

Menu usability has a small caveat: one reviewer struggled to locate item sub-menus, though it did not meaningfully hurt the experience.

Menu usability received positive support for sleek, easy navigation.

Boss design receives strong praise for memorable fights, musical encounters, challenge, spectacle, and fair pattern learning.

Boss design ranged from memorable and mechanically strong to harshly criticized for an instant-kill final-boss gimmick.

Bug frequency is low in the cited review, which reports no bugs or crashes during the playthrough.

Bug frequency was limited but mixed, with one pre-launch freeze fixed and another reviewer reporting several bugs.

The interface receives praise for carrying the art direction into menus and buttons, putting Supergiant near the top of UI craft.

User interface design was mostly fine but received a handheld-specific caveat around small text and lack of font scaling.

Voice acting receives near-universal praise as top-notch, memorable, and strong enough to support the large dialogue load.

Voice acting was mixed, with several reviewers praising performances while others found some delivery weak or uneven.

Navigation/pathing is mildly criticized by one reviewer who wanted more agency and route variety.

Map and navigation design was praised for making routes and playthroughs feel meaningfully different.

Originality is the main split: reviewers admire fresh systems but often call it safe, familiar, or more of Hades.

Originality received positive support for its fresh beat-em-up and roguelite hybrid approach.

Upgrade systems are praised for breadth and power growth, especially arcana and meta progression, with reviewers emphasizing flexibility.

Upgrade systems offered build variety and experimentation, but reviewers split over random, temporary, or underwhelming upgrades.

Narrative reactions are mixed: some call it seamless and compelling, while others find the ending, stakes, or emotional focus weaker.

Narrative quality split reviewers: some enjoyed the world and evolving story, while others found the plot bland or slow.

Difficulty is seen as challenging and rewarding, but reviewers note the fast pace and fear stacking can create frustration.

Difficulty balance was mixed, ranging from adjustable and fair to overly grind-dependent or punishing in co-op.

Grinding is a mixed point: some resource gathering pulls players into new paths, while late resource needs can become tedious.

Grind level was one of the most common complaints, though a few reviewers felt it avoided becoming a total grindfest.

Movement earns praise for satisfying dashing and casting, though the sprint transition takes adjustment compared with the first game.

Movement feel was split: some found it exceptionally fluid, while others struggled with 2.5D positioning and precision.

The roster is praised as captivating in one review but criticized by others as less memorable than the first game's cast.

The character roster was praised for distinct heroes, but some reviewers wished there were more than four playable characters.

Level design is praised for distinct areas, route variety, and region-specific mechanics that add structure beyond simple room chains.

Level design earned praise for criss-crossing paths and route variety rather than a purely linear brawler flow.

Visual effects are admired for spectacle and style, though one reviewer notes heavy effects can obscure combat readability.

Visual effects were praised for making spells, explosions, and combat impacts engaging.

Content variety is a major strength, especially the two-route structure, expanded biomes, more systems, and broader cast.

Content variety was praised for new encounters, paths, and discoveries, though some reviewers still wanted more areas or variation.

Replay value is high overall, with many reviewers expecting dozens more hours, though a few felt the repetition or ending reduced motivation.

Replay value was highly divisive: many found it addictive and varied, while others felt repetition and forced replay hurt it.

Enemy variety is praised in the review that highlights a new roster demanding quick understanding of Melinoë's tools.

Enemy variety was usually positive, with several reviewers praising distinct foes, while one found variety lacking.

Handheld play is mostly praised on Steam Deck and portable sessions, with one Switch portable readability caveat.

Handheld suitability was positive, especially for Steam Deck and Switch, despite small-text and co-op screen caveats.

Value is viewed positively thanks to the amount of content, reasonable price, replayability, and broad enjoyment.

Value for money was positive in the limited evidence available, with reviewers calling it inexpensive or good value.

Reviewers repeatedly emphasize joy, affection, and approachability, calling the game easy to love and one of the year's best.

Fun factor was very high overall, with many reviewers calling the game addictive, joyful, or a favorite.

Performance is generally excellent across PC, Steam Deck, Switch 2, and other systems, with reviewers reporting smooth or flawless play.

Performance optimization was positive overall, especially on Steam Deck and Switch 2, with some Switch caveats.

The run-based roguelike loop is repeatedly praised as rewarding and addictive, though one review found its structure somewhat convoluted.

The core loop was often described as addictive and replay-friendly, though a few reviewers found the loop slowed by structure.

One review highlights extra hub and relationship activities, from gardening to familiars and sparring, as meaningful world interaction.

World interactivity stood out when player actions produced new dialogue, events, enemies, and persistent changes.

The learning curve is real, especially around Melinoë's cast and playstyle, but reviewers generally frame that adjustment as worthwhile.

The learning curve can be frustrating early, but reviewers said mastery and focused builds make the game more rewarding.

Accessibility is praised through God Mode, story-friendly easing, newcomer support, and Aim Assist, though the game remains fundamentally demanding.

Accessibility was a strong point thanks to assist settings and damage modifiers, with some online limitations noted.

Frame rate stability is praised on Switch platforms, including flawless Switch 2 performance and smooth 60 fps on Switch 1.

Frame rate stability was usually praised, especially 60 FPS reports, though one Switch review noted occasional drops.

Reviewers describe the mechanics as familiar but meaningfully expanded, with witchcraft systems, richer magic use, and a few mixed notes about complexity.

Reviewers praised the mechanical depth and expressive systems, especially once combos, rituals, and enemy responses opened up.

Controls are generally considered tight and responsive, becoming second nature once the new sprinting and omega mechanics click.

Controls were generally praised as responsive and fluid, especially with a controller, with only a few platform or precision caveats.

Combat is one of the clearest strengths: fast, satisfying, tactical, and deeper than before, with only scattered concerns about flow or screen clutter.

Combat was the clearest strength, with reviewers repeatedly praising its feel, depth, combo freedom, and beat-em-up fundamentals.

World-building is praised for Greek myth reinterpretation, relationship-driven lore, and the broader conflict around the Underworld and Olympus.

World-building was widely praised for its magical setting, history, culture, and lore hooks even when the main plot lagged.

Melinoë is generally liked as a protagonist, though one reviewer finds her a bit too perfect and another prefers the first cast.

The playable leads were generally appealing, with reviewers highlighting fun fantasy archetypes and standout characters.

Art direction is one of the strongest points, with repeated praise for character art, color, portraits, and Supergiant's visual identity.

Art direction was one of the strongest consensus positives, repeatedly described as gorgeous, striking, or beautifully stylized.

Polish is repeatedly emphasized, from early access refinement to a nearly faultless Switch version and Supergiant's overall presentation.

Polish was widely positive, with reviewers calling the game polished, crafted, and high-quality despite design caveats.

The soundtrack is repeatedly praised as spectacular, outstanding, and varied, with special attention to boss music and genre range.

The soundtrack was a standout strength, repeatedly described as excellent, phenomenal, varied, or among the year’s best.

Graphics are praised as gorgeous or beautiful across reviews, with only isolated platform-specific visual caveats elsewhere.

Graphics quality was praised for hand-drawn detail, strong locations, and appealing fantasy presentation.

Sound design is praised for dynamic musical interaction, strong audio identity, and music that changes with combat events.

Sound design was praised for punchy hits, crunchy feedback, and strong audiovisual pairing.

Environmental detail is praised for making spaces feel handcrafted, richly textured, and present in the wider mythic world.

Environmental detail was praised for highly detailed locations and memorable, secret-filled areas.

Animation is praised in the shorter review for making portraits, enemies, and environments pleasing to watch.

Animation quality drew strong praise for smooth, expressive motion and lively character/enemy animation.

AI behavior received limited but positive support for enemy responses that punish careless play.

The presentation and hub/world atmosphere are praised as unmatched in sight, sound, and character presence.

Character arcs and evolving relationships are praised for making the cast feel connected and worth returning to between runs.

Class balance had limited mixed evidence, with at least one broken build described as trivializing the game.

Co-op was usually praised as fun and easy to access, though reviewers wanted more than two players and noted balance limits.

Crafting and cauldron systems are mostly viewed as thematically strong and useful, though some reviewers find the material load excessive.

Dialogue quality is a standout, with reviewers praising the volume, reactivity, and encounter-specific freshness of character lines.

Resource balance is a repeated caveat: several reviewers like having lots to collect but say the currencies and materials can be too much.

One review says the ending failed to land emotionally compared with the first game's credit-roll impact.

Endgame content was a recurring concern, with reviewers describing it as thin, anticlimactic, or lacking meaningful progression.

Exploration was a major positive, supported by alternate routes, secrets, handcrafted spaces, and reasons to revisit paths.

Haptic feedback support received limited praise for selective controller jolts reinforcing hits.

Readability is the main HUD concern, especially portable mode and late-game effect clutter that can make action hard to parse.

Immersion was praised when reviewers felt pulled into the magical world and its escapist atmosphere.

Innovation was praised where reviewers felt Absolum advanced or changed expectations for the beat-em-up genre.

Load times are a platform caveat, with Switch 1 specifically called out for longer loading.

Mission structure worked best when story events and run transitions surfaced naturally during exploration.

The game introduces its many systems at a steady pace, with one reviewer explicitly saying it avoids overwhelming players too early.

Online stability had limited evidence, but one co-op review reported no crashes or bugs during Steam play.

Pacing was praised by some for compact run lengths and momentum once the systems clicked.

Switch-specific support is praised for a physical release, free upgrade path, and 120 fps mode.

Quest design was divisive, with some side-quest gating and RNG requirements described as tedious.

The arcana card system is described as more dynamic than the previous upgrade mirror and better tied to build strategy.

Weapon feel is praised for distinct weapon identities that push different approaches to runs.

Writing is consistently praised for character voice, reactive dialogue, and mythic interpretation, despite a few story-level reservations.