Hades 2 has emerged as one of the most celebrated games of 2025, with Rock Paper Shotgun placing Supergiant Games’ sequel at the top of its annual favorites vote. The outlet’s Advent Calendar-style roundup isn’t ordered as a traditional countdown, but when staff votes were tallied, Hades 2 reportedly edged out the competition by a narrow margin.

The win is another high-profile nod for Supergiant, the indie studio behind Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and the original Hades—an awards magnet that helped push the studio’s sharp, story-forward action design into the mainstream. Hades 2 builds on that legacy with the same fast, reactive combat loop and run-based structure that made the first game such a phenomenon.

### A Favorite, Not “The” Definitive Version
What’s sparked discussion is the second part of RPS’s headline question: if Hades 2 is their favorite game of 2025, why didn’t it receive the publication’s highest-tier review accolade (“Bestest Best”)? Even without the full editorial breakdown in this excerpt, the implication is familiar to anyone who follows roguelites and big early-access style releases: a game can feel essential and exciting while still not being judged as “finished” or fully locked-in.

For a studio like Supergiant—known for polish, balance, and cohesive narrative delivery—final tuning matters. In a genre where tiny numerical tweaks can dramatically alter difficulty curves, build variety, and long-term meta progression, critics often reserve top-tier, evergreen recommendations for the version they expect players to be playing years from now.

### Why This Matters for Players
That nuance is useful for consumers: “favorite” can reflect the strongest moment-to-moment experience right now, while a top review badge may signal completeness, stability, and confidence that the design won’t significantly shift. For players, it’s a reminder to check what state the game is in, what content cadence looks like, and whether you want to jump in immediately or wait for a more definitive release.

At the market level, Hades 2’s reception also underscores how much the conversation around reviews has evolved. More games live in a state of ongoing iteration, and critics are increasingly separating “this is incredible” from “this is the final, fully judged product.”

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hades-2-is-our-favourite-game-of-2025-or-why-we-didnt-give-supergiants-roguelike-a-bestest-best-review