Sorcery at your fingertips and Time itself as the foe. Supergiant does it again.

First surprise: on gut feeling, picked without thinking, Hades II only beats four games out of ten, on few votes, to be confirmed. Attachment lands right in the average. But on the turf that matters for a rogue-like, the game blows everything away. The 3am fun and the controller feel both peak ahead of 98% of titles. The art direction and the soundscape follow at the top, ahead of more than nine games out of ten. People even gladly pack it for a desert island, ahead of eight games out of ten. There lies the tension: a game that electrifies the moment you grab the controller, but does not yet spark that immediate, gut level pull. Being recent, the profile still needs time to settle.

Against the heavyweights of the rogue-like, Hades II wields its predecessor's weapons: snappiness, style, and a soundtrack that burrows in.

So, who is it for? For you if you love a loop that snaps, a strong artistic signature, and runs you chain until dawn. A lot less if you chase love at first sight over a mechanic you have to earn.