At first glance, Hades 2 might seem like a top-down RPG like Diablo or Baldur’s Gate. And this might trigger a “mouse and keyboard vs. controller” debate in your head. So, can you play Hades 2 with a mouse, or is a controller a better option?
Mande ends the debate between controller and MnK in one sentence.
I can speak from experience here. When I bought Hades 2, I didn’t have a PC-compatible controller, so I had no other option than to try it with a mouse and keyboard. The game supports mouse and keyboard, and has a standard control setup for mouse and keyboard users. But is it good to play it that way?
Your first clue comes on Hades 2's home screen, where in the lower left corner you'll find: "Note: Controller play recommended." This strongly suggests that Hades 2 is designed to be played with a controller, and therefore better that way, but "recommended" is not the same as "required." Maybe it's a matter of preference. Maybe not.
The first thing I noticed when playing Hades 2 with a mouse and keyboard is that it doesn’t play like an RPG at all. There’s no pointing and clicking to move, attack, and interact. Instead, you move using the classic WASD key layout, with various attacks and abilities split between the mouse buttons and other keys. It’s not exactly intuitive, but the game is playable this way; moving, aiming, and attacking all work perfectly with this setup. However, I started to run into some trouble when I encountered enemy types that required reflexive, precise dodging. Zigzagging using the WASD keys in combination with the space bar proved to be quite awkward, and I began to wonder if the brevity of my runs could be attributed to the tools I was using.
