Is Hades 2 better with mouse and keyboard or controller?

At first glance, Hades 2 might look like a top-down RPG like Diablo or Baldur’s Gate. And this might have triggered a “mouse and keyboard vs. controller” debate in your mind. So, can you play Hades 2 with a mouse, or is a controller a better option?

I can speak from experience here. When I bought Hades 2 I didn’t own a PC-compatible controller, so I had no option but to give it a try using a mouse and keyboard. The game supports mouse and keyboard and has a default control set-up for mouse and keyboard users. But is it any good played that way?

Hades 2: Should you use Mouse and keyboard or controller?

Your first clue is on the Hades 2 start screen, where in the bottom-left corner you’ll find, “Note: Playing with a controller recommended.” This strongly suggests that Hades 2 is designed to be played with a controller and is therefore better that way, but “recommended” is not the same as “mandatory.” Maybe it’s a matter of preference. Maybe not.

The first thing I noticed about playing Hades 2 with a mouse and keyboard is that it doesn’t play like an RPG at all. You don’t point and click to move, attack, and interact. Instead, you move using the classic WASD key set-up, with various attacks and abilities split between the mouse buttons and other keys. This isn’t exactly intuitive, but the game is playable this way. Moving, aiming, and attacking work perfectly well with this set-up. But I started having some difficulties once I encountered enemy types that required reflexive, precise evasion. Zig-zagging around using the WASD keys in combination with the space bar proved pretty clumsy, and I did start to wonder if I might be able to blame the brevity of my runs on the tools I was using.

So, I went out and bought an Xbox controller to see how much difference it would make. And it made a big difference.

Hades 2: Best controls to use

The best control input device to use in Hades 2 is a controller, hands down. While the game looks like an RPG, and incorporates a lot of RPG elements, it’s fundamentally a fast-paced, skill-based action game at its core. And using a mouse and keyboard doesn’t allow you the direct, precise control over your character’s movement that Hades 2 demands, especially when fighting bosses.

If you’re a PC gaming die-hard who refuses to touch a controller lest it contaminate you with console cooties, then you might be able to configure the Hades 2 controls to your liking. But the majority of players should follow Supergiant Games’ own recommendation, and mine, and play Hades 2 with a controller.