Arthurian roguelike Sworn boldly launches days before biggest rival Hades 2

If you, like me, are eagerly awaiting the launch of Hades 2 later this week, I've got good news. No, you can't play two days early, but you can play something very similar. Arthurian roguelike game Sworn borrows liberally from Hades' brand of 'one more run' action, and you can play it right now. After six months in early access, the full game is now available on Steam, and it might be just the thing to tide you over until Hades 2 drops.

Comparing the two games is a little reductive, but Sworn's combat is heavily inspired by Supergiant's masterpiece. From the boss attacks to the boons, the high-octane music and fast-paced action, there's a lot of Hades DNA here.

However, there's more to it than that. Between your runs, you can upgrade in unique ways. There appear to be four distinct skill trees so you can tailor your character to your playstyle, as well as multiple different characters to choose from.

Each of the four characters has four different weapons, each of which can be upgraded at Nimue's forge. Nimue herself being a blacksmith instead of a mysterious lake-dwelling entity shows that developer Windwalk Games is playing fast and loose with the legends of old, but that's all a part of the fun of retelling mythology, right?

Therein lies the biggest difference between Hades and Sworn: the legends. Whereas Hades builds on Greek mythology, Sworn expands the Arthurian legends and Celtic mythos. Think Hades, but England instead of Greece, gravy instead of spanakopita.

There's also the option for co-op gaming in Sworn, with up to four players getting involved on the same run. I'm curious to see how the balancing works with that, but if Windwalk can nail the difficulty, that could be bundles of fun.

The full release adds a potion lab, unlocked by Guinevere herself. There are new blessings available, balance fixes, and more polish on the weapon upgrades to ensure excalibur is as shiny as the day it emerged from the lake. The Fae Lords also have new dialogue and English voice acting, and Arthur himself has a whole new phase when playing on higher difficulty levels. Why are you taking on the legendary king in battle? You'll have to play to find out.

Sworn is available on Steam now for $24.99 / £24.99. You can buy it here.

If you're looking for something similar to while away the hours until the next big roguelike hit, make sure you've read up on the best Hades 2 boons as we eke ever closer to the Hades 2 release date.

Are you excited for Hades 2? Will you be playing Sworn in the meantime? Let us know in our community Discord server, where readers and staff practise their dodges and share their best Melinoe fanfics.