#hellblade senua's sacrifice review

[culttonotfollow]

Why I love “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice” so much

So as I stated, I'm writing a post about my experience with this game and why I think it's as good as it is, including my favourite aspects of it. To this day it's my favourite game and one of the few I've managed to 100% complete.

This post is going to include spoilers. Do not read if you do not want spoilers.

Disclaimer out of the way, I actually want to start by saying that before this game was recommended to me by a friend (thank you, Markus- shout out to you), I had no idea what it was about other than the fact that it dealt in some way with mental health. I mostly forgot about it until I saw it on sale sometime in October (it might have been the Halloween sale), at which point I made the decision to purchase it.

To begin with, the visuals are stunning—beautiful and terrifying at the same time. And just to get mechanics out of the way so I can ramble about the story and the way it made me feel—some of the puzzles are challenging at first, but they are so rewarding after you figure them out that I almost didn't mind the difficulty. The fighting feels almost perfect, particularly with the autobalancing option.

The premise of the game is that Senua, a Celtic warrior with severe mental illness, sets out on a journey to the homeland of the Northmen after discovering what had happened to her lover, planning to enter Helheilm, the mythological land of the dead, or what would be considered hell, and retrieving his soul through bargaining with Hela (or Hel, as she's more commonly known). Throughout the entire game- with the exception of a segment in the story- she wears his skull on her belt, wrapped in a cloth.

The Game uses sound to mess with you??

The game throws you right in with whispers bouncing all around your head (even during the menu when you first open the game)- I will never not applaud Ninja Theory for their choice of using binaural sound (here is an article by Splice on what it is), otherwise it wouldn't be what it is. This is one of the few experiences where the classic "Best experienced with headphones" recommendation should be taken seriously.

As you paddle past, well, burnt, staked and hung corpses that don't make it less tense either, the voices get progressively louder and more erratic until you don't know how many there are anymore or where they're coming from, urging Senua to turn back or calling her a coward in many different ways- with the exception of a few, who actually argue with the others and encourage Senua to push on.

There have been moments when the voices stopped for a little while, but by the time I realized there was nothing in the background anymore except for my own racing thoughts, I was already somewhat uneasy.

To add on to that, one of the trials Senua goes through relies solely on intuition an hearing to get throught the darkness safely, with an extremely limited field of view. I can safely say that was when I was most terrified and hyperfocused in my 12 hours of gameplay. I have to admit after my first run I went to bed and the whispers were still there because of how much I was hearing them the past several hours.

Mindfuckery taken to the next level

I spent the majority of the game in awe, watching the story unfold in front of my eyes. A lot of games or franchises, in my opinion, struggle to make their characters feel human, but Hellblade managed to do it. Even equipped with a sword, I felt vurnelable at all times, the game does a great job at causing anxiety even during the most mundane moments.

There isn't a combat tutorial of any kind; you have to either figure out the "guide" is in the menu, or keep failing the first battle until you figure it out. The game actually only gives you a single prompt in regards to combat: Each time you fail (die), the rot on Senua's arm spreads, and when it reaches her head all progress is lost. This alone made me so much more conscious of every move I was making for over half the game, until I learned the truth.

It's not an actual mechanic, it's only put in place as a warning to add another thick layer of tension to every other already existing, anxiety inducing element of the game, and further enforce the game's primary goal of distorting your perception: what's real and what's not, what/who can you actually trust, what is the truth? It brought me anxiety to the point where it was borderline uncomfortable, and that's exactly why I loved it so much.

I spent the majority of this game in awe, just watching the story unfold. Every twist or reveal felt like a gut punch (in the best way I could mean this), and it made Senua (the girl you play as) feel human, something not a lot of games can do properly in my opinion. This game uses everything in its arsenal to create a truly dreadful experience: visuals, audio, light, combat, etc. without abusing jumpscares or scary monsters (although fighting Fenrir scared the ever loving hell out of me, but so did dealing with him in general). Rather, it capitalizes on its strongest suit: the childlike fear of what lies in the dark- what might occur if the dark really does take control.

The ending made me question my entire purpose (sort of)

It's going to sound weird, or insane, but the ending changed me as a person I think. It made me seriously reconsider some major things in my life, and take a moment to appreciate some others. It's both some sort of psychological torture or terror and an enlightening experience. It brought me to tears and left me completely speechless for what felt- and actually was- hours.

In its own very special and well done way, it's not strictly a game about a girl that's gone mad, or a quest about retrieving a soul, but it sucessfully and sensibly touches upon themes of grief, loss, and folklore. I can safely say I've never been more immersed or touched by a game on every single level. There are tens of memorable moments that I think back on, and I can't believe I got through every single one of these.

The ending took a twist for me. It was far from what I expected, but I think that's what made me as satisfied as it did- and yet it left me wanting even more. Which is why I'm so incredibly pumped for when the sequel comes out. Despite warning about spoilers, I won't actually say how it ended. I'll let whoever reads this discover for themselves one way or another.

Conclusion?

I recommend this game with my whole heart to whoever can handle these kinds of topics. It's beautiful, the story is heartbreaking, the gameplay is fun, and the visuals are beyond gorgerous.

[countlessofvoids]

They can never make me hate you Hellblade:Senua's sacrifice

[13ag21k]

Hellblade 2 Rant:

This post may lack structure and a proper way of discussing the certain issues I had with this game, I'm not a critic but a dedicated fan of 5 years of the original game who waited, and waited for the release of the second one, watched every trailer with my breath held, memorized every word, downloaded every soundtrack and made edits of it, I will be discussing why I as a fan of the first game find this sequel to be absolutely horrible, don't mind me screaming, though having played the game I'm sure you won't mind it:

The story:

The first game was good due to its deep story, it was about Senua overcoming her fears, loving herself and overcoming her father's influence, seeing through his lies and realizing that she was not cursed, but just broken and a little different, the journey is heartbreaking and also climactic moments where you as a player can't help but feel sad, happy or enraged along with her, the game did such a good job at connecting Senua to the players, you could feel her fear, despair, determination and anger, you felt weak and scared with her, the realization that everything she sees was inside her head is shocking and heartbreaking that by fighting on and following her decisions you are feeding into her delusions and she will never be free till she decides to give up her quest to bring back her dead husband, because you can't bring back the dead, the curse, the Gods are all lies and trauma induced by his father that she faces head on and acknowledges them in the end finally allowing her to see through his lies and deceit.

The second game however tried so hard to be deep, they replicated these same ideas but made it worse by turning Senua into a super hero with psychic powers, where now all of a sudden, Giants and Gods are real and not just a figment of her imagination symbolizing her inner struggles, they destroyed everything the first game represented and turned a psychological horror into a fantasy game, the characters are just miserable the whole time, just a bunch of sad people that you never feel connected to and their stories are never explored, purposeless. Senua's advices and her attempts at helping others was bleak, shallow and the lines felt like they were generated by Ai, every single damn second she was screaming that she won't give up and that her father is wrong and then fall under his spell right after blaming herself for other people's miseries, she overcame those struggles in the first game just fine and yet they tried to stretch the same themes and ideas over another 5 hours of boring gameplay. They tried to turn her into a girl boss where she can do and beat anything while doing the bare minimum, they legit turned her mental illness into a superpower, like...the first game was about the danger of her condition and her delusions and now? Well it means that she can see things others don't and save the day doing so, they merged her delusions from reality and no amount of saying "that was a metaphor" can save it from the truth.

One more thing that pissed me off was Senua almost falling in love with the man who worsened her psychosis by killing her people, taking them as slaves and murdering her husband in cold blood and ripping his ribcage open and turn it into wings for Senua to see, for her to stumble upon, for her to drown in despair and such misery that it broke her completely, I wanted them all dead, each and every one of them, they did not deserve senua to help them, nor earned her loyalty, in first minute of his introduction you know he will become a semi lover interest for her and it angered me so much.

The Combat:

The first game did it so well that I got hooked, I replayed it almost 4 times for the sake of the combat, you had to be strategic, find out the enemies weak points, block, parry, sprint and kick, evade and it was so engaging, there were many options and you could tweak the settings to make things more challenging if you wished, the enemies would attack in groups and you had to act fast and wisely to avoid certain death, all the while you felt so deeply connected to Senua that her death would bring you discomfort and the rot on her arm would grow larger, the voices inside her head,helped her during combat and gave her strategic advice when needed and their silence only brought unease, the sword felt heavy and real, you could feel each strike and got tired when you attacked fast, it felt real. There was also a lot of to move away from an enemy and think strategically, to recover plan things and then attack, to align yourself in such a way that you could strike them without letting them surround you completely.

The second game did a piss poor job at all of the above, the combat was stiff, if played on Hard mode you could not parry, evade or block any of the attacks, you couldn't even recover from evading fast enough to respond to an enemy's attack or parry it, even if you did find a weakness in an enemy you couldn't act fast enough to strike them when vulnerable and if you played it on easy mode then you could just press one button and be done for, there was no room to have fun nor anything made it engaging, the enemies would attack one by one and though some scenes were just abit cool overall it was underwhelming and the opponents never instilled as much fear as those from the previous game did, all the while you couldn't feel the sword, the voices inside your head were completely useless and whiney. There was no room to move, you were backed against a wall or unable to roll around and evade, it took a lot of time for her to recover which made her vulnerable and she got hit way more than she use her sword as expected.

The Graphics:

They were beautiful but don't expect me to give them a pat on their backs for giving me the bare minimum, I do not care about graphics if the story and combat are shit. the old Mario games are more engaging than this horrific nightmare.

The soundtracks, or Heilung:

I waited and waited as an old Heilung fan to hear more from them, to get more than one soundtrack that was not even posted on their YouTube channel, one soundtrack that was as underwhelming as the game and a few background music pieces that were actually good when played during emotional scenes or combat but that was it, I was legit expecting some sort of a mini album release since I was waiting for it since 2019, but I guess I couldn't get a single good thing out of this game.

Final words:

I've never been this disappointed by anything before, it felt like a punch to the gut or having a cold bucket of iced water thrown over me, I'm legit still shocked at how bad this game is, it did not deliver a single thing right, a company that was bought by Microsoft and had 7 years, high tech gear and equipment to develop and finish this game in a leisurely pace with a dedicated fanbase that would've waited another 7 years for its release they created this monstrosity that thank God only lasted 5 hours, why do we allow this? Since when do we settle for the bare minimum? I'm legit disgusted and hurt, will never buy a single game from this company ever again.

I better leave before I start ranting for another 5 hours *screeches in anger*

[xanthi23]

Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice – a 2025 review. Playing this game after 8 years of its release

A dark adventure that will take you into the abyss of a troubled soul.

Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice is the ninth title of Ninja Theory, a BAFTA Award-Winning British studio from Cambridge, known for previous titles like Bleeding Edge and Devil may Cry.

The game was released in 2017 with a sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II in 2024.

The story is about Senua, a young Celtic warrior who suffers from psychosis, a mental disease for which the game shows a warning at the very start. If you experience mental health issues, this may not be a suitable game for you.

Senua’s Sacrifice will take you to a dark Scandinavian land where our heroine, a troubled young soul goes on a journey to save her beloved one.

The story

You were gone from your village and on your return you found your partner dead. You want to bring him back to life and your only hope is to go through the hell of the Nordic lands. Hela, the ruler of the Underworld, may have the power to help you, but it won’t be easy to confront her.

You start the game alone, inside a small crafted boat, amidst calm but unwelcoming waters somewhere in Scandinavia with remains of war, dead bodies hanging from sticks, and abandoned Viking longboats at the banks of the lake you are traveling in.

It’s quiet and you are focusing on your row. But the voices begin. They taunt you? No, they encourage you. Or both? You try to ignore them, but they persist.

These voices are the product of a masterfully crafted audio-engineered experience. Make sure you wear your headphones for this one.

After a while, you arrive on land. It’s calm but not serene. There is death and despair.

Be wary. Your journey will be full of trials. You need to open many doors, and every door has its own test to pass.

The premise of the game

The game’s opening credits serve as an introduction cutscene, encouraging the player to use headphones to experience the game in its full capacity, meaning the whispers in Senua’s head, whispers that become voices, that become whispers again.

These voices torment you but they also encourage you. Consider the encouragements a hint from the game. You will hear them say “Watch out” alerting you that something is behind you, or “Focus” to help you use a certain game mechanic.

Since this is a title with no visual aids, no HUD (heads-up display), no mini maps, health bar, or quest log, the voices will be your only guidance.

The game, with a third-person point of view, is linear and it does a great job showing you where to go by highlighting your path using environment lighting, visual lines, or coloured marks on the ground.

No enemies are popping out from the woods or behind the rocks. There are no jumbscares, but rather a constant psychological burden, haunting your every move.

You will find yourself alone in Nordic forests and abandoned villages with the gods challenging you, giving you riddles to solve before you can proceed.

You will meet the gods of Fire and Illusion and they will not be easy to defeat. You must use your surroundings to decipher their illusions and discover their secrets, which often translate to a set of runes, hidden in elements around you. The environment is your ally and you need to be observant to find the camouflaged clues.

You must use your mind and focus to defeat the gods.

Once a level is cleared, expect a fight.

Be prepared. Enemies will attack you at designated moments. Think of it as a combination of mini-bosses with a final boss at the end.

Game mechanics

The game will not make it easy for you. Remember, after all, you suffer from psychosis. There is no quick save or load. Only checkpoints and if you die, you “damage” yourself permanently.

The game is informing you of a rot that is plaguing you. Every time you die a black matter creeps your arm, starting from your fingers, towards your head, as if your veins are full of black blood. With every death the black veins expand, and the rot crawls higher, threatening you with losing all the progress once it reaches your head. The threat of a permadeath is real and remember, there is no save option.

But you can continue your path. You are not dead yet. You will get stronger and stronger, as you fight your inner demons on your way to your final destination. Just don’t let the rot consume you.

This is your journey together with Senua.

A masterfully crafted story that represents with respect and accuracy what it is like to suffer from a mental disease, in an era where people were misunderstood and deemed cursed.

Ninja Theory showed us how a great narrative and smartly designed audio and graphics can offer a complete video game experience, without needing any metrics to assist the player. All the information we needed was there.

I did experience an occasional glitch here and there, but nothing that would discourage me from playing or recommending this title.

If you like dark-themed games, build in Celtic or Nordic environments then you will love playing this game.

[jamiedc-they-them]

My Hellblade II review got published! Have done some articles for Blooing but this is the latest one!

[phoenixprjct]

🎮 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is art first and game second (In-Depth Review) 🎮

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Developer (Platform): Ninja Theory (Xbox Series X)

Publisher (Release): Ninja Theory (2017)

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is art first and game second. It has perhaps the best representation of mental health the medium has ever seen and will undoubtedly hit close to home for even those that haven’t faced the psychosis Senua struggles with. Ninja Theory and Melina Juergens bring the titular protagonist to life with wonderful animations and personal experiences, showcasing significant talent in sound design and atmosphere. The latter benefits from dedicated mixing of metaphor and Norse and Celtic mythology, and the heavy story attempts to balance organic combat with repetitive puzzles. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, with a slower approach to pacing that aims to develop plot points and not player interaction, but for those looking for an honest portrayal of suffering, grief, and hope, there is no better game.

‘The hardest battles are fought in the mind…’

Never a truer word was spoken.

For the full review and more like it, follow me here and visit my site:

[imperotenebre]

Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice PS4 gameplay - prime impressioni

Platinato con piacere

[splashink-games]

Reviews Master List

All of my reviews are linked below under the cut!

Game Lists:

Games I Played in 2021

A Year of Gaming, 2022

A Year of Gaming, 2023

3 Lines on 7 Games

(Florence, Bright Memory, Framed Collection, When the Past was Around, Tametsi, Turnip Boy, AER)

(Another) 3 Games in 3 Lines

(while true: learn(), Pikuniku, Alicemare)

3 More Games in 3 Lines

(Sword of the Necromancer, Nowhere Prophet, Dicey Dungeons)

3 Additional Games in 3 Lines

(Luna's Fishing Garden, SHENZEN I/O, Mini Healer)

5 Games I Haven't Finished

(Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Disco Elysium, Spiritfarer, Rain World, Railroad Corporation)

3 Cute DU&I Puzzle Games

(Cats Organized Neatly, Dogs Organized Neatly, Feed All Monsters)

3 Unique Rhythm Games

(Soundfall, No Straight Roads, Rhythm Sprout)

5 Strategy Games I Think You Should Play

(Battletech, Wasteland 3, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos, Fae Tactics, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga)

Game Reviews:

A Little to the Left

As Far As The Eye

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Bread & Fred

Carto

Cassette Beasts

Cat Cafe Manager

Death end re;Quest

Dorfromantik

Edge of Eternity

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

Evan's Remains

Hexcells

Hollow Knight

Ikenfell

Islanders

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk

Last Call BBS

Littlewood

Love is Dead

Mary Skelter: Nightmares

Melatonin

Metal Unit

Neon White

Potionomics

SANABI

Tales of Zestiria

UNBEATABLE [white label]

Unsighted

A Note On...:

A Dance of Fire and Ice

A Short Hike

Ageless

Alt-Frequencies

ANNO: Mutationem

Assemble with Care

BALAN WONDERWORLD

Bear and Breakfast

Deep Rock Galactic

Dodgeball Academia

Dragonball Z: Kakarot

Dungeon Drafters

En Garde!

Epistory: Typing Chronicles

Every Letter

Filament

Frog Corral

Garden Story

Haven

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Here Comes Niko!

Hue

Jack Move

Lil Gator Game

Little Hope

Luck Be A Landlord

Minami Lane

Minit

Monster Sanctuary

Murder by Numbers

Muse Dash

Peglin

Rhythm Doctor

Risk of Rain 2

Severed Steel

shapez

Shellshock Live

Smushi Come Home

Sticky Business

Storyteller

Sunblaze

The Looker

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Timelie

TROUBLERSHOOTER: Abandoned Children

[corvidgames]

#2 Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga

THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW

I was reluctant at first to dive back into the series after how impactful I found Senua's Sacrifice, scared that I would be frustrated with the sequel, or feel a lack of connection to the same degree as the first. But, here I am, back with Hellblade 2, and I am not disappointed.

Hellblade 2 was a big leap in terms of the graphical and mechanical limits of the series, and, whilst some elements were a swing and a miss, others were nailed incredibly well. I can't outright say that either game is better without feeling like I'm being too general, so I'll just say this.

Hellblade 2 is far more focused on its story and new characters than on Senua herself. The time for her narrative is somewhat over, and the story shifts from that of self discovery to one of Senua learning to connect with and lead others to the same strength that she has. It's not a bad departure by any means, but it's definitly jarring at first coming from the first game.

The graphical improvements on the game are incredible, and getting rid of the awkward green-screened real actors from the original game was definitley a good move in order to feel more grounded in this new world. Ninja Theory did a great job with their increased budget.

There's some new puzzles to be solved, new perspectives to explore, and the improved soundtrack was gripping and immersive. I'd definitley say to give it a try!

Rating Calculation

Story: 7/10

Whilst Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice focused heavily on the theme of forgiving and empathising with ourselves, Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga places its narrative around the concept of empathising with others. It isn't the self-contained story of Senua herself anymore, and, if anything, her psychosis and it's impacts on the world around her are hardly the key of the plot. There's a much larger focus on her as a hero to the people she encounters, a perspective shift to see her as a leader, someone wise and caring.

For me, the scene with Ingun was the easiest example of this newfound shift in the concept of empathy. We fight through the fires of a hellish battleground, to free a chained giantess who fights with all her might to save her child. Ingun will destroy everything in her path if it means protecting the one she loves, which is a side of Senua that we see crop up throughout the story as we continue through it.

Senua is given the option many times throughout the narrative (though I do find it important to say that the player does not make these choices) to destroy others to get what she wants. She is given the option to kill Thorgestr, to abandon Astridr, to ignore Fagrimr, and yet, she does not. She places herself in harm's way, allows herself to empathise and connect with others, and this is her ultimate strength.

The narrative is a moving tale of loss and love, though there is hardly anything remotely romantic, and I would highly reccommend it for that reason alone. However, I do really miss the introspection that we had so much of in Senua's Sacrifice. As much as I love getting to meet a new cast, it does feel at times like it has strayed a little too far from the story that the original game presented us with.

Character(s): 8/10

Hellblade 2, as previously mentioned, is no longer a solitary story, the island is alive with new characters, and we follow along with a trio of new allies.

Thorgestr's arc across the game was satisfying, although fast, and his similarities in his past with Senua makes for an engaging plot beteen the two of them. He teaches Senua to trust, even if he is, as the plot presents at first, her enemy. They're an engaging duo, and I wish there was some more time spent with their back and forths.

Astridr and Fagrimr however... whilst they were good characters in their own rights, and I didn't dislike either of them, didn't get a chance to really do much of anything throughout the plot. Sure, Fagrimir held a ritual one time at Senua's command, and Astridr was there for the fights and was the reason for the second giant's appearance in the island, but neither of them really had any development due to the short story of the game. I would have really loved getting to know more about them, about how they felt when facing these insurmountable odds and beating them, rather than just how it affected Senua.

Atmosphere: 7/10

Hellblade 2 definitley leant more into the horror sides of psychosis than Senua's Sacrifice. It held a dark tone, much like the original, but there were a lot more overtly disturbing scenes that stuck out from the original. This, whilst chilling, feels at times like it detracted from the atmosphere that Senua's Sacrifice had spent so long creating, the monsters in the shadows and in the back of her mind were real (kind of, I know they were a metaphor, but they were presented as real throughout the game and were never directly questioned until the very last second), the giants were tangible threats, and the world was full of life. It just didn't hold the same weight as the original.

Style/Graphics: 8.5/10

The graphical upgrades of Hellblade 2 cannot be overstated. The game is beautiful, and the use of modern technology leaves Senua's Sacrifice in the dust in comparison. The lighting, face tracking, and environments are richly detailed, and really felt like stepping right into the world alongside Senua herself. I think the only area of the game where the graphics were a questionable were those that focused heavily on moving water, but that would have set my PC ablaze if it were rendered as detailed as the rest of the environment.

Sound Design: 10/10

Much like Senua's Sacrifice, the sound design of Hellblade 2 is incredible. 3D audio of Senua's pychosis is just as well done as the original, and the voice acting is even better than in the first. The increased budget of this game compared to the original has done a lot to perfect the few flaws that were present.

The score in boss fights, especially Ingun had a great backing track, and the use of rhythm thorughout was a really nice touch. It drew me right into the action. I felt like a real hero throughout them.

Mechanics: 4.5/10

Gone is the fast paced and clangy combat of Senua's Saga in Hellblade 2. The fights are slow and brutal, every hit is a lot more weighty and there's far more of an emphasis on dodging rather than parrying every attack you take.

Whilst this feels more "realistic" it doesn't really feel as fun as the original. The fights took a lot longer due to the slower nature of them, and the previously overwhelming (in a good way) combat of the original kind of felt like a slog at times. I wasn't that big of a fan, if I'm completely honest.

Performance/optimisation: 8/10

The performance issues that I mentioned in Senua's Sacrifice are nowhere to be found throughout Hellblade 2. The frames almost never dropped below 60fps even on higher graphical settings, and the stuttering that I experienced with the original was nonexistent. I also, pleasantly enough, experienced no issues with glitches in this installment, whereas I had problems a few times in Senua's Sacrifice.

The only issue that I think I faced with performance was the occasional issue of ghosting, which occured a few times in more graphically intensive areas.

(7 + 8 + 7 + 8.5 + 10 + 4.5 + 8)/7 = 7.57 = 76/100

Date of completion: 02/02/2025

Genre: Psychological RPG / Horror

Time to beat: 6hrs 24mins

Level of completion: Main Story + some side content

Trophies/Gamerscore: 800G 9/11

1-100 rating: 76%

Platform: PC/Gamepass

[puzzlegames1234]

Mental Health Games Research Hell Blade Sauna Saga #1

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice came out in 2017 and was a big hit. The game featured a lot of puzzle elements, coupled with a solid gameplay and combat system. The highlight of the game was its story and acting. The game's main character, Senua, was portrayed by the brilliant actress Melina Juergens. Her character, Senua, has a condition called schizophrenia. This condition can lead to extreme cases where people with it may develop a split personality, but in the case of Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, she represents many people with schizophrenia who hear voices in their heads. Senua's voices are called "The Furies." They tell her when she is doing well, when she is doing badly, they encourage her to keep going, or sometimes tell her to give up. They even double as the game's overall UI, telling the player when they are hurt, need to dodge, or should perform certain tasks within the game world.

Now, I needed to talk about Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice because I actually did a video on the second game, Hellblade: Senua's Saga, about a week ago on my small YouTube channel. The video is an in-depth review of the entire game, and if you want to hear more of my thoughts, I've placed it as the top video in this blog post.

Hellblade's voice mechanics were introduced in the first game, and it shocked me completely. Constantly in my head, I could hear voices moving from my right ear to my left ear, non-stop. It made me feel uneasy, uncomfortable, and even gave me a slight headache. Perfect for what the game's developers intended. You see, the developers wanted to simulate schizophrenia in a way that would make players understand, without having to experience it themselves. And the game does this very well through this feature. This feature enhances both the story and the gameplay, and truly is a masterpiece of design. It represents people with this mental health condition so well, and I’m very happy I experienced, played, and enjoyed both of these games. I think this game represents those with schizophrenia very well.

#videogame#game review#pc games#games#dc comics#tag game#youtube#video games#dc universe#gaming#Youtube

[thelatenightsession]

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Review)

Announced at the same time as the Xbox Series X console, Ninja Theory’s sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice promised a jump in visual fidelity that very few games could match. Now that it is here I think it is safe to say that the developers delivered. The story starts off with the protagonist Senua, captured and bound on a ship. She’s there intentionally, hoping to find those responsible for…

[gamereporter]

Review: Hellblade 2 é um poema cinematográfico em formato de jogo 

Texto por: Victor Candido  Em 2017 a Ninja Theory (desenvolvedora de jogos como Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, DMC: Devil May Cry e Bleeding Edge) resolveu lançar um jogo cuja experiência fugia de diversos padrões da indústria, e até mesmo dos jogos que eles vinham lançando até a data,  nascia ali Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, um jogo com foco narrativo acima da média, onde a jogabilidade simples…

[jcmarchi]

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Review - Conquering Old Demons - Game Informer

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Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Review - Conquering Old Demons - Game Informer

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice didn’t need a sequel. It had a clear story to tell, and it told it well with an artful (and tactful) execution of its mental health themes and a strong conclusion. But Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II builds a great case for itself by using the titular warrior’s growth to help not only herself but, for the first time, others around her, shining her in a fascinating new light. Refined gameplay and a jaw-dropping presentation make for a more wholly satisfying sophomore outing.

Since the first game’s conclusion, Senua’s a little older, a little wiser, and has more confidence in herself. Although the psychosis-induced voices in her head still pepper her every thought (headphones are highly recommended due to the fantastic and effective 3D audio), she’s largely embraced and accepted them. This time, the voices factor less directly into gameplay and are largely used as an effective storytelling flourish: audible manifestations of her innermost thoughts and anxieties. 

Senua’s journey takes her to a new land to put an end to the slavers that ravaged her homeland. As that story evolves into something far grander and fantastical, I enjoyed the new emphasis on companionship. Melina Jurgens delivers another phenomenal performance as Senua, and she’s backed by an equally impressive supporting cast. Seeing Senua interact and travel with a small cast of likable and interesting allies and use the lessons learned from her struggles to help them overcome their own darkness is rewarding. Not only does it feel like satisfying growth, but her relatable fears of leading them astray add a nice dimension to her already compelling character. Watching Senua combat old demons as they rear their heads again is also a realistic and refreshing portrayal of the constant battle that is mental health; her triumph in the first game wasn’t, and shouldn’t be, a one-time victory. 

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The adventure feels more digestible and coherent from a mainstream sense as she tackles an exciting and disturbing pantheon of deadly giants. The first game told a small, intimate story, but this tale feels closer to an epic without losing its pensive element. With a roughly seven-hour runtime, the story wisely doesn’t overstay its welcome and, like the first game, feels focused. You’re here for a good, emotional time, not a long one. 

However, now that Senua has companions to banter with, the voices she hears have an unfortunate habit of speaking up over crucial dialogue. From an artistic standpoint, and I say this as someone who has never experienced psychosis, trying to tune them out to concentrate on a conversation helped me empathize with Senua’s day-to-day experience. But as a game, the voices’ constant chatter did prove a genuine hindrance when I wanted to listen to someone else. When the game does try to separate the two, it occasionally creates an awkward conversation cadence with strange, ill-fitting pauses during talks to fit in a flurry of inner voice dialogue.

The intimate one-on-one combat encounters remain largely the same but with a dazzling visual and cinematic upgrade, minus some old annoyances. Enemies no longer blindside you from off-screen, meaning the action stays in front of you at all times. Sword duels remain a repetitive but entertaining dance of dodging powerful swings and nailing satisfying parries to fill a time-slowing focus meter that, once unleashed, allows Senua to briefly execute an unimpeded assault. While I enjoyed cutting down equally armed foes, the game admirably mixes up the enemy variety with challenging threats that scurry on their hands erratically or, most annoyingly, spew fire. Dodging the latter’s flame-based offense proved visually tricky to evade, so I often cheesed them and other nuisances by activating my focus to quickly drop them as soon as they took the field. Ninja Theory thankfully axed the first game’s creeping permadeath penalty, so dying here has no consequence, and you’re quickly thrown back into the action. 

Taking down threats leads to seamless and varied transitions to the next foe, making fights feel like an interactive cinematic in the most complimentary way. This is just a microcosm of the game’s incredible production values; Hellblade II is arguably the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. From fantastic, subtle facial animations to the superb lighting of its idyllic landscapes and the nightmarish designs of the Norse adversaries, Hellblade II is one of the few titles that truly looks next-gen. Best of all, the presumed increase in budget doesn’t result in a mere increase in fidelity. The creative artistic touches of the first game remain intact and dialed to eleven, with mind-bending kaleidoscopic effects and dreamlike lighting and visuals. Hellblade II isn’t just technically impressive; it’s genuinely alluring to stare at as an art piece. 

Exploring this stunning world is also more fun, thanks to the increased puzzle variety. The perspective-based “spot the sigil in the environment” riddles, which were enjoyable but overused in the last game, are dramatically reduced in number and spread more evenly throughout the adventure. Other challenges, such as solving illumination puzzles to navigate a dark, terror-filled cave or building paths using world-shifting magic, are adequately entertaining and make for a more well-rounded journey. Venturing beyond the generally linear paths to uncover secret totems or mystical trees that spin fragmented yarns is fun, even if the idea conceptually clashes with the otherwise narrative-focused treks. It’s tough to focus on a given conversation when I’m anxious to break away and inspect every nearby surface for a hidden path. 

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s conclusion ends on another strong note, and despite my initial reservations about continuing Senua’s story, I walked away happy to see her conquer new monsters, both literal and metaphorical. I’m pleased Ninja Theory avoided the temptation to blow up this formula into something far bigger than needed – this isn’t Xbox’s God of War; it’s a better Hellblade. The first game is a famous example of not needing to be fun in the traditional sense to be engaging. This sequel sprinkles more broadly appealing thrills while retaining the thoughtful storytelling and artistry few triple-A games possess.

[thereasonsimbroke]

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice had received glowing reviews as it gears up for its sequel, Senua's Saga: #HellbladeII.

With a focus on true immersion, the studio's dedication to detail and innovation shines through, promising an experience like no other. Every element has been elevated from refined environments to stunning combat, drawing players deeper into Senua's world.

#MelinaJuergens's reprisal of Senua's character and her mission to raise mental health awareness adds depth to the game's narrative and performances.

With combat intricately woven into the journey and a narrative that resonates with fans, #SenuasSaga: #Hellblade II is poised to captivate audiences when it launches on May 21, 2024.

[pletnet]

Descubre el asombroso viaje de Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice en Switch, desafiando expectativas técnicas y narrativas.

Con detalles visuales impresionantes, esta versión mantiene la esencia del juego original.

Sumérgete en la intensa narrativa y aprecia el logro técnico en la consola de Nintendo. 🎮🔥

[stardryad]

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn or Senua from Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice would look cute in your artstyle! Prompt is uh fluff? Both characters need some of that in their life so ye lol.

I chose the one I didn't know about, which was Senua! I was gonna put her on a flower crown, as that seems like my love language LMAO, but found better to sprinkle some flowers on that fur of hers 🌸