I really wanted to be hyped about this, but something about it is just throwing me off. I like Ninja Theory a lot; I'm probably one of the few people on the planet who actually thoroughly enjoyed DmC, but this Hellblade... I don't know. I've been following the announcement and "development" threads here on GOG, I watched trailers and gameplay videos, I even saw that (very much cringe inducing) facebook "interview" with "Senua"/Melina Juergens, which was technically impressive (and creative, one might say) but not much more than that. Nothing, thus far, has gotten me the slightest bit interested in Hellblade, not even this here post on GOG.

To quote Ninja Theory themselves, here is what they think are their 'three strengths': «Over the course of the last 14 years we’ve developed three key strengths that define our games: ninja-class combat, strong character stories, and a unique art vision.» I'm inclined to agree. Their games have had stellar, engaging, fun combat, (mostly) interesting and well-developed characters that the player grows fond of and cares about, and, lastly, gorgeous art direction supported by great use of the tech they have available to them. All of this is true, for the most part (I know how much some people downright hate Ninja Theory's "emo" Dante). And I think my issue with Hellblade is that they don't seem to be nailing these three "cores" quite right. I can't speak for the character development without having played the game; the premise sounds interesting enough, so I won't pass any judgement on that front. As for the combat and the art vision, though... Ninja Theory, I think you overshot and missed the mark. Combat looks slow, sluggish, un-engaging, tiresome -- boring, honestly. Not "ninja-class" at all, sadly. As for the art vision... oh, boy, the art design... where should I even start? Yes, from a technical standpoint, the game might look impressive, but art has to be more than just great tech. Hellblade looks... bland. I honestly dislike how Senua looks (sorry, Ms. Juergens, I guess?), everything just looks too "realistic", to the point it kind of loses its own character; this could seriously pass off as one of the hundreds of Celtic/Viking/Norse shows or documentaries that we've been getting for the past five-or-so years, there would be little difference. I know a lot of people more than welcome more "gritty" and "realistic" generic-looking-Viking-warpaint stuff, but a lot of us are getting really tired of it. Hellblade just looks like one more of these Viking-themed games/movies/docs. When I look at Heavenly Sword, DmC or Enslaved, the Ninja Theory mark is clear, the art direction is definitely noticeable as being its own thing, but when I look at Hellblade I just see very generic stuff that I've seen a million times before.

I still applaud and give kudos to Ninja Theory for trying to bring "AAA" quality to the indie scene. It's a very commendable thing to do. But, in all honesty, maybe Hellblade wasn't the right project for this. The game just doesn't feel like all that much, despite looking technically impressive. Then again, most tech demos look technically impressive -- it doesn't mean they qualify as good games.

On the bright side, there's always the "PC MASTER RACE" audience. Those have been begging for a game that pushes their hardware to the limit, and Hellblade might just do that. As a fun, entertaining, engrossing Ninja Theory-style game, though... it's not looking like much.

Just my thoughts on the whole thing; I've been watching this from a distance for a while, and finally felt like I had to let this whole "shrug-meh-I-really-wanted-to-care-about-this-and-here's-why-I-don't" out. I apologize for the long post.