Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an extremely unique gaming experience! It has an incredible story, amazing graphics and the voice acting is superb. The atmosphere is intense with the voices in Senua's head and the darkness. Not having a HUD, not having a health bar, no stamina bar, not being able to heal yourself in any way, no upgrades, no items to manage all added to the realism, the tension, and the immersion in the game. I've never played a game that drew me in, made me feel the oppression, the desperation, and the agony of the main character like this game did. From Senua's facial expressions to her body language to the superb voice acting done by Melina Juergens, you feel what the character is feeling and it draws you in. The voices really add realism to Senua's psychosis. They can be helpful and warn you "watch out!", "FOCUS", "behind you" or they can taunt you "she's going to die", "she's going the wrong way, she's lost". Senua's eyes are the most realistic I have ever seen in a game. Her eyes move in a way that makes her seem alive. Looking into them is like you're looking into her tortured soul. Combat is pretty much dodge, parry, watch for the enemy to have his guard down, quick attack, dodge, wait then strong attack. There are several boss fights, which were easier than being attacked by multiples of the lesser enemies. Each time Senua dies, a black "rot" grows up her arm and if reaches her brain, death is permanent. It adds to the intensity of the combat, making you more cautious, not rushing in and hack n slash. You have to have patience, watch your enemies movements and time your hits to cause damage. Is Hellblade a perfect game? No, but almost. It could have been longer, could have had a little bit more variety, but it is an awesome gaming experience. It's a slightly flawed artistic masterpiece, with an incredible story, gorgeous graphics, and outstanding voice acting. Not perfection but close, 9.5/10

This game is a good idea that isn't implemented terribly well. The artwork and voiceovers are very good. It does have the atmosphere of mental illness but it's used to create tension in the game rather than drive the main character. Oddly, the voices in Senua's head offer practical advice in combat situations. Combat is problematic. The random number generator plays a big role and the controls, PC version, are unpredictable. There is no guarantee you'll be able to move or complete an action every time under identical conditions. The character experiences random paralysis in combat. The where's Waldo/hidden pictures component of the game is tedious. I have a limited tolerance for find the object and superimpose a mask over it. It says something about me that I finished the game. I'm not sure exactly what that is but I felt like if I didn't complete it I'd somehow be giving in to the writers' intentions.

Was ein riesengroßer ROTZ. Wer psychische Probleme hat, sollte zum entsprechenden Arzt gehen. Nur, dieses Spiel hat eben nicht irgendeinen psychologischen Tiefgang, auch wenn das von erstaunlilch vielen Spielern und den Machern des Spiels behauptet wird. Es ist ein ennervierend umständliches Spiel, bei dem einzig und allein die Kampfsequenzen Spass machen. Das Gesuche nach Runen in der Umgebung sowie als auch in Reihe bringen von Symbolen ... Auch das viel beschworene mit Kopfhörer spielen ändert daran gar nichts. Mit VAR ist das auch nicht besser, wer auch immer sich das teure Equipment leisten kann. Egal. Das Spiel für letzendlich 4,50 € zu kaufen (so ich), belegt den tatsächlichen Wert. Nun, es ist nicht alles schlecht. Die Mythologie aus der nordischen Saga ist für alle, die sich bisher nicht damit befasst haben, selbstredend interessant. Die Graphik (Unreal4) ist zeitgemäß (2017), also gut. Aber es gibt natürlich wesentlich bessere Spiele, die die nordische Mythologie auch viel besser und motivierender umsetzen (Assassin Creed Valhalla z.B.). Senues Schicksal ist letztendlich das einzige, was einen bei der Stange halten mag ... wer nichts besseres zu tun hat ... grins

Why is the combat so much hard even on easy mode... and the camera during fights is not helpful at all sometimes. Smashing of buttons accidentally somehow opens windows 10 menus like cortana or keyboard language options and game is then not responsive. Otherwise, the game concept about voices/souls is novel and very interesting. The puzzles are more confusing than entertaining. Atmosphere is dark and very depressive. If you are fan of mythology then you will be pleased also by storytelling. I think it is good game, but unfortunately it is just not my taste. P.S.: Tutorial of the game is button Esc on keyboard.

I didn't know what to expect, but this game is an amazing narrative experience unlike anything i have ever tried before the combat is addictive and the game is very well paced. this is what a team of passionate people can do when they have have total freedom, i will be watching this studio with great interest from now on.