Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Let's get this out of the way: Hellblade is a stunning experience in terms of story, graphics, music, atmoshphere and presenation. Obviously a lot of thought and work went into this and Hellblade is an experience I would recommend readily. Even the puzzles are really well done in my eyes. The one aspect where this game falls short is in its combat. It is not interesting at all. You have two kinds of attacks, a block and dodge and that is about it. Enemies are slow and can be parried or evaded with ease most of the time. This is pretty basic and forgettable and does, luckily, not overstay its welcome. That being said, as a whole I wholeheartedly recommend Hellblade. It is one hell of a haunting and disturbing, but at the same time beautiful experience.

Ok. I suffer from anxiety issues and some other stuff, and this pretty much hit the mark on that. My "Voices" are non verbal and are more images and feelings, and are probably not as intense as this, but otherwise it pretty much nails the experience of being constantly pulled and pushed by these bloody things that will not go away. I HIGHLY recommend you play with headphones to get this experience. If you just play from a screen I can imagine it would get annoying very quickly. The world is wonderfully detailed, the acting seems to be really good, and the Developers heart seems to be in the right place with what they were trying to do. The PROBLEM is the combat. I have not played the Light heavy counter combat style of game before., and I cant do it. That second fight had be dying over and over even on easy mode. I literally have no idea what I'm doing, and my one "voices" came roaring in telling me how useless I was and I just hit the exit button as I couldn't deal with it. Couldn't the game least give a tutorial to let you know what each combat button does? And honestly, I don't think the story needs the Random combat at all. It would probably suit the Bosses, but I didn't get that far. An option to forgo most of the combat would really help, as I see people complaining about the combat all over. So ya, this is my experience of the game after a few hours of play. I would love to continue more into the game, but the first second fight is a brick wall and it's just against the most basic gits. Maybe I can pull myself together enough to try it again and learn it, but right now it will be a few days. Infuriating.

... although a bit boring one from time to time. Ok, so, let's get one thing immediately straight - if you're looking for a God of War kinda game, or even Assassin's Creed franchise - walk on, this won't cut it for you. I admit, even to myself there were a moments in game when I found it a bit dull / boring. Run, solve puzzle, fight some guys, backtrack to the doors. It gets repetitive. And running part should have been done in such way that character moves faster, not just trotting around. But anyways. Graphics: 10/10 Immersion: 9/10 Finale: 20/10 Replayability: 6/10 Story: 8/10 Innovation:: 10/10 I've just finished a game and... it ha left it's mark on me... can't remember when was the last time that the game did. Way back, in the days of Microsoft Starlancer and first Sequel of Deus Ex, I guess. But yeah. Game is more of an artistic cinematic expression attemt melded into the PC gaming world, than of an actual PC title. And as such, it won't fit to everyone. But it's a helluva beautiful experience. Would I play it again? Well, let's just say that I also own a VR version of the game, and I'm seriously considering purchase of an VR set, just due to this game. Overall verdict? Very positive, suprisingly creative experience. A tads of boringness here and there, but overall a must try, especially if you like non-generic and inovative titles.

Senua's Sacrifice allows you to experience what it feels like, to suffer from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and related mental health issues. I have had the same affliction when I was a teenager, and it is stunning how spot-on the description is. Every single detail is accurate. Starting from the nonsensical task of brining a severed head to hell, to retrieve the soul. A quest that makes sense only if you are trapped in the mystical hellscape the affliction will create for you. It's like a nightmare you can't wake up from. The path may be real, but she stands in front of a door, and her mind tells her, it is locked by a magical lock (it isn't), and she must do something apparently useless to open it--or suffer the consequences. Senua feels, she has to align objects and shadows to resemble shapes. Once she does, the inhibition fades. She then pushes the door open, and her mind tells her, that it were her actions, that "unlocked" it. All this is exactly how it feels in real life. I have been there and done that. I once spent 3 hours aligning the position of a fork, out of fear, something bad might happen if I couldn't place it to the millimeter. So, what Senua does is 100% what people do in actual life--except, they might spend hours, not minutes like in the game. In between these puzzles, Senua repeatedly fights monsters, only real to her. While this is more symbolism than accurate, it still catches the real struggle. And then there are the voices. When you suffer from the condition, you might be fully aware that they are not real. But, they very well might be--because you, still, can't, stop, listening. They are always there. Nonstop. Day and night. The Nordic mythology is equally accurate, and well done. So, yes: This game is as close to experiencing what it feels like to suffer through this, as a neurotypical person might likely get in their lifetime. It really is that well done. Up to the point where, sometimes, it strikes almost too close to home.

I bought because of the overwheming reviews, but I was let fooleld by the critics an let down by the devs. Stupid, boring, nauseating repetitve gameplay. The Idea with the voices in your head giving you advice instead of a HUD is not enough to carry a whole game. Stupid Time/Space Puzzles, boring and frustating slow running through (beautiful landscapes), unfair, long, boring repetitive Swordfights against, hm, I Dont`t know, human shaped Deamons?! and repeat. Bad checkpoints, bad Performance, even crashes. If you want a good english indy Title get "get even"