Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade looks great most of the time, sometimes only good, sometimes stunning. Ninja theory was always good with character design, use of shaders etc., so Senua's visuals and animations are surely state of the art. But she's the only human character in Hellblade that even has a 3D model. In her lengthy visions and flashbacks, all other human characters are 2D videos fitted into the 3D scene. Even this effect is less somewhat concealed by blurring etc. it's one point where you clearly see that Hellblade is not a AAA title. Gamewise it's a mixture of adventure elements with arena fights. Like typically you need to open doors by finding runes in the area featuring riddles like superposition or shadows. Sometimes you can alter reality by portals, looking through masks or getting the right angle to arrange a splintered window. These parts are mostly great with a few well designed puzzles. Then there are some annoying parts where you need run through burning labyrinths, find you ways through changing mazes or sneak in total darkness through hordes of monsters that will kill you at once if they spot you. The game design is very linear where you progress from area to area and can't make detours other than to find a hidden runestone here and there. About every time you enter an open space or larger room, an arena fight emerges, where you are attacked by monstrous warriors that (re-)spawn in the arena. Through the game, harder types of opponents appear (shielded, with axes etc.) but there are only like 5-6 types in sum plus a few bosses. So the difficulty is mainly raised by the number of opponents which gets very annoying and chaotic towards the end when you are surrounded by five or more opponents. Still, your own abilities don't evolve in the game. No new combos or moves to be learned. Just two sword strikes, dodging, melee and focus (bullet time). Still, it was a captivating experience, but I needed ~10h and a lot of that was passive contents like flashbacks.

I do not usually write reviews, but this masterpiece is something else. I tried to completely immerse myself in the world and it definitely pulled me in for quite a ride. The voice acting, the themes, the art, the music and the mechanics made it an unforgettable experience. You can tell how much passion was put in the game and this kind of art is what video games should be.

It is a game that is told in an immersive way and capture your attention to follow the travel with Senua in her search. Play with headphones and just enjoy the trip as the sounds are binaural and adds to the full experience in the game. There is some combat in the game but nothing that takes over or ruins the experience. It more adds to the experience. You will understand more when you play it. The story is very well written and grasps you quickly. If you enjoy Norse mythology you will encounter that in the game also as it binds to the story. Graphically also a very stunning game. There are some puzzles in the game but they are easy to handle. This game is top notch for me in every aspect and I recommend it warmly.

I am on the fence with this one. I understand the developers passion and reasoning behind this title. It's just that they were not able to execute as a 'game' (in my opinion). If it was literally a netflix show, I'd gladly binge it, just not in this form. The game world, environment, sound (You must wear headphones because hearing the voices inside Senua's mind is important to the game) are wonderful and well done. The combat is simple but easy to control, you will "feel" a little weight behind your blocks but the actual swing and connecting feels very light. It's weird. The plot is so-so, I understand Senua's will and conviction she has on her journey and reason why the developer wants to illustrate what somebody who is suffering from psychological problems go through. But I have not and do not personally know somebody who does, I can't connect with the character and story. Somebody who has experience, may feel what Senua's going through. What if here: What if ninjatheory did not explain the meaning and reason for the development of this title prior to the release of the game. It would have been just a run of the mill (with great effort) linear indie game with sprinking of celtic and nordic lore. Most people wouldn't have thought that ninjatheory was trying to with their best intent to illustrate psychological problems and delusions. If it wasn't for the meaning and motive behind the game, I don't believe it would have received its accolades as a game. It is very unlikely that I will finish the game. One of the things that is keeping me from doing that are the puzzles. They are not hard but very tedious and it really doesn't add to the lore/plot. Maybe it was explained early in the game but I do not understand the metaphor with matching the rune characters with some of the random parts of the world in order to unlock a door. Maybe someone who is more cognitive can explain it to me (I'm not being passive aggressive here, I am serious) It was worth playing for a bit but I don't have the urge to finish it.

After a solid 7 hours and a half of gameplay, I have finished this game with positive thoughts about it. While the gameplay isn't it's strongest aspect, it does make up for it with some wonderful acting, music, story and graphics. However, certain aspects keeps it from being an eternal classic. The Good: -Motion Capture should always be this good. -Music is strong and follows the amazing scenery you are in. -It does suspense the right way without jump scares. -The graphics are good. Senua is breathtaking. -The voice acting is great. -The story is simple yet deep and packed with surprises. The Okay: -Puzzle aren't super creative. -Combat is fun but shallow. The Bad: -No matter how you put it, it's mostly a walking simulator. -There is roughly 6 or 7 enemy types in the game. This is a good game you should definitely get, even if it feels like a movie at time. It's by no means perfect, but it is a great experience for anyone interested in mental illness or norse mythology.