Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Not at all what I was expecting, but one to the greatest experiences a game has ever given me.

I finished this game last night and it is one of the few games I've felt compelled to write a review for. It is truly a work of art, and one of the most immersive experiences I've ever had in video games. The developers deserve so much credit for making this game happen. A lot of care and attention has been put into making this game, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. In this day and age of so many throw-away gaming experiences, this is one that will stay with you long after the credits roll. FIngers crossed for a sequel. The Pros: + Amazing, thought-provoking story + Well-written characters, brought to life with great voice acting + Some of the best sound design in any game, ever + Incredibly beautiful graphics + Immersive experience + Interesting, clever puzzles The Cons (I don't necessarily consider these to be cons, but these are things that will bother some people): - Less emphasis on gameplay and more on storyline; Combat and exploration take a back seat to puzzle-solving and character development - Same-y enemies, slightly repetitive hack 'n' slash combat mechanics (peronanlly I found the combat satisfying, and bosses do offer some variety) - Short game length (10-12 hours on first playthrough) - Won't appeal to everyone; for fans of thoughtful, slower-paced games 9/10 If you want a game that will immerse you in its world and characters from start to finish, you need to play Hellblade. Worth every penny.

Let's start by repeating the title: "This game is not for everyone". The developers said as much and intended it as such. I followed this gave since first announcement and knew exactly what I was getting myself into. So quite obviously I got exactly what I wanted and was promised. If you want a focused, unique, story-driven experience with deep and very real emotions, then his game is for you. If you seek only gameplay mechanics and don't care about the story or characters, then pass on title. This is definitely not a game for you. This is not Dark Souls, this is not Call of Duty. This being a linear story game there is little immediate replay value. So if you fall into the first category, then do yourself a service, stop reading information about it and wear headphones to get the best out of this game. It's about 6-8 hours long and the gameplay consists of walking, puzzle solving and combat, but overall it's much much more than a sum of its parts. Despite the fact there is a lot of downtime between fight segments, the walking parts rarely feel like just walking. You find yourself experiencing the story in these moments as well as admiring the world itself. The combat is intense and personal. However it is also simplistic (although surprisingly deep), repetitive in a way and sometimes can feel drawn out (personally I'd recommend going on "easy" or "normal" simply because it helps with the pacing, especially in the later stages). The puzzles are very thematic (thus also repetitive) and about the right difficulty - not hard enough to waste tons of time on them, but not easy enough that they are obvious rightaway in most cases. This game does not hold your hand at all and you have to discover everything on your own, however overall it wants you to win and for that is very forgiving. If you're into stories then this game is a steal for 30 dollars (easily worth 60). If not, then don't bother at all, not worth your time. Also a bonus, you'll get an amazing short film regarding the making of the game and the themes it deals with.

This game is not just a hidden gem. In this day and age it's a miracle. And it's a miracle because of the amount of passion and intelligence those guys at Ninja Theory were able to pour into it. The characterization, the monsters design, the sound design and soundtrack, the world around you... all are epic enough to make justice to this Celtic-Norse mythological universe you embark in. And no. The combat system isn't bad. It's not revolutionary but it's far from being mediocre. It can actually be pretty unforgiving if you start to mindless slash things around you, especially in hard mode. It's reminiscent of The Witcher 3's combat. Blocking, sparring, attacking in the right moments can be very satisfying. Those finalizations are great. You won't get a chance to look at all your enemies at once (when there are more than one), but the voices inside your head will say things like "Behind you!" to help you. And this is a clever mechanic, a nice way to bring Senua's psychoses into the battle (not to mention all the visual distortion / effects that sometimes happen: all very well implemented). Anyway, despite being two different games/universes (and studios), I don't know why but I sensed a lot of The Witcher 3's 'spirit' in this one. Maybe the passion and intelligence thing? Ok, there are no maps, no inventories, no leveling up, no collecting - but it's still a great game. It's innovative - and still a great game. Top-notch writing with clever remarks that sometimes will remind you of something written by William Blake - and still a great game. Remember The Witcher 3 when you would walk instead of running and rushing your way just to enjoy that digital sublime world around you on friday's night? You will want to walk instead of running just to experience this universe too. But don't let some people convince you this is a mere walking simulator. At times you will be walking your way through a beautiful forest, after talking about the end of a Civilization with one of your ghosts (Druth is one of my favorites) and all of a sudden you're going to see yourself surrounded by what look like ancient mythological enemies. Of course this game won't be everyone's cup of tea (which is tragic, because it's a hell of a game). But if you like good writing in games, puzzles and (yes) EPIC battles, besides a great soundtrack, beautiful graphics, excellent voice acting, top-notch monsters/creatures design (although there could be a larger variety of enemies, but I guess a limited budged had a role here), chances are you're going to enjoy this one. Also, as others have put before, this game is very well optimized. Even my humble GTX 770 handles everything pretty nicely, all the graphics set to "Very High". Finally, this game is not afraid to touch subjects like madness, end of civilizations and death in a deeper way than you'd expect from a game. It actually made me cry a little. But I'm an old gamer with a bleeding heart and some baggage. I'm not saying it will make everyone cry or that's the developer's intention, or that's a good thing per se. What I'm saying is that sometimes you'll only be able to fully appreciate a book, a movie (or, yes, a game like this one) after you lived some little things in your personal life. I'm saying it will definitely touch you in some way, if you allow or are in the right moment for this.. So yeah, of course this game won't be everyone's cup of tea but it's fun and at the same time it deserves the "M" for mature in it. And it shows how powerful games can be as a media.

I had only a few issues where it became a bit frustrating. Mainly fighting stuff. I don't care for that too much, but I think I'll play it again, just for the superb performance of Senua's actress. She insists, she is not an actress, just a video editor, but what the hell does she know. ;) I wonder if that is what people thought interactive movies were supposed to be. Very immersive.