Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

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.

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.

I just finished my second playthrough of this title and had nearly as engaging of an experience as the first with only a few hours separating the experiences. I found at least one hidden part to the game that I missed on the first play, and it added a small but significant piece to the story. There is a collectable system in the game that helps break up the tension and focus on the overarching goal. Unlike some collectable systems, this one tells a story and gives you a norse mythology lesson, which helps you understand how and why certain events and challenges are transpiring. Especially at the end where you have an almost sixth sense style retrospecitive look at the hours spent before, and with putting the story pieces together, you realize what has been happening. The game does not put these pieces together for you, it is very much left to the player to determine their own opinion on how real the events of the game were. If you complete the collectable portion of the game before the end encounter, you will be rewarded with an additional cuscene which will set the stage a little for a sequel and give you an idea of Senua's situation and how the most traumatic events in her life came to be. I suggest everyone purchase this game and send a clear message that this level of professionalism and care with this art form at a reasonable price will be rewarded. I can't wait for a sequel.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an indie game. It looks like a AAA blockbuster, and I think that has thrown a few folks. Like most indie games, Hellblade does one thing extremely well, and everything else serves to support that one thing. For some indie titles that means you get great combat but no story, or great puzzles but no combat. For Hellblade, the story is everything, and it is excellent. The combat and puzzle mechanics function simply as service to that story. Keep that in mind going in. For myself, I thought the puzzles were entertaining enough, and the puzzle solving mechanics were unique. I enjoyed them. I also didn't have major problems with the combat, but there's no doubt it got pretty repetitive through the middle section of the game. Later on, as the combat becomes more intricately tied in with the story, it became more entertaining. But in the end the focus was on the main character Senua and her story, and that aspect of the game is nearly flawless. The visuals of the game are stunning, among the best I've seen in any game of any price. The audio design is also staggering, again far better than the audio design in many far more expensive games. Everything from the visuals and audio to the puzzle mechanics and character performances works together to try and get you into the head of Senua, and it works amazingly well. Forget your VR and massive open-world games, this is immersion. It's the best immersion I've ever seen in a game, and to anyone who loves a good story with great characters that make you really think, this is absolutely the game for you.