Qualifications: I played and finished this game once on a GTX 1080 on a 4K monitor (downscaled to reach ~60fps) with headphones. I probably chose the default difficulty. I played this with a controller. Visual/Audio: This is a beautiful game and if you can play it at full 4K I heartily recommend it. Being AA, there is some minor wonkiness but nothing horrendously broken. If you can, play this game with headphones not only because the mixing is great but also because it's used to great effect in combat later on. Combat: If you think you're having issues with the combat, feel free to look up a guide as the game doesn't tutorialize anything and tries to communicate purely through audio/visual means. Thankfully, the combat doesn't demand too much from you, but that also means you shouldn't expect much variety either. My only real gripe was with the visually ambiguous lock-on which can cause frustration when it's not clear whom Senua will actually try to hit. The camera is also claustrophobic so you'll need to get used to a snappy auto lock-on camera with a very low FOV. I suggest leaning back with a controller. There were also puzzles and I almost forgot to include them. They take up 80% of the game and are kind of blandly simple. The only times I got stuck were because I missed a hallway usually. Story: I am not in any position to discuss the mental health topics portrayed in this game but at least I can say that the portrayal was effective and is well-woven into a Nordic odyssey reaching down into the depths of Hel. However, I do have to admit that while the latter levels reach great peaks in level design, I kind of lost the emotional thread by story's end. Part of this was because the ending felt abrupt but also because the "demon-on-your-shoulder" just sounded really hammy and cheap compared to everyone else's performances. Miscellany: There are lorestones that give lore. They're kind of dry and sometimes interrupt otherwise tense downtime.
