The atmosphere in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is absolutely incredible. There hasn't been a low note so far, several hours in. Each new area feels more impressive than the last, and the sense of desperation is palpable. While the focus of this game is not the combat, the fighting elements are done very well. Dodging is fast and responsive, yet limited so that it is not overpowered. Weapon impacts are satisfying, and the game relies on visual cues other than health bars to indicate an enemy's status, There nothing in the way of a HUD, with absolute zero screen clutter. You have to pay attention. The introduction to the puzzles could have been done somewhat better. This was the only problem I had, as the goal is not immediately clear. AFter that first hurdle, however, everything else was intuitive. It is nice to find a game that doens't hold your hand. As for difficulty, on Auto, it seemed quite challenging, although I'm not sure exactly how that difficulty works. The game is technically permadeath, but after dying three or four times, I still don't seem to be in danger of losing my save. It seems like it's something you intentionally have to trigger, as the mechanic is tied into the story itself, similar to Dark Souls, although I haven't died nearly as much here. Overall, I would gladly have paid twice as much, and I haven't even finished it yet.
