Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – Review

It’s been about seven years since the publication of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a title that taught the world of video games how multimedia content of this type could raise awareness among many people of serious pathologies such as schizophrenia. After winning sixteen awards and receiving more than thirty-five nominations, in 2019 during the The Game Awards a sequel was finally announced, which would take up the story of Senua exactly where we left off in the first chapter. Five years after that announcement, on May 21st, we will finally be able to return to the psyche of Senua through Senua’s Saga: Hellblade IIand all subscribers to Xbox Game Pass they will also be able to do it for free.

But let’s not waste any more time and follow us in our latest review, happy reading.

“It is easy to see pain and suffering caused by physical illness or trauma, but it is not as easy to see suffering, trauma, or serious mental illness. What if we could find a way to do this?”

In the words of the writer and author of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade, Tameem Antoniades, we pick up the story exactly where we left off years ago. Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, in the very first Hellblade we followed the story of Senuaa warrior belonging to the tribe of Pitti that he decides to achieve Helheim (home of the dead according to Norse mythology) in order to save the soul of his beloved who perished during an enemy incursion. In this sequel, Senua she is determined to take revenge on those who decimated her people and killed her companion, but a story of revenge can often hide unexpected implications…

Escaping from your own shadow

Let’s start by saying that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II it is not an adventure that aims to offer the player a long-lasting campaign, in fact, like its predecessor, it will take us about 7-8 hours to finish the story, but also 9 if we decide to dedicate ourselves to finding all the collectibles. The title presents a “clean” HUD, without on-screen indications on which path to take or objective to follow, leaving the player with the possibility of being transported by the story without any other thoughts. We also find this simplicity in the controls, where we can use (on Xbox, the version we tested) LB to shoot, RT or LT for the focus, RB to block, Y and X to attack with a heavy attack and a light attack respectively, B to interact with the surrounding environment and TO to dodge enemy attacks. Furthermore, by selecting the upper arrow, we will be able to quickly access the photo mode, which at any time will be capable of capturing frames of rare beauty.

Being a title entirely focused on the plot we will absolutely avoid any spoilers related to it, focusing instead on some aspects that surprised us compared to its predecessor. The development team and the director have in fact wisely used the years that have passed, managing to fill some gaps present in the very first Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. One of these is certainly the plot, which in this new chapter brings some small changes to the way it is told to us. The substantial difference is in fact the presence of supporting characters during the adventure which, although initially caused us some hesitation about their real involvement in the mental problems of Senuain the end they proved to be a huge added value, capable of further highlighting the perceptive gap towards the world between them and the protagonist. Despite this, it is clear that it was a big gamble for the team, especially due to the little depth given to the supporting charactersmaking them traveling companions, but at the same time never finding the right way to involve the player, also thanks a Senua masterfully written and capable of outclassing the other characters as depth.

Not improving the situation, we also find the duration of the plot which, being very short, will often lead the player to perform a continuous time jump towards the story, thus sacrificing the possibility of seeing and appreciating the evolution of the relationship between the charactersleaving our mouth with a bittersweet aftertaste that tastes likeMaybe I didn’t miss something?“. This insecurity, fortunately, vanishes when we continue with the story and we are dragged back into the eye of the storm. We wouldn’t have minded if the story had lasted a few more hours, thus allowing us to thoroughly analyze all the aspects hidden by the title. This is only partially filled through a secondary function of the work which will only be unlocked after completing the main story at least once. The latter, avoiding any spoilers, even led us to re-face the title entirely, so as to experience it in a decidedly “new” light.

We found another pleasant difference in the innovations made to the combat system. Personally, within the first title of the saga, what I hardly digested was the simultaneous combat against multiple enemies, as it was clear that the game was not designed to face multiple enemies at the same time, but was mainly focused on the single objective. In this second chapter we managed to give a completely new feel, not only by inserting, throughout the entire experience, new enemies differentiated by numerous attack patternsbut also by creating a Fluid combat system which, although it lets the player feel his position at the center of the battle, will always be focused on a single enemy at a time, quickly moving on to a second with cinematic and well-thought-out cuts that never interrupt the rhythm. The innovations also concern the environmental puzzles, with some that hark back to the origins of the series, and many others that never leave room for monotony. As soon as you believe that the game has already shown you everything, you will have to change your mind, we assure you.

Between psychology and photorealism

Technically Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II it is unattainable to say the least, both as regards the audio sector and as regards the purely visual aspect. To fully appreciate the title, the use of headphones is recommended, also given the presence of a Full 3D binaural sound. For those who are not aware, binaural sounds are particular frequencies which, by stimulating listening, can influence our brain, mood and state of mind, bringing them into a state of openness and consciousness such as to favor concentration, relaxation and learning. The team then created an incredible auditory experience that allows the player to fully immerse themselves in the reality of Senua.

To achieve a high level of cinematic immersion and suspend the player’s disbelief, it was also crucial to use real-world references. From the smallest details present, for example, in the handmade costumes, to the vast Icelandic landscapes, the main source of inspiration for this second chapter. Unlike the first game, which used theUnreal Engine 4, the second chapter was developed using the most recent one Unreal Engine 5which allowed for the addition of improved character models, animations and other visual components, as well as better use of the console itself. On Series X|S the developers have limited the frame rate at 30 frames per secondaiming to obtain a decidedly more cinematic experience.

To give life to a perspective of the world of Senua increasingly truthful, the team once again worked closely with the professor Paul Fletcher of the University of Cambridge, as well as with people suffering from actual experiences of psychosis. All this has been collected in a documentary lasting twenty minutes and which you can find in the section Extra of the main menu. As superfluous as it may seem, I personally found it to be a real added value to the workcapable of speaking to the player as a human being, appealing to his empathy in order to identify with the people involved and Senua itself.

Who do we recommend? Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II?

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II it is undoubtedly recommended to all those who deeply loved the first chapter, but also to those who were simply curious to read these words of ours. The title is aimed at a wide audience, but above all at an adult and mature audience. Precisely on this last point a small disclaimer is in order. The game contains depictions of psychosis, including visions and voices, which many may find disturbing, if not downright uncomfortable, especially those who have had similar experiences. People with experience of psychosis and professionals in psychiatry have assisted in the creation of each of these representations, but we still recommend a highly informative approach before approaching the game, especially if you have a high sensitivity towards themes such as violence, trauma, death, panic, fire, drowning, confined spaces and issues relating to childhood loss.