Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

After I woke up today I sat down and finished the game in one sitting. Gave myself a few hours to think about it and let this review brew. Lets start with the obvious good stuff.

The audio team absolutely carried the project on their back. The music and the sound is superb, immersive and spectacular at every point. My sincerest congratulations to everyone involved.

The graphics are top notch, they're obviously trying to showcase what Unreal 5 is capable of and they're delivering on that front.

The camera work is also great, and the story is decent, altough nowhere near as captivating as the first entry, and it gets sluggish at times. Especially considering how much the gameplay breaks the already slower pacing. And this is where the problems begin.

For a 5-6 hour game, feeling tired of the gameplay at hour 2 is a terrible sign. You repeat the same 3 things over and over again throughout the game, forced into a super slow running and climbing animation. I don't know why they decided this would be the best direction. Maybe we're forced to slow down to show us how amazing Unreal 5 can look but... a rock is just a rock the 1st and the 600th time as well.

I would've been so much more satisfied if it was just an audiovisual experience. Sit in your couch, put on a headset and enjoy the show.

But having to hold down the left stick for 5 hours to move forward in the slowest possible animation, drizzled in with the same puzzle again and again is just frustrating. (And again, you can only solve them super slow because you move at the pace of a snail.)

Overall, the atmosphere is great. Every aspect of that is utilizing every latest technology, and it shows how much care was put into this project. But you don't HAVE to make a game out of it...

Or well... maybe you do if you're owned by Xbox...

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

8.5/10

Outside of its severely short length, clocking in at a little over 6 hours (even with going after all the collectibles) I really enjoyed this sequel. It didn't have the shock value the first game had as it is pretty just more of the same which is fine, but it managed to captivate all the same nevertheless. While the first game's story revolved around Senua fighting for the soul of her lost love, the sequel focuses more on Senua freeing slaves tied to her homeland that has her facing off against all kinds of Viking hellish creatures from giants to demons alike. Senua also gets a handful of unlikely companions along the way too which at first I wasn't sure how I felt about but by the time I reached the end of the game understood their presence more and felt like it was a good choice by the developer to include others for Senua to converse with outside of the lovely voices within her head. The only part I felt in the game's story that was a bit weird was the lost forest maze section in the final chapter of the game. I thought it was a bit estranged and really didn't feel like it had much meaning other than to be filler and perhaps solidify one of Senua's companions story arcs. The audio once again was incredible and is an absolute must to play and experience with headphones. I had a pair of Turtle Beach wireless headphones that did the job quite well. And I must say I was a bit concerned with the game running at a native 30fps on console but it was so well implemented and to my knowledge never broke that 30fps mark or stuttered at all on me and played smooth from start to finish. The thing I guess about a game like Hellblade is that because of its intentionally slow pace and nature it benefits more from lower framerate which is fine. The game's slow churn and burn is what the series is known for too and doesn't disappoint in allowing you to slow things down to take in the gorgeously breathtaking vistas and let's you soak in the incredible graphical fidelity of the Norse landscape in the ancient Norse lands. And the combat I enjoyed better this time around than the fire game as they slowed it down even more so than usual focusing on one on one fights opposed to multiple enemies at once. The sword play is very much gratuitously gratifying as it is brutal to pull off those counters and finishers. Every combat scenario ends differently too that paces itself well with the story. The puzzles this time around I felt were a bit too simplistic but I get it. This is a more heavily narrative driven tale but the puzzles in the first game were a bit more complex than the sequel here. Overall if you're a fan of the first game or just want a creepy atmospheric thrill ride that kind of fits in with an October spooky setting quite well give Senua's Saga a spin.

Hellblade 2 is a bit of a strange animal in the sense that it's a very cinematic-heavy game, almost to the point where I would hesitate to call it a fully-fledged video game and instead would argue that it borders closer on interactive cutscene for the majority of its run time. This isn't necessarily a flaw, as the original Hellblade was very cinematic in its presentation as well, but I feel that in case of Hellblade 2, a few decent gameplay mechanics were sacrificed or simplified to amp up the visual experience. As a result, 2 feels looks and sounds amazing but noticeably minimizes player participation compared to its predecessor.

Combat suffers the most in this regard. In the original, the player is often confronted with multiple enemies and is forced to manage space and positioning to keep from getting surrounded and overwhelmed. 2 completely does away with this mechanic, allowing for only one enemy combatant at a time and throws the player through mini in-game cutscenes that stitch together individual fights. Again, this isn't necessarily flawed, but fans of the original will likely feel that a great deal of their agency in combat has been completed eliminated. Not only that, but attack types have also been reduced from three to two different options, further limiting variety in gameplay. As a result, the fights in 2 come off as far more staged and far less engaging.

Thankfully, world exploration remains fantastic in 2, and in many ways feels improved. Optical illusions and clever puzzles litter the gorgeous environments, and more hidden collectibles are scattered throughout the areas. The vast majority of the game spends its time utilizing these mechanics, and it does so very much to its benefit. The music and sound design also contribute immensely to the look and feel of the world, and paired with headphones, make for incredibly realistic and palpable environments.

Ultimately, what Hellblade 2 chooses to build upon, it improves, but it is painfully evident that delivering the cinematic experience of the game took priority over combat mechanics. Fans of the first will probably be satisfied with the sequel, but it sadly feels like a watered-down follow-up rather than a strong successor. Still, I'd recommend a play through.

"Senua's Saga: Hellblade II" is a game that attempts to marry breathtaking visuals with a deep, narrative-driven experience.

Unquestionably, this game is a visual marvel. The graphics are some of the best in the industry, with every scene painted with such detail that you might pause just to admire the scenery. The atmospheric depiction of Senua's psychosis through binaural audio is both innovative and immersive, making you feel as though you're inside her mind.

The narrative continues to explore Senua's journey through her mental health struggles, set against a backdrop of Norse mythology. The storytelling is profound and symbolic, offering layers for those who dive deep into its psychological themes. However, the story's pacing and the game's short length might leave you wanting more or feeling the experience was somewhat rushed.

Here lies the crux of the controversy. "Hellblade 2" has been labeled by many as a "walking simulator." The gameplay mechanics are minimal, with combat feeling more like a choreographed dance than a test of skill. Puzzles are present but not particularly challenging or varied. If you're looking for action-packed gameplay or intricate mechanics, this game falls short, serving more as an interactive movie than a traditional video game.

At about 5 hours, the game is relatively short for its price tag. It's an experience that feels more suited to those who appreciate art and narrative in gaming rather than gameplay depth. If you've watched a full playthrough online, you've essentially experienced the game, which speaks volumes about its replay value.

The voice work and sound design are top-notch, contributing significantly to the game's eerie yet captivating atmosphere. The use of voices in stereo to simulate Senua's auditory hallucinations is particularly effective.

"Hellblade 2" is a polarizing game. It's not for everyone due to its focus on story and visuals over gameplay. If you enjoyed the first game for its art and narrative, you'll likely find this sequel even more compelling, albeit brief. However, if you're expecting a robust gaming experience, you might find yourself disappointed.

For those who appreciate a game as an artistic medium, this is a masterpiece. For gamers looking for engaging mechanics, consider this more of a cinematic experience.

Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga is an absolutely gorgeous jaunt that scintillates the senses and challenges the mind. Sound design and atmosphere are near peerless and a powerfully tragic protagonist anchors the experience in a bloody and brutal reality that begs to be explored...

...only to rob that opportunity from you.

Saga prioritises its art too much, stripping back its gameplay and player control while favouring failure to force its animations on you. Basic traversal is a slog, combat is crunchy but painful, and repetitive puzzles aren't enough to break the short but padded playtime.

Saga fails to capture the intensely delicate balance of its predecessor and finds itself in a chaotic struggle with the player to play the game for them, wrestling and clawing control while forgetting that its visual and audio highs aren't enough to balance the mechanical lows.