Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (2024) - Review

Editor's Note: Microsoft India provided IGN India with an Xbox game code for this review.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is the latest Xbox-exclusive AAA title to release. As the name suggests, it is a sequel to Ninja Theory’s acclaimed Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Both titles revolve around Senua, a warrior from the late 8th century who suffers from psychosis.

While we were quite excited about the game from its initial reveal at the The Game Awards 2019, the lack of focus on marketing and promotions in the weeks leading up to its launch left us puzzled. Regardless, we got to experience it days before the launch. Here is our complete review of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II game.

There is no denying that Hellblade 2 is unique in many ways with its dark fantasy elements and how they are portrayed throughout the game. As with the first title, this is a story woven through the threads of a video game. It will always primarily focus on the experience of the story rather than our traditional sense of video games.

Story of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

The Hellblade series is among the few franchises I have played where you must play the predecessor for the complete experience. Playing the previous title is more important than any other typical franchise game you have seen. Only when you have been on the journey with Senua will you be able to connect with the story of Hellblade 2 the way the developer intended. At the same time, the latest game starts with a recap of the story from the previous title. Xbox has also released this recap on its YouTube channel.

Ninja Theory pushed the definition of video games with the first title. After playing Hellblade 1, I was interested in finding what more could be added to Senua’s saga. The Hellblade 2 story takes place in Iceland, with Senua set on a mission to rescue her people from the Viking raiders who are enslaving them.

Senua continues to struggle with her darkness, but she also showcases resilience that is much stronger than ever before. This is one of the many ways that highlights how far Senua has come in her journey. Furies, essentially voices in her head, have become far less menacing. While they occasionally fuel self-doubt, they often support her too. This welcome change is another example of her progress in dealing with her internal struggles.

The addition of new characters in the game and experiencing how the Furies react to the conversations reveal a whole new layer of what goes on in Senua's mind. At its core, Hellblade 2 remains a story about psychosis, hallucinations, mental illness, and all the darkness within us that pulls us down. Despite all the setbacks, it is the story of Senua continuing her journey and fulfilling a promise out of love.

A protagonist troubled by their inner demons is not a new idea. However, the implementation always felt off, as the mental suffering rarely impacted the protagonists in other games. For instance, we see them struggle at one moment, and at the other moment, we see them completing challenging moves effortlessly. Unlike other games, Hellblade 2 gets it right by expanding the impact of Senua's mental struggle to the entire game. Even though Senua, the protagonist, is a warrior, her struggles have widespread consequences. She fights for survival throughout the game and barely gets through each fight.

What stood out for me in the game the most is the story's intent, how it portrays grief, and the power of our choices. There are some interesting parallels drawn between Senua and the new characters. I also loved how Senua kept putting up a good fight to protect strangers while constantly struggling to survive in dark caves haunted by demonic creatures, with voices in her head telling her that she would not survive. Considering her saga, Senua had every right to walk away at any moment. Yet, she did not.

Gameplay

Like I said earlier, the gameplay of the story is largely passive as you transverse around the beautiful landscapes of Iceland, but nonetheless, it is satisfying. Beyond this, the gameplay experience includes combat and puzzle-solving. The combat is intricately connected to the storyline, and the seamless transition from combat to cutscene is as smooth as you can hope.

The combat is largely similar to the previous game but with slightly slower animations. This makes it feel like the action is taking place in real time. With the story unfolding at a gradual pace with a focus on Senua’s struggles, the combat may be the only time you can feel a sense of control in this game. I felt like I was engaging in combat not just to survive but also to let out all the feelings and rage the story made me feel. It is also impressive that Ninja Theory captured such feelings so well.

I do not like puzzle-solving elements in any game, and I did not enjoy this aspect in the first title. However, the second game improves upon that aspect of gameplay by adding a new layer to how Senua perceives the world differently.

By activating the new focus points spread across the game, I witnessed what I can only describe as the smoothest real-time transition between different perspectives. This transition also highlighted the level of visual quality the game offers (more on this later). Whenever it happened, the landscape around me shifted slightly, once again making you, the player, feel the power of perspective.

Hellblade II is not a long game; it took me roughly 8-9 hours to complete the main story. But it does come with a New Game mode, which can increase your time in the game. There is not a lot of exploration to be done other than where the game wants you to go on every level. Whatever exploration is available revolves around discovering Lorestones. These prompt a story from Druth, our only companion in our lonely journey in the first game.

Lorestones

What is perhaps my only criticism of Hellblade 2 is the Lorestones themselves. While they exist to serve you the narration of a different story, their implementation is slightly contradictory to the game's intended experience. This is especially evident while playing the game for the first time. Digging into the details, each game level, including its cutscenes, story, and voiceover, has been carefully crafted to keep things intense throughout the game. You need to be completely immersed in the story to experience the saga to its full potential.

However, when I am travelling from point A to B to save my life or following a character to reach the next stage of the story, spending time exploring alternative paths for Lorestones will be the last thing on my mind. The only time I went out of my way to find a Lorestone, the NPC character who wanted my help to save the village, was standing there, paused. This immediately broke my immersion in the game.

Even with the odd implementation of Lorestones in the game, the actual, often accidental, discovery of these spots was worth it. As mentioned earlier, encountering Lorestones prompts Druth to share a story. I still find his voice comforting even though he is not otherwise present in the story as in the previous game.

The absence of Druth might have been a problem had it not been for the introduction of new characters in the Hellblade II story. While we play most of the game alone, there are moments when Senua is accompanied by someone. With everything going around her (and inside her head), the soothing effect of a companion is not lost because of Druth’s absence.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Is a Visual Treat

Our journey in Hellblade 2 takes us (and our companions) to different, beautiful parts of Iceland. The technology and advancements that Unreal Engine 5 offers ensure that the in-game world always looks hyper-realistic. Even when playing on an Xbox Series S with a 60Hz TV, the visuals of Hellblade 2 are a delight. Other IGN India members agreed with this general sentiment while playing the game on PC.

For this review, I played Hellblade 2 on my Xbox Series S at 30 FPS. It is worth noting that the game did not offer a performance mode on the lower-end console. Though I wanted to focus on the visuals anyway, it would have been better if I had a 60 FPS option for a smoother experience while traversing the map.

Even with the above settings, the game did not create any game-breaking issues. There were minor glitches, like faces frequently looking slightly blurry, which is extremely noticeable when you head over to the Photo Mode and adjust the focal length. Photo Mode also shows the incredible amount of detail on Senua’s face. This difference makes the glitch around blurry faces even more prominent.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Value for Money

Analysing the worth of Hellblade II is quite difficult because of multiple reasons. These include the length of the game, the things that developer Ninja Theory has focused on (both experience and topics in the story) and the actual, inflated price in India.

As mentioned above, Hellblade 2 is a short game compared to the 20+ hours of gameplay expected from typical AAA titles. However, this game length works for Hellblade II as it accomplishes what it seeks to deliver within that time frame.

Once you complete the story, you will receive the option to play the story again but with a new perspective on Senua’s journey. Here, the narration takes place through the eyes of the new characters introduced. Furthermore, there is another game mode to engage in once you find all Lorestones in Hellblade II. So, if you’re looking for more gameplay time, these options could help you spend more time enjoying additional aspects of the game.

Besides the length, as we shared earlier, Hellblade 2 is not a typical video game. It is not for everyone, and it could be divisive. For instance, to focus on immersive storytelling over most other notions of what makes video games enjoyable, the game does not have button-smashing, the combat does not pose a big challenge, and there is no customisation or skill tree; you get the gist.

It is also key to understand that Hellblade 2 not only touches upon but dives deep into themes of depression, pain, guilt, grief, suicide, abuse, and self-hate, among others. So, it won't be fun as most video games aim to be.

Given the distinct nature of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II from other games, it is advisable to consider all these aspects. Another aspect that makes things difficult is the non-regional pricing of the game in India. Microsoft has priced the game at INR 4,399 on Steam and Xbox. You can also play the game with the help of Xbox Game Pass at a significantly cheaper price.

Even after all this, if you love a great story in a video game and it drives you to play a single-player title, then Hellblade 2 is a decent option. Otherwise, we would advise you to try it through a Game Pass subscription or wait for a discount after some time.