HELLBLADE: SENUA'S SACRIFICE

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Released August 2017 by Ninja Theory

Xbox One version

     Before I get into this let me point out I don’t read other reviews of games before I write my own. I have mixed feelings about this one, but overall I’m feeling the love for this game.

    The time period is, well, ancient. The Runes appear to be Nordic, so let that be an indicator as to where and when this story takes place. I am not an expert on Nordic runes or ancient history in general, so, history buffs, feel free to leave comments about this. Senua is a young girl, a warrior in her own right, who has lost her lover, Dylan (I hope I spelled that right). He is dead, and she decides, essentially, to go to Hell to bring him back.

     If this sounds insane, it is. You see Senua suffers from psychosis. The game designers painstakingly tried to reproduce what psychosis is like, and Senua’s head is constantly full of other voices commenting on every last thing that she does. She is also able to see objects and runes that aren’t really there. This is one of her “powers” that helps her in puzzle-solving. For example, if you line her up at a certain angle, sometimes she can “see” objects that can fix a bridge so she may cross it. Generally when this happens the voices whisper, “she did it,” or other words of praise. Discovery of hidden runes open gates, and there are other viewpoint-focused challenges that crop up that are necessary to solve the puzzles so she may move on. The puzzle-solving aspect of this game is the best part of the gameplay, as it is quite challenging and satifying to do.

     That being said, the game also has combat. This is the first place where the game becomes a bit annoying. The challenge of combat does not become more difficult, for the most part. Yes, there are different “undead” challengers who arise as the game progresses, but the real “challenge” is left to the fact that more of them are added to increase the difficulty. As it gets harder, they simply add more guys to kill. “Bosses” are very few, in fact, I counted only 3 challengers that I would consider “bosses”, and one of them simply sends out… you guessed it… a bunch of guys after me.

     Not a deal-breaker, however. The game is still compelling and I still found myself glued to it. Sure, a few times I got angry and had to put it down for a bit, but this is something that makes a game great, in my opinion.

     The other thing I found even more annoying than the combat, and this is something that I just find personally annoying, was the narrator. Following you and explaining the story is the thirstiest woman in the world. Her lip-smackin’ and whispery mouth noises are far too loud and obnoxious for ASMR, and I wanted to dump a gallon of water or even Gatorade down her throat to quench her dry thirst. Seriously, you could HEAR this woman’s deviated septum. But again, not a deal breaker. If this kind of voice annoys you, trust me, the game is still way worth playing.

     The game play is solid. The controls are responsive. When Senua is injured, she is slower to move. The best thing to do in combat is dodge and block, and wait for your shot. Trudge through the combat to get to the next round of puzzle. The story is interesting and sad, but has hope. (No spoilers here!) As well, the graphics in this one are top-notch. The facial expressions are some of the best I have seen in an action/adventure game like this. The sound, despite Ms. Thirsty lady, is also fantastic. Well worth a spin.

     I give this one a score of 7/10.