During it’s inception, Ninja Theory thought of this game as an experiment - to see if it was possible to develop a “AAA-game” with a small headcount while also tackling a topic hardly discussed in games. What came out is a dogshit imitation and implementation of both.

There is a funny interpretation to be found in Ninja Theory’s understanding of a AAA-game, as Hellblade is just a collage of high-fidelity rocks and motion capture performances funneled into a repeating on-rails flowchart of walking/dialogue/looking-at-rocks → Obligatory Puzzle → Obligatory Combat (because its a “AAA-game” of course it has to have Combat!), repeating and recycling in on itself til the credits roll. Nothing like doing Combat-Encounter #8 and you have to fight Enemy Variation 1 AND 2 in three waves after the puzzle mechanics haunt the game’s narrative: FIND THE RUNES, ENTER THE PORTALS, all padded somehow into 7 hours of playtime!? Give me a break. The Binaural audio sure is swag and all and the very tiny few moments Hellblade's Budget gets used to create harrowing and captivating imagery show glimpses of a reality where Hellblade was a 3 hour epic of just fugged up & cool shit and that would have probably been a lot better with what we got it here. It’s in its pacing and structure that Hellblade frustrate me the most: The gaming equivalent of reading a Game Design Document: it’s too rigid, too constrained by it’s listing off of 3 puzzle designs and 5 enemy types while padding you out for another 3-4 hours more than necessary. For such a nuanced topic and possibility to experience it, why did they choose to create go about it in the safest and conventional way possible rather than try SOMETHING eccentric in anything?

You can have all the professional-consultation and interviews of anecdotal retelling you want if you don’t follow up and do much with it! It really feels like they interviewed a person who said "I felt like I started seeing pattern and connections to things that weren't" and them immediately following and implementing the first thing that popped up in their heads ("RUNES BAYBEE")

It just irks me even more that it was exactly this angle they focused on entirely in their marketing and subsequent postmortem appearances - of how they depicted the most accurate example of mental-illness in vibeo jams. Fuck off.

I hope Hellblade 2 is better, hopefully with Tameem Antoniades apparently leaving the company last year.

This game is like a playable art house film, and the playability adds a lot. Aside from one instance where the narrative bleeding into the gameplay kind of misses, the game from beginning to an is pretty focused with its design. It knows when to let the player take reigns and when you take it away to tell them the story. The pacing is great and succinct. The cinematography is stellar. Even the combat is good, even if it may be janky some times. It fits perfectly into what the game is going for, which is not some hack n slash Dynasty Warriors type shit.

And I love the story and setting. I actually didn't know and expect the game to be heavily based in Norse mythology, and also have one of the best, most realistic takes on it. It manages to turn something as ancient and disconnected from us as Norse mythology into a really relatable and personal story about suffering, fighting your demons, not fitting in, and the long history of women being treated like furniture throughout ages.

I really hope Hellblade 2 is firstly as good as this, and also achieves the success it deserves. These are the games that are important to gaming as an art form and we need more of. I'm gonna be super bummed if Ninja Theory suffers the same fate as Arkane and Tango games...

I've been pushing this game back further into my backlog for years now. I thought it wouldn't be to my liking, and I had heard that combat wasn't very good. But with Hellblade 2 on the horizon, I decided to give it a shot, both because I was already due for it and as a test to see if I should play the sequel. And as I found out, Ninja Theory had actually made something way beyond my expectations.

Reading comments from people online and hearing from some friends, I was expecting to dislike the gameplay, and as a "gameplay first" kind of guy, I wasn't looking forward to it. But once again, just as with ME: Andromeda, I have learned that the only way to get an accurate opinion about something is experiencing it yourself. Outside of the combat, the gameplay itself is very simple: You just move, look at and interact with things. The loop is also predictable for most of the game, most puzzles involve looking at runes from a certain angle. These puzzles are cool and not very difficult, but it gets a little repetitive by the end. If this was the entirety of the experience, while understandable considering it's a narrative focused game, I probably would've gotten bored eventually. Thankfully, the combat is good, much better than I thought, which I guess makes sense considering Ninja Theory's heritage as an action game studio.

I can understand why people wouldn't like it: It's not flashy, there's no move variety besides the basic action game stuff, and enemy variety is also a little lacking (If it had 3 or 4 other enemies it would've been perfect)... But it feels great. You can feel each hit landing, the weight behind the movements, the impact of a successful block, and so on. This all adds up to brutal encounters, which fits the theme for the series, as it was said in a recent documentary about Hellblade 2, "Senua isn't winning, she's surviving", and it's very engaging. The first time the Furies yelled at me saying "behind you!", it didn't occur to me that enemies could flank me, and all I had time to do was do a short quickstep to the right and watch as a sword barely missed Senua's head; it was after this encounter that this game hooked me for good, and it was a great use of what is probably the main gimmick of Hellblade.

Senua is a troubled individual. She suffers with schizophrenia and psychosis, and has gone through deeply traumatic events throughout her life. She's not alone, but not in a good way; the Furies - voices in her head - are there in every step of the way, whispering into your ears. They often try to make Senua doubt herself, try to hurt her with their words, or make noise in general. Their presence are a highlight, not only are they useful for gameplay purposes, they add a lot to the immersion. With all of her troubles, Senua goes on a journey against her own darkness, and to save the soul of her lover. The story and especially the narrative are phenomenal, and it progresses steadily all the way to the end, it never drags. There's not much else to say besides giving it more praise.

Even as a 2018 game, and with some noticeable blurry textures here and there, Hellblade is still a looker. Both the graphics (I used ray tracing) and the art direction are great. It's a little "gray-ish" in most parts, but this ties into Senua's perception of the world, as colors get a lot more vibrant in flashback moments. Fantastic job for a relatively small studio before they were acquired by Microsoft. Visually, from promotional material, the sequel looks insanely good, let's see how that goes.

Given the nature of the gimmicks and combat, it's no surprise that this game has outstanding audio design. When it comes to music, it's fairly simple, it's there to serve as the background noise, but it's not bad. What really shines here are the sound effects and voice acting, the main example for both being the previously mentioned Furies. Ninja Theory used binaural audio to have them whispering and talking and screaming in your ears. Senua's performance is also scarily good, it's not every day that you see someone do such an impressive and probably realistic rendition of a character with issues such as Senua's.

It's unfortunate for such an experience to end soon, but its relative short size (9 hours to beat getting every Lorestone) worked to its favor, the story and puzzles probably would've felt dragged if it was longer. But what matters is that I loved this game. It's lacking in enemy and puzzle variety, but it makes up for it with everything else. If you enjoy narrative heavy games, this is perfect for you, and I cannot wait to put my hands on the sequel.

SCORE: 9/10

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice es de esos videojuegos que se podrían categorizar más como una experiencia que como un videojuego en sí. Este tipo de experiencias suelen aportar mecánicas jugables muy justas, pero que gracias a eso logran dar un apartado visual y sonoro mucho más pulido que la media. Este es uno de estos casos, sin embargo, Hellblade llevó un paso más haya su narrativa para destacar por encima de esta clase de propuestas. Una narrativa con un fuerte mensaje sobre la salud mental, tratando enfermedades como la psicosis, la esquizofrenia o la paranoia, pero vistos desde una perspectiva muy alejada de nuestra actualidad. Donde no se veían a las personas que sufrían estas dolencias como personas enfermas, sino como personas malditas o poseídas.

"¿Así que querías rendirte? ¿Abandonarle a su suerte para así quedar en paz con los dioses? No. La oscuridad no lo permitirá. Por eso, te adentrarás en la guarida de la bestia, la mirarás a los ojos y comenzará la guerra"

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‎|| ‎Historia:‎★★★★★ | Jugabilidad:★★✩✩✩ | Gráficos:★★★★✩ | Sonido:★★★★✩ || RECOMENDADO
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I have this great appreciation for pieces of media that contain stories or messages that can only be properly conveyed in that medium. There's a novel called House of Leaves that tells a story that can only be a novel. It can't be a movie or a tv show or anything other than a novel. In my Graphic Novel as Lit course we read a graduate thesis published into a graphic novel called "Unflattening" and in it, the author broke down the inner workings of a graphic novel all through pictures and minimal dialogue. He tells a story through the medium of a graphic novel that can only be a graphic novel.

My point being is this

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is the first game I've played that can only be a video game. A big claim, I know, yet I firmly believe it. A JRPG can be easily adapted into an anime series, The Last of Us and Uncharted have both been adapted to both great and less-than-stellar receptions, but they could be done.

If some producer or director tried to turn this into a movie it would lose so much of what makes this special. The uncomfortable feeling of playing this game. The 3D binaural audio that made me sick to my stomach, the uncomfortably close camera that puts the player into the heart and soul of Senua; that stellar ending sequence where the player has to keep fighting until they can no longer fight at all. Not to mention the other stellar sequences in this game like the blindness puzzle that scared the hell out of me. All of it can only be played. I'd reckon if you watched a playthrough you wouldn't be able to experience the struggle that the game makes the player feel.

The gameplay works in perfect parody with the narrative. each fight is a fight against Senua's inner demons. While not incredibly in depth or engaging the combat works to sell the insanely chaotic and frenetic state of Senua's psyche.

My ONLY gripe is that the game ends with the most cliché "See you in the next adventure" with the most unfitting needle drop. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't give the game a 5/5

Also, I don't think I ever want to replay this. It was a worthwhile experience but it certainly was anything but fun. Like I said, this game made me sick to my stomach and stressed out. I do recommend it but probably a one and done experience.

Inventive, entertaining, psychotic, and sometimes biting off more than it could chew—but in all, a very strong title that has me eager for the sequel.

Specially like how the developers used the puzzles and included them into her overall psychosis; this wasn't a mechanic I was anticipating, but it was deffo a pleasant surprise. The game is also very visually appealing, so I thoroughly enjoyed all the scenery.

Melina Juergens nailed the role of Senua as well; her tone and vocal delivery were really visceral, and I could feel grossness in my soul.

I highly recommend this game, btw, especially if you're looking for something sweet and short. The puzzles sometimes clash with the level design early on, but it gets pretty easy once you lock in.

Senua's Sacrifice plunges you into a world as dark and oppressive as the depths of Senua's mind. However, what makes this game truly unique is its unflinching portrayal of psychosis, voices whisper doubts and fears, the world around you shimmers and warps and distant sounds become deafening. You experience the constant battle Senua wages just to perceive reality. The story is where Hellblade shines, it's a harrowing tale of loss, grief and the fight to hold onto sanity in those moments, culminating in a powerful ending that is nothing short of phenomenal.

Es casi irónico que uno de los juegos más lúcidos de su generación sea uno que habla de la psicosis.
Lúcido es la palabra que utilizo por que pocas veces en un juego todo está al servicio de transmitir una sola idea, o experiencia, y todo rema hacia el mismo sitio de manera consciente, coherente y brillante como en este primer Senua.
El sonido, claro, es el gran protagonista (imprescindibles buenos auriculares), pero literalmente todo está al servicio de explicar al jugador, sin palabras, lo que es la psicosis: desde el escenario, uno de fantasía, para que no sepas bien lo que esta en la cabeza de la protagonista y lo que existe en ese mundo (seria mas facil de separar en una ambientación de corte realista), hasta los puzzles, centrados en encontrar patrones en el entorno, una obsesión recurrente de los que padecen la condición, el combate, simple pero visceral, y la decision del juego de avisarte nada más comenzar de que la muerte permanente existe, sin decirte cuántas te puedes permitir, viviendo con la tensión de no saber si Senua se levantará la proxima o si perderás todo el progreso. Si eso es cierto o no es irrelevante, por qué la semilla en ti cabeza ya está plantada, y ese era el objetivo.

Simplemente brillante. Un equipo con una idea clara de lo que quiere y la disciplina para no salirse del camino.

Muchos más Ninja Theorys, por favor.

The funniest shit in the world is how this game’s “mental health consultant” is the first name listed in the opening credits. Paul Fletcher must be a pseudonym for Kanye West because this game’s representation of schizophrenia feels forced at best and exploitative at worst.

I also like how the game is basically slowly walking around and looking at shapes like you're a two-year-old with occasional breaks of dogshit over-the-shoulder combat.

B-b-but bro, it’s scary voices constantly beating your eardrums! Did you play it with headphones? Yeah, I did, and the gimmick gets old super quick.

FOLLOW YOUR MIND’S EYE TO THE NEXT COMBAT ARENA SENUA. Dogshit “psychosis is my superpower” ass game.

Apparently, the ending is hilarious, but I couldn’t bear to get any further than the first two levels.

Uma experiência única!
Acho que essa frase é a que mais resume hellblade, a forma como a história é contada é incrível. Como a protagonista sofre de problemas mentais, muitas coisas são contadas de maneiras surrealistas e diferentes, é até difícil de explicar.

A história em si não é inovadora, mas a narrativa é tão bem desenvolvida que te prende do inicio ao fim, pois só aos poucos que é contado o que aconteceu.

O sistema de puzzle também não é algo único, mas ele foi muito bem adaptado pra atmosfera do jogo, é muito bem utilizado também, o que faz os puzzles do jogo serem muito bons e divertidos.

O combate do jogo é muito bem feito, o que torna ele extremamente gostoso e divertido de se jogar, só fica ruim quando aparece muitos inimigos de uma vez, porque parece que o sistema não se adapta isso é acaba ficando mais difícil.

Em geral, hellblade é um jogo muito bem feito e construido, não tem uma história fácil de se entender, mas nada impossível. Se você gosta de mitologia, ou um jogo com uma baita história e narrativa, esse jogo é perfeito para você

Weird genre mashup, this game. Like a story heavy walking simulator mixed with a hack and slash game. I had it described to me as "indie God of War" and got a chuckle out of that. It's not far off honestly.

So Hellblade has you play as a deeply troubled girl named Senua. We're talking heavy psychosis and hearing voices while dealing with immense trauma. The devs of the game even consulted psych experts to try and convey the mental trauma in an impactful way. The most effective of which comes in the form of the voices Senua, and by extension you, hear as you go through the journey. The game encourages you to play with headphones and I think this is the primary reason why. With headphones, you can hear the voices she hears but also distinct directions they come from making for a more scattered feel. It's chaotic and immersive.

Senua is on a quest to save her beloved's soul from Hel. She journeys the lands with his head in tow hoping to find someway to get Hela to bring him back to her. You quickly find the gate to Hel but you first have to unlock it by facing two different trials. It's also at this time you're informed that if you die too many times you'll just lose all your progress in the game. I dunno if this is true or not and never heard it actually happen to anyone but it's a ballsy thing to present people with and an effective way to instill anxiety. Bit detrimental as a player adjusts to a learning curve but whatever.

So most of the game consists of two types of gameplay loops. First is solving puzzles involving runes. Senua will come up to literal road blocks in the form of big closed doors with runes on them. She focuses on them and then as she finds the same shapes in like debris or parts of the world, the symbols of the rune on the door glows white and as she finds them all she can go through the door. It's this that I find to be the most well thought out and engaging gameplay mechanic as it ties into her psychosis and finding meaning in things despite what they aren't. It all plays very well with the theme of the game. You also get some puzzle solving with perspective puzzles bringing things into view and working with illusions at one point but the real meat of it is these rune puzzles.

On the other hand, you have the combat. This for me is the weakest part of the game. It honestly feels like they tacked on the combat last minute to make it feel like more of a traditional game and I think it really suffers for it. The combat here is box standard light attack, heavy attack, parry, dodge combat salsa. You fight against viking looking spectres that just come out of nowhere to impede progress and every one of them is just so spongey that you can just swim in the tedium. Mash heavy attack button, parry parry-able moves, dodge otherwise, repeat.

It sucks and it just takes me out of the game so hard for what is otherwise an immersive story experience. You could argue the combat in this game is because they point out her being a warrior and being strong but honestly I think it plays against what they're going for when you just mash the same attack and makes her look like more of a savage than any sort of skilled warrior. I legit think they could have just done without having the warrior aspect at all and still portrayed her as strong enough to face her inner demons. Oh well.

Ultimately you're able to experience Senua's troubles and backstory through this journey. The voices nipping at her the whole time along with some flashback sequences do a good job conveying how tortured she is. There are also lorestones where Senua recalls stories told to her by a man in her life that seems to take on a sort of mentor role and they characterize him well. His stories I think also give players insight into how Senuas perceptions of the world and herself are shaped. I think the lover she's out to save comes off a bit flat but it serves as a good enough motivator to go on and her struggles handling that make for a decent core to move things along.

Hellblade is a solid story heavy walking sim marred by tedious boring combat. It all looks very pretty in its foul way and does a good job sucking you in. Even the combat doesn't come off as too detrimental as the whole game isn't too long and you aren't in it for too long. Overall I recommend the game for people who like interactive storytelling even though it's a bit on the nose. Solid ending too. So much so that I can't imagine what the sequel could be about? but yeah good experience mostly. Just wish it was a little tighter.