I think Hellblade II is a very worthy sequel to the experience that is Senua's Sacrifice. That being said I have seen some discourse surrounding the direction this game went over the first and I don't disagree but the negativity is most likely coming from heightened expectations. Senua's Saga substitutes the more interactive gameplay moments for a more streamlined cinematic experience, I don't have a problem with this change it both works for and against it, but more in its favour.
The major improvements Ninja Theory made are made apparent from the get-go, visuals are incredible and that's simply a fact. From the textures to the lighting everything looks amazing, obviously at the cost of a year off my pcs lifespan rendering it but that's for it to worry about. Then things like the mocap animations to the camera movements elevate the game to what feels like a $250mil movie project, with seamless cuts from cutscene to gameplay this is a movie more over a game.
Now speaking on gameplay, yes it took a backseat to everything else and I dont have a problem with that per se. In Senua's Sacrifice I felt the gameplay sections were either just the right length or dragged on a bit too long with its puzzle sections or general walking from place to place, effectively killing the momentum it generated from its high points. Senua's Saga mitigates that by making the gameplay feel like its part of the cutscene, or to say how it is, they went full walking simulator, apart from the 6 "puzzle" sections. I feel like this change adds a better experience that fits what Ninja Theory wanted.
Senua's Saga has bigger, more ambitious scenes throughout it, taking the final leg of Sacrifice and multiplying it to act as notable peaks to separate the chapters, and with the improvements they made to the game, these scenes look and feel great. Gameplay perspective, it is basically an on rails cutscene with a duck and cover gimmick, but cinematically its impactful, with those music crescendo's and sound design going wild they are highlights for a reason.
If you loved Senua's Sacrifice, you'll love Senua's Saga plain and simple, its more of the same refined formula with a more picturesque quality, leading to higher highs than the first one, while possibly playing into that a bit too much, causing the interactiveness to falter and maybe you personally find that boring or sluggish. Personally it's as good as Sacrifice, and depending on Ninja Theory's future under Microsoft, i'd be open to the idea of a trilogy
The major improvements Ninja Theory made are made apparent from the get-go, visuals are incredible and that's simply a fact. From the textures to the lighting everything looks amazing, obviously at the cost of a year off my pcs lifespan rendering it but that's for it to worry about. Then things like the mocap animations to the camera movements elevate the game to what feels like a $250mil movie project, with seamless cuts from cutscene to gameplay this is a movie more over a game.
Now speaking on gameplay, yes it took a backseat to everything else and I dont have a problem with that per se. In Senua's Sacrifice I felt the gameplay sections were either just the right length or dragged on a bit too long with its puzzle sections or general walking from place to place, effectively killing the momentum it generated from its high points. Senua's Saga mitigates that by making the gameplay feel like its part of the cutscene, or to say how it is, they went full walking simulator, apart from the 6 "puzzle" sections. I feel like this change adds a better experience that fits what Ninja Theory wanted.
Senua's Saga has bigger, more ambitious scenes throughout it, taking the final leg of Sacrifice and multiplying it to act as notable peaks to separate the chapters, and with the improvements they made to the game, these scenes look and feel great. Gameplay perspective, it is basically an on rails cutscene with a duck and cover gimmick, but cinematically its impactful, with those music crescendo's and sound design going wild they are highlights for a reason.
If you loved Senua's Sacrifice, you'll love Senua's Saga plain and simple, its more of the same refined formula with a more picturesque quality, leading to higher highs than the first one, while possibly playing into that a bit too much, causing the interactiveness to falter and maybe you personally find that boring or sluggish. Personally it's as good as Sacrifice, and depending on Ninja Theory's future under Microsoft, i'd be open to the idea of a trilogy