Sequel to the acclaimed 2017 prequel, Hellblade 2 continues the story of Senua in very dramatic fashion. What at first feels loke a duller, less personal story compared to that of its predecessor, quickly becomes a great tale about redemption, forgiveness and carving one's own path in life. The strong focus on mental health and Senua's well depicted psychosis is back as well and it makes Hellblade 2 stand out among similar titles in its educational value which allowed me to better explore feelings like anxiety and self doubt which I, like many others, experience on myself.
Technically the game shines as one of the best looking titles ever made with photorealistic enviroments and top notch animations, albeit at the cost of the game being very linear and limited in scope.
This extreme limitation in the game's scope hits especially its gameplay with a combat system that feels satisfying to play with but that is also barely fleshed out and just added as a way to regularly interrupt the dull walking around that the game would be without it.
Puzzles are also another way in which Senua will interact with the world around her. Sadly, most of them are very simple even if not too tedious, with only a small section of the game offering an interesting and fun type of puzzle which never presents itself fully into the game again.
Overall, Hellblade 2 is a beautiful looking game that tells an almost equally beautiful story at the cost of having very little in the way of gameplay. I quite enjoyed my time with it, but it is not a game for everyone. If you don't care about Senua's journey or the pretty landscapes she'll explore, Hellblade 2 will not be for you.
Technically the game shines as one of the best looking titles ever made with photorealistic enviroments and top notch animations, albeit at the cost of the game being very linear and limited in scope.
This extreme limitation in the game's scope hits especially its gameplay with a combat system that feels satisfying to play with but that is also barely fleshed out and just added as a way to regularly interrupt the dull walking around that the game would be without it.
Puzzles are also another way in which Senua will interact with the world around her. Sadly, most of them are very simple even if not too tedious, with only a small section of the game offering an interesting and fun type of puzzle which never presents itself fully into the game again.
Overall, Hellblade 2 is a beautiful looking game that tells an almost equally beautiful story at the cost of having very little in the way of gameplay. I quite enjoyed my time with it, but it is not a game for everyone. If you don't care about Senua's journey or the pretty landscapes she'll explore, Hellblade 2 will not be for you.