I do recommend Hellblade, but with quite a few caveats. I myself was not even sure that I was going to recommend it as I was playing through it. The story and character are quite engaging, but My main issues with the game are the pacing and repetitiveness - both in combat and puzzles.

Every fight is generally the same, and with that comes monotony. It just feels cheap. You enter an arena, and random dudes poof into existence. Though I will add the combat itself feels pretty good.

Otherwise, The puzzles fair a bit better. They generally have some unique elements, but they generally just boil down to walk to a fairly obvious spot and look around. The main issue with that is the really slow walking speed makes it sometimes feel frustrating.

What makes Hellblade standout though is the atmosphere and characters. I found myself getting engrossed in the environment, and the great acting of the main character. I also appreciate what it is trying to do in terms of representing mental illness truthfully. So, feel free to check it out if it still interests you with those caveats.

Reviewed on Mar 11, 2021


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