Written by John Rudol.
After hearing reviews for this game when it released on P.C and PlayStation in 2017 I was a little disappointed that it hadn't come to the Xbox family. I was considering buying a Playstation just so I could play this game. I didn't though, and I decided to wait and see if it would come to Xbox. April 2018 and it was on the Xbox marketplace. Finally, the wait to play this game was over.
Before I get into this game I want to tell you a little bit about the studio that brought us Hellblade. Ninja Theory.
Ninja Theory is a self-claimed AAA studio based in Cambridge, England. The studio was founded back in 2000. It currently employs over 100 members of staff. That being said, the team that actually worked on Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was a team of 15 people.
The team didn't massively promote Hellblade, and released development diaries for the people that were interested in this game. 2016 the Senua Studio division was born.
This little division worked with a few tech companies to work on motion capture. They also worked with neuroscientists because they were exploring mental illness and psychosis.
I'm not going to bore you with the ins and outs of the development of this game, but if you want to know more about Ninja Theory and the Senua Studio division then leave some comments. If it gets enough interest I will delve a little deeper into it.
Now back to the actual game!
To start off this game is best played with a headset, in-fact it tells you that when you first load the game. It runs with the unreal 4 engine and is visually stunning. The use of motion capture really improves this game and is very well done.
It's not your usual hack and slash game and it's quite easy to get to grips with the controls. It has a feel of DMC to it. This game is very story-driven, the puzzles are very well thought of and the mental health side of the game is gripping.
The game is built around Norse Mythology and Celtic cultures.
There is a narrative to this game which, at first made me think what the hell is going on but as you get further into the story it all becomes clear.
After playing this game I felt emotionally attached to Senua and I actually felt sorry for her (i have never felt like this about anyone in a video game). I believe I have a better knowledge of psychosis now and I'm glad I’ve never experienced it for myself.
It is not a very long game compared to other single-player, story-driven games and it isn't free-roaming. Please don't let that put you off playing the game. For me, it's one of my favorite games from the last gem Xbox. I'm not surprised it won awards.
Ninja Theory is currently working on the second installment of Hellblade and Senua will be back.
I for one can not wait.
If you haven't played the game I highly recommend it. It's an emotional rollercoaster of a game and it's currently on Gamepass.
Thanks for reading.
