3/5 ★ – nickmazz15's review of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE II REVIEW - Man… I really thought this was gonna be special. Hellblade II is as mixed bag as it gets but its tough cause its highs are so damn strong and its lows just drag its feet. This game is certainly a singular vision. It feels uncompromised. Its exactly the game Ninja Theory have been making for the better part of seven years. Its just crazy to me that this took so much time to make. Big games being accused of just being interactive movies has been thrown around a lot and I’ve always scoffed at that notion. Hellblade II is the first time I cant deny those claims. This is an experience play. Ninja Theory went all in on making this as cinematic as possible. 16:9 aspect ratio not just for cutscenes but all gameplay, film grain and zero HUD. There’s one thing that is undeniable about this game and that is that its an absolute technical landmark. Its the first time I’ve regretted getting an Xbox Series S and not a Series X because I could tell the Series S wasn’t showing this off to its full potential. Unreal graphics with a level of detail I’ve maybe never seen in any other game before. Gorgeous environments with always perfect lighting. As photorealistic character models you can imagine. The sound design is outstanding. Playing this with headphones is mandatory. Of course to best experience the voices in Senua’s head but also the music. One of the best soundtracks in a game I’ve ever heard. Bombastic orchestrals and awesome throat singing. It always got me locked in for combat. Speaking of the combat, one of the more controversial aspects of the game. I really liked it. Now the first Hellblade had very shallow sword combat but it was still satisfying. Hellblade II’s combat is somehow even simpler. While in the first game you can fight multiple enemies at once, you never will here. The combat is carried by insane presentation. The music, intense visuals, movie set piece feel and great voice acting. What impressed me most is how natural the combat was. Transitioning from swinging to blocking feels so real. Its like Ninja Theory took every movement into consideration while moving-capping for these fights. There’s hardly ever any jank its incredible. Look, mileage is gonna vary here but the smoke and mirrors just did it for me. Puzzles are the same as the first game mostly. Find shapes in the environment to advance but they add an element where you can change the layout of the environment. Again this a smoke and mirrors thing that just worked for me. Less so than the combat cause the puzzles are not fun to solve but its cool doing them in an area where the ground is reflected directly above you. Narratively, this game starts strong. The first act is the best stretch of the game. Its the best paced and given time to play out. There’s this sequence I loved where Senua is exploring a cave and it just sucked me in the deeper and deeper you go. The dark fantasy elements of these games are super cool. Light and darkness are huge themes of the story. When faced with overwhelming darkness many succumb to its oppression and live on its terms. Its hard to believe in any light and hope left in the world but its always there. You just have to choose to follow it. It may sound corny but I think the game starts off effectively exploring these ideas through gameplay at first which leads me to the fatal flaw with Hellblade II. Its so damn short. The first act I mentioned is about three hours long. It took me about six hours to beat this game. Acts two and three are so compromised by not being given enough time. Senua encounters three companions but you never feel attached to any of them cause you hardly have time to get to know them and Senua doesn’t build any relationship with them other than the first companion you meet. The game also has an issue with capturing Senua’s struggle with guilt. She always feels responsible for the deaths around her but the game never connects you to any communities that you’re fighting to protect. Its a shame cause Melina Juergens is still exceptional as Senua. Just an all encompassing raw and vulnerable performance. The gameplay also rinse and repeats the same set pieces and loses its ability to tell a story just walking through the world most of the time. Also the game just ends with so much unresolved. I was shocked when credits started rolling. Ninja Theory just seemed ill prepared to tell this story. If this game was ten to twelve hours the story would’ve benefitted but maybe Ninja Theory just didn’t know how to keep this game compelling for that long. I hope they figure out the right formula cause I think they’re a very talented studio with a great identity but waiting half a decade for games like this just isn’t going to cut it no matter how technically proficient they are.