Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice didn’t want a sequel. It had a transparent story to inform, and it informed it properly with an suave (and tactful) execution of its psychological well being themes and a powerful conclusion. However Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II builds an amazing case for itself through the use of the titular warrior’s progress to assist not solely herself however, for the primary time, others round her, shining her in an interesting new mild. Refined gameplay and a jaw-dropping presentation make for a extra wholly satisfying sophomore outing.
For the reason that first recreation’s conclusion, Senua’s a bit of older, a bit of wiser, and has extra confidence in herself. Though the psychosis-induced voices in her head nonetheless pepper her each thought (headphones are extremely really useful because of the implausible and efficient 3D audio), she’s largely embraced and accepted them. This time, the voices issue much less straight into gameplay and are largely used as an efficient storytelling flourish: audible manifestations of her innermost ideas and anxieties.
Senua’s journey takes her to a brand new land to place an finish to the slavers that ravaged her homeland. As that story evolves into one thing far grander and fantastical, I loved the brand new emphasis on companionship. Melina Jurgens delivers one other phenomenal efficiency as Senua, and he or she’s backed by an equally spectacular supporting forged. Seeing Senua work together and journey with a small forged of likable and attention-grabbing allies and use the teachings discovered from her struggles to assist them overcome their very own darkness is rewarding. Not solely does it really feel like satisfying progress, however her relatable fears of main them astray add a pleasant dimension to her already compelling character. Watching Senua fight previous demons as they rear their heads once more can also be a sensible and refreshing portrayal of the fixed battle that’s psychological well being; her triumph within the first recreation wasn’t, and shouldn’t be, a one-time victory.
The journey feels extra digestible and coherent from a mainstream sense as she tackles an thrilling and disturbing pantheon of lethal giants. The primary recreation informed a small, intimate story, however this story feels nearer to an epic with out dropping its pensive component. With a roughly seven-hour runtime, the story correctly doesn’t overstay its welcome and, like the primary recreation, feels centered. You’re right here for an excellent, emotional time, not a protracted one.
Nevertheless, now that Senua has companions to banter with, the voices she hears have an unlucky behavior of talking up over essential dialogue. From a creative standpoint, and I say this as somebody who has by no means skilled psychosis, making an attempt to tune them out to focus on a dialog helped me empathize with Senua’s day-to-day expertise. However as a recreation, the voices’ fixed chatter did show a real hindrance once I needed to hearken to another person. When the sport does attempt to separate the 2, it often creates a clumsy dialog cadence with unusual, ill-fitting pauses throughout talks to slot in a flurry of internal voice dialogue.
The intimate one-on-one fight encounters stay largely the identical however with a blinding visible and cinematic improve, minus some previous annoyances. Enemies not blindside you from off-screen, that means the motion stays in entrance of you always. Sword duels stay a repetitive however entertaining dance of dodging highly effective swings and nailing satisfying parries to fill a time-slowing focus meter that, as soon as unleashed, permits Senua to briefly execute an unimpeded assault. Whereas I loved chopping down equally armed foes, the sport admirably mixes up the enemy selection with difficult threats that scurry on their fingers erratically or, most annoyingly, spew hearth. Dodging the latter’s flame-based offense proved visually difficult to evade, so I typically cheesed them and different nuisances by activating my focus to shortly drop them as quickly as they took the sector. Ninja Principle fortunately axed the primary recreation’s creeping permadeath penalty, so dying right here has no consequence, and also you’re shortly thrown again into the motion.
Taking down threats results in seamless and diversified transitions to the subsequent foe, making fights really feel like an interactive cinematic in probably the most complimentary method. That is only a microcosm of the sport’s unbelievable manufacturing values; Hellblade II is arguably probably the most lovely recreation I’ve ever performed. From implausible, delicate facial animations to the excellent lighting of its idyllic landscapes and the nightmarish designs of the Norse adversaries, Hellblade II is without doubt one of the few titles that actually appears next-gen. Better of all, the presumed enhance in finances doesn’t lead to a mere enhance in constancy. The inventive inventive touches of the primary recreation stay intact and dialed to eleven, with mind-bending kaleidoscopic results and dreamlike lighting and visuals. Hellblade II isn’t simply technically spectacular; it’s genuinely alluring to stare at as an artwork piece.
Exploring this gorgeous world can also be extra enjoyable, due to the elevated puzzle selection. The attitude-based “spot the sigil within the setting” riddles, which have been fulfilling however overused within the final recreation, are dramatically lowered in quantity and unfold extra evenly all through the journey. Different challenges, equivalent to fixing illumination puzzles to navigate a darkish, terror-filled cave or constructing paths utilizing world-shifting magic, are adequately entertaining and make for a extra well-rounded journey. Venturing past the commonly linear paths to uncover secret totems or mystical bushes that spin fragmented yarns is enjoyable, even when the thought conceptually clashes with the in any other case narrative-focused treks. It’s powerful to deal with a given dialog once I’m anxious to interrupt away and examine each close by floor for a hidden path.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s conclusion ends on one other robust be aware, and regardless of my preliminary reservations about persevering with Senua’s story, I walked away blissful to see her conquer new monsters, each literal and metaphorical. I’m happy Ninja Principle prevented the temptation to explode this system into one thing far greater than wanted – this isn’t Xbox’s God of Struggle; it’s a greater Hellblade. The primary recreation is a well-known instance of not needing to be enjoyable within the conventional sense to be partaking. This sequel sprinkles extra broadly interesting thrills whereas retaining the considerate storytelling and artistry few triple-A video games possess.