Senua's Saga: Hellblade II | Hype Check
With Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II now only a few days away, we wanted to touch base with some of our team to see how they’re feeling about the game. We’ve seen a range of media up to this point, from gameplay showcases and trailers, we’ve seen the press releases, and heard the talk, but how are we feeling? That’s where we’re bringing Hype Check into the mix; to get a gauge on what the prospective players are thinking. So here’s how we’re feeling about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Rob Caporetto
My experience with the first Hellblade was one which left me incredibly uncomfortable with the experience. It’s one I could appreciate, but one I couldn’t really sit down with for myself. In many ways, it was rather effective.
Considering that, I’m not sure I’m in a place where I could say I’m ready to dive into the sequel as a result. I’m sure it’ll be amazing for the right audience, but that sadly isn’t me in this case.
Paul James
The original Hellblade was such an intriguing experience. From its moment-to-moment gameplay which was engaging in and of itself, to the sound design which was discomforting in ways that no piece of media has ever triggered in me. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was a massive learning experience for me, teaching me parts about others, as well as myself, and I’m so intrigued to see how Ninja Theory builds upon that foundation with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
*Paul’s comments were written before receiving review code from Xbox Australia*
Matt Hewson
This is probably my most anticipated game for the year (or Avowed… it is a coin toss) I adore Ninja Theory’s work and the original Hellblade raised the bar for both representation of mental illness in video games and sound design. Everything I have seen so far indicates they are taking the sequel to the next level so I am all in.
Stephen del Prado
I played Hellblade far enough out from its release that I found it a cool experiment and proof of concept more than an extremely strong experience. The way Ninja Theory appears to be expanding many of the elements in Senua’s Saga feels like taking the franchise in the right direction to me, and one I hope to get some hands (and ears) on time with much closer to launch than I did with the first game. As others have already lauded, its examination of aspects of mental illness is incredible, but that doesn’t always translate to something I’m keen for in my downtime!
Jess Zammit
Like some of the others, I didn’t make it too far into the first game – it made me (an already incredibly anxious person) even more anxious, and unsettled me in ways a game hadn’t really managed to achieve before. I’ve seen many people lauding it for its authentic portrayal of psychosis, and will forever praise it for its genuine and considered approach to representing aspects of mental illness that are so often used as a poor, cheap horror tactic in games. I’m sure the sequel will be just as good based on what I’ve seen, but I also know that sitting in the feelings this game inspires in me will not make for a good time. So I’ll be giving it a miss, but also keenly waiting to see how it lives up to expectations.
How are you feeling about the rapidly impending launch of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II!? Let us know on our various social channels!
