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(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2makes a great first impression. Last month, I visited Ninja Theory to get my hands on theupcoming Xbox Series X gameahead of its release of May 21 and there’s one sequence of events that is still seared into my memory. Towards the end of an early chapter, you infiltrate a rite of fire and blood – an oppressive, cinematic section of play that concludes with Senua stumbling into a massive battle between Viking slavers and victims desperately fighting to escape. What happens next is a whirlwind of clashing blades and burning bodies, evocative visuals and harrowing brutality.
If we put fidelity to one side for a second, combat is undoubtedly where Ninja Theory has exercised the most growth between Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Where the original game was a little stilted once swords were drawn, the sequel is a far more fluid and responsive affair – sharply reactive, with Senua translating panicked light and heavy attack, dodge and parry, inputs with disarming physicality. I was trying to appreciate all of this in the midst of a truly chaotic fight, an assault where I was never really sure who I would face next.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
There is method behind these messy battles. Combat director Benoit Macon tells me that “Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones was a reference from the beginning.” If you aren’t familiar with the penultimate episode of season six, it’s an enthralling sequence where Jon Snow pushes his way through a whole slew of enemies – taking foes on one at a time in amongst the carnage. “He’s in the middle of this battle and just reacting to everything that is thrown at him. When we started development, our ambition was to recreate that in-game with full control from the player.”
It would appear that Ninja Theory has been successful in that respect. Hellblade 2 features one-versus-one combat encounters, where focus is drawn to a single combatant as you lock into a deadly dance of sorts – and there is an almost choreographed nature to combat, given how fluidly animations weave together. “The reason we opted for one-on-one combat is because we want Senua to feel overwhelmed in every encounter.”
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
“Battle of the Bastards is complicated,” Macon continues. “There is something in every second of it. So we had to create a big pool of animations that can trigger from anything. “If Senua gets hit, it triggers something; if she kills an enemy, it triggers something different and so on, building up these stories in every battle we have created.” For Ninja Theory to achieve this, it had to spend 75 days recording stunt performers on motion capture stages – capturing every single element of combat so that it can be fed back into Unreal Engine 5 and translated directly to the game without any manipulation or touch-ups. “Our guiding principle is ‘What you see is what you get.'”
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
This article is part of ourBig Preview of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There you’ll find more hands-on impressions and exclusive insight into the making of Xbox’s most important exclusive of the year.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”