GamesRadar+ Verdict
GamesRadar+ Verdict
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Pros+Photorealistic graphics and binaural sound design creates visceral immersion+Hints of traditional narrative structure adds more depth between varied puzzles+A scarier, tighter, more impressive sequel that elevates both the series and the genre as we know it
Photorealistic graphics and binaural sound design creates visceral immersion
Hints of traditional narrative structure adds more depth between varied puzzles
A scarier, tighter, more impressive sequel that elevates both the series and the genre as we know it
Cons-Pacing can feel inconsistent
Pacing can feel inconsistent
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Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 might be the most unique video game I’ve ever experienced. Where Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was a grueling character study, its sequel presents that character with a future beyond the trauma of her past.
FAST FACTSRelease date: May 21, 2024Platform(s): Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper: Ninja TheoryPublisher: Xbox Game Studios
FAST FACTS
Release date: May 21, 2024Platform(s): Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper: Ninja TheoryPublisher: Xbox Game Studios
Release date: May 21, 2024Platform(s): Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper: Ninja TheoryPublisher: Xbox Game Studios
Grappling with that trauma is still integral to Senua’s journey into Iceland, although its purpose here has evolved somewhat since Senua’s Sacrifice. Harnessed almost like a double-edged power, psychosis becomes a lens through which Senua sees the world in both its infinite sadness and secrecy, allowing her to navigate the darkness and find her way toward the light – both metaphorically and literally this time.
Mental health, self-acceptance, the sheer effort of survival; developer Ninja Theory doesn’t just broach these themes but actively embodies them. Meaningful game mechanics and binaural sound design work in tandem to achieve pitch-perfect symbiosis between form and function, cementingSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2as nothing short of video game sorcery worthy of the highest praise.
Crafting catharsis
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
From hearing the dying gasps of a ghostly figure as it chokes on its own blood somewhere on your left to the rumbling snarl of an enemy lurking just ahead, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 has you constantly torn between the world within and without. Ninja Theory does well to make the external world an even harsher place to exist in than the largely metaphorical environs of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice; photorealistic graphics aid this, with craggy shorelines and snow-capped mountains emerging from the fog as you lock into combat with a slave trader you mean to capture, his eyes glinting with an all too-human menace.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
At the same time, her mental state and the unique perspective it grants her has become Senua’s greatest weapon in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. We see this reflected in the range of environmental puzzles, markedly varied from those in Hellblade: Senua’s Saga, that turn this dark fantasy adventure into a sophisticated narrative experience. Greater stress is placed on world exploration in this sequel, foregoing the maze-like cyclical pathways of the original game in favor of an interconnected series of villages and locations, each encompassing a chapter in a story that extends far beyond the locus of Senua. She fits into things as a cypher of sorts, but Senua is searching for more than merely sigils in the world around her.
The darkness before the dawn
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Sometimes Senua has to flip the world around entirely, altering the level design of each individual puzzle to gain access to areas beyond her reach. Other instances call on her to step through time and witness a place from an entirely different perspective, giving her a greater grasp of why and how its inhabitants were forced to seek extreme measures to combat dire straits. The creative application of Senua’s psychosis as both an internal and external framework reinforces Ninja Theory’s commitment to ethical representation, charging Hellblade 2 with meaningful conversations around mental health in a way that feels dynamic, authentic, and structurally fluid in the context of a video game.
A masterclass in technical and thematic maturity
A masterclass in technical and thematic maturity
At its very core, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is as harrowing as it is immensely important. You will find the smiles few and far between, if at all; this is a game that leans into its atmospheric horrors in an overwhelmingly sensory portrayal of struggle and sacrifice. Still, Ninja Theory does not intend to traumatize the player. Moments of respite can be found following its most emotionally turbulent moments, speaking directly to the player to offer hope for new beginnings. “You’ve earned this,” the Furies soothe as Senua steps into a field awash with golden light. Video games so rarely take mental health aftercare this seriously, and Ninja Theory dares to take that important first step in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs 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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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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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”
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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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5
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