Beautifully oppressive

The original Hellblade was a prime example of a smaller scale team built a game that felt like it was punching way above its weight. Ninja Theory has always crafted great cinematic experiences, but this one felt different. Now almost seven years later and one massive acquisition later we finally have the sequel. It is wild to think that this game was the first showcase for the Xbox Series X|S, which is now almost four years old. This game has had a long journey and now after playing through it in its entirety, it feels like it. The game is a stunning visual showcase that retains all that made the original special while delivering the most impressive visuals I have ever seen.

The story of Senua’s Saga picks up after the events of the first game. There is a nice recap of the story before getting into the game. Senua begins on a slave ship as it crash lands where her journey to get revenge on those that destroyed her village. I am not going into spoilers here. I have always had a hard time following all that occurs in these games, mostly because some of it is left to interpretation, but also because it is a sensory overload. That is by design, Senua has voices in her head that are constantly talking about her actions and the world.

MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99

This was a key point of the original game as it attempts to showcase how Senua deals with her psychosis. This is punctuated by the outstanding audio design. This is a game you want to play with headphones as things are being fed to you from all directions. It is an impactful design that very few games can even claim to come close. This is a game that had me gripping my controller harder than most experiences. I could tell the stress was getting to me. The voices are always coaxing the player, and it is also a clever way to push things forward.

Before diving in it is worth noting what type of game this is. There are no skill trees. The journey is mostly linear. There are no upgrades, no leveling up, or markers telling players what to do. There is no HUD, the game uses visual and audio cues to lead the player and sometimes it took me a second to sort it out. It is a great design that delivers a truly uninterrupted experience unlike any other.

The bulk of the game play in Senua’s Saga cycles between three styles. There is walking/narrative where you experience the journey. The second is puzzle solving where Senua must figure out how to progress. These sections recycle the same few styles whether it is focusing on parts of the environment to break a seal or focusing on water droplets to open new areas. The most interesting one only happens during one section. The classic lighting torches to stay out of the shadows was my favorite puzzle, and I wish it made more than one appearance.

The final piece is the combat. This is a cinematic experience focusing on one-on-one battles with a rather simplified combat system. Senua has a light and heavy attack as well as a block/parry and a dodge. She also gains a mirror early on that builds up over time and can be used to unleash a barrage of attacks. Combat feels more like a dance/rhythm section as everything is done in a specific motion. It makes for some intense animations that are unique to each battle, and I really enjoyed it. It isn’t overly deep, but definitely showcases the outstanding visuals and animation that has gone into the game.

Speaking of visuals…holy cow. This is by far the best-looking game I have ever seen. There are sections where I am wondering if it was FMV (it was not) it looks that good. Each area showcases new visuals effects that are simply jaw-dropping. I know it sounds stupid, but rocks on the ground look real. Water is incredible. The landscapes are simply awe-inspiring. This game looks simply ridiculous. I would stop and take it in. The particle effects and animation are incredible. This is a technical showpiece that Xbox has not had since Gears 5.

There are caveats to this though. I spent much of my time on Xbox Series X which looks great, but it does run at only 30fps. It seems to hold it most of the time. The game is also highly letterboxed so a decent portion of the top and bottom of the screen are cut off. There is also some dynamic resolution going on here. There are times where it was extremely blurry, while other times it looked a lot cleaner. I did boot up the PC version to see how it fared, and using NVIDIA’s DLSS it looked much better. I was also able to run it at 60fps, which you can set a target frame rate in the options menu, and it held really well on my 4070.

It is sad to not see a performance mode on Series X. For a game touted alongside the 4K/60fps machine really says a lot. Still the game looks incredible, and Ninja Theory has crafted some tech that Xbox should be using going forward. It is simply stunning, and I could stare at it all day.

The main game clocks in at around 6-8 hours depending on how much time you spend exploring. It is mostly linear, but there are some collectibles to discover throughout each area. It is nice as you progress you can revisit any area and clean up what you missed, but I cannot see anyone spending more than 10 hours total in this world to see and do everything. This is not an open world, it is a linear narrative that is designed to deliver a cinematic experience, as long as you know that going in, you will have an amazing time.

Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga is an amazing achievement visually. The performances are second-to-none and the music is just as impressive as the visuals. For anyone that loved the original and knows what to expect going in, this will be a treat on so many levels. This game delivers on so many facets it is hard not to marvel at it. It is also on Game Pass, so if you have a Series X|S or a decent PC, there is little reason not to check it out. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait seven years for Ninja Theory’s next title.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.