“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” is a strange game. It has some of the best, most realistic visuals in modern gaming and tells an interesting story. It also takes steps backward compared to the original to create one of my most mixed experiences.
Senua is a Pictish woman with severe psychosis and deep-rooted trauma. After the events of the first game, she sets out to attack the source of the tragedy that drove her further into madness. When Viking raiders killed Senua’s partner, Dillion, she learned they also took slaves back to the Northern lands.
Emboldened, she lets herself be taken as a slave so that she can free other prisoners and end the horrific cycle. The setting of ninth-century Iceland is great for a brutal story of violence and fear. Ninja Theory has crafted one of the most realistic settings ever seen in a game.
Nordic mythology is a big part of the story, but the references to it aren’t as plentiful or interesting as they were in the first game. While the game is beautiful it often feels like you’re playing it on rails because of how linear it is. The most room the player gets for exploration is when there’s a puzzle and even then the segments are short-lived.
While the puzzles have a little more variety this time around, I wish combat saw more improvements as well. The sword fighting takes a step back in the sequel. The first game struggled with making fights against multiple opponents feel natural and a lot of combat segments dragged on.
“Hellblade.
