Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is the direct follow up to 2017’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice . This sequel doubles down on what made the first one so enjoyable, with its incredibly dark atmosphere and concise storytelling. However, like its predecessor, Hellblade II's gameplay and combat didn’t improve much.
Hellblade II takes place after the events of the first game, and sees Senua trekking through 10th century Iceland in order to enact revenge against the Vikings who’ve ravaged her homeland. However, she gets shipwrecked and ends up on a completely different journey to kill mythical giants. While I won’t divulge any spoilers, the story is intentionally disorienting in order to reflect Senua’s mental state and how she has to live with trauma.
What makes the storytelling engaging is the various voices inside Senau’s head that either reassures or doubts her. The constant whispers really adds to the creepy and dark atmosphere throughout the entire game. While Senua herself is a compelling character, what makes Hellblade II feel more lively than its predecessor are its three new characters: Thórgestr, Fargrímr, and Ástríðr.
They’re companions that join Senua will meet throughout her journey and act like party members in an RPG. While they don’t provide any direct gameplay benefits, the three characters interact with each other during the story. This reinforces one of the game’s themes which is forging genuine connections, something that Senua struggle.
