The first was a short, but definitely not sweet, exploration of psychosis and grief that pushed the boundaries of immersive storytelling in gaming. Here’s why I’m backing the sequel to make the shortlist for Game of the Year 2020.
Two years after the release of Ninja Theory’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Microsoft dropped a surprise trailer for a next gen sequel dubbed Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 at the Game Awards. Now, we have plenty to be excited about in 2020. After an antsy six years we’re finally catching up with Ellie, Joel and co in The Last of Us II, Cyberpunk 2077 is already being touted as a generational achievement in its infancy, and Half Life: ALYX is set to raise the bar for VR titles and what the technology is capable of.
Why am I sat here in this very moment thinking of Senua and horrors that dwell behind the gates of Helheim then? Despite having pretty little to go on with the sequel, I just have an unshakable inkling that we’re headed towards something truly special. Bear with me while I wade through a personal cloud of hysteria to muster some rationale.
What is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice?
Narrowing this game down to fit within regular industry parameters is going to be more than a little tricky, but let’s give it a shot. I guess on the face of it (and it would be damn ugly one), Hellblade is an independent AAA game that resides somewhere between hack and slasher, dark fantasy, and action adventure. Technically speaking, it’s a third person, linear, and hyper-focused single-player experience that allows little to no deviation from the central story arch. But it’s so much more than all of these things.
Without any introduction we’re instantly thrown into the story of eighth century Celtic warrior Senua on an illusive and instantly unsettling quest. Carrying what eventually transpires to be her dead lover’s (Dillon) head wrapped in rags, she floats along a deathly quiet river with fallen comrades left and right, the voices in her head (the ‘furies’) providing the only noise as they jostle for agency.
Eventually arriving at the gates of Hellheim – a kind of hell for Nordics – Senua goes through a torturous journey to save Dillon’s soul from the malevolent Goddess Hela. Battling a bestiary filled with the most heinous creatures from Nordic folklore, and the darkness – an evil entity at the core of her curse – she eventually comes to realise that the darkness is a self-manifestation of repressed abuse and an unconscious refusal to accept loss.
The gameplay is varied and extremely well-paced, but the two principal mechanics you indulge in most frequently are sword to sword combat and puzzle solving to unlock sealed areas.
What is so special about it, and why should we be excited for the sequel?
Well let’s start with the plaudits, should we? Bearing in mind the game was developed by a team of just 20 developers (the optimum number of cooks in this instance) the title’s managed to nab:
BAFTA Games Award: for Audio Achievement
BAFTA Games Award: for British Game
BAFTA Games Award: for Artistic Achievements
BAFTA Games Award: for Game Beyond Entertainment
BAFTA Games Award: for Best Performance (Melina Juergens)
The Game Award: for Best Audio Design
The Game Award: for Game Beyond Entertainment
The Game Award: for Performer (Melina Juergens)
After reluctantly picking up the game in a dead spell for AAA releases and completing my first playthrough back in 2017, I couldn’t believe the district lack of promos and buzz surrounding the game in the build up to its release. Gaming auteur Tateem Antoniades put together the perfect team to execute his stirring and poignant story with razor sharp focus. And the results were stunning.
From start to finish, the experience feels authentic. Everything has purpose. When you first arrive at the shores of Helheim in the introduction, you see the tip of a mountain appear through the fog and head under an imposing oak bridge on the coastline. Hours later you’re eventually traversing that same bridge, and some hours after that the story comes to an emotional end atop the mountain. Every triumph, whether it be a difficult puzzle solved or a demanding combat sequence feels extremely rewarding in the grand scheme of the story.
Not once is your immersion broken throughout the whole experience, with loading screens paving the way for eerily detailed motion capture cutscenes featuring the brilliant Melina Jeurgens as Senua battling extreme physical and emotional trauma. Even collectibles – usually an arbitrary tool purposed to get the player exploring empty corners of the map – are interesting. And if all are found, it has big implications for the final battle too.
It cannot be overemphasised how brilliant and unrelentingly real Juergens’ performance comes across. Senua screams and cowers when faced with evil, she wears the marks of every big battle on her face and body (in-game and in cutscenes). She amps herself up and draws on pain to get through adversity. It’s astonishing and agonising in equal measure to see her quest through to its end. I’m pretty sure I sat through the credits wearing a wry smile though… as I said, something truly special.