Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Is A Story of Justice And Compassion
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a beautiful experience that gives a greater gravity to mental health issues, and recovery, that isn’t seen often. It’s also a short game that can either be completely underwhelming or stick around just long enough. Depending on players’ view on compact runtimes. Players will trek through Nordic-inspired landscapes as Senua seeks her revenge. Players still fight mythical but mostly human enemies this time around. Combat is more focused on flashy spectacle over complex sequences. In a game that is dark and emotionally draining, this is one of the few things that make the game approachable.
A few new characters are introduced in this sequel, bringing the narrative firmly into the forefront. Puzzles being even more simplified than in the first game. Unfortunately this also makes it glaringly obvious that side characters are only there to explain how bad the world is. Players will spend a substantial amount of time walking with these characters, whose observations often add to the constant misery. The scenery acts as a stark contrast to this as more vibrant colors are found here than in the first game. Hellblade II is a horror game though and it won’t let players forget that. For all the breathtaking vistas, Senua will also find herself crawling through stomach churning gore.
Though the series improves on the unrelenting eeriness, it isn’t without some technical faults. Crashing was a steady fear at the back of my mind. The game’s auto save system also seemed to work against me at times. If a problem occurred after a save, the game would load up at the same point it crashed. This led to multiple re-installs. Thankfully progress is kept so the game is still completable without starting over.
Hellblade II is not going to be for everyone. Its stunning graphics also make the miserable scenes that much more uncomfortable to experience. The actors do phenomenal jobs and the audio system is still unique enough that I’d like to see it used, and expanded on, in more games. Though sound is expertly used across the board. It’s a sequel that may inspire new fans to visit the first game. Old fans may find that this game tightened its scope too much. In the end Hellblade II comes out as a middle-of-the-road gaming experience that does succeed at being an artful one.
