Again when it was launched on PS4 and PC again in 2017, we gave Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice an 8/10 in our assessment and highlighted that the best way it makes use of the “distinctive attributes of the medium to lift consciousness of psychological well being” is what “elevates this launch past the sum of its components”. Since then, Microsoft has purchased Ninja Principle, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is not accessible on PS5. That may be a rattling disgrace, as after ending Hellblade 2, I can say PS5 gamers are lacking out on one of the crucial visually jaw-dropping experiences of the era.
Set throughout the gorgeous hillsides and shorelines of Iceland, Senua has discovered herself in Midgard and has to battle her approach from village to village, combating off slavers who she has escaped from. That journey takes you from rain-soaked seashores to misty, haunting forests — all realised so exquisitely that at instances the sport might simply be mistaken for a video of a real-life panorama.
The identical goes for Senua herself and the sport’s character fashions, which blew me away. The mixture of each of those within the closing product reveals simply how profitable Ninja Principle was at reaching this real looking objective that the studio’s founder, Tameem Antoniades, again in 2021, talked about in this showcase trailer.
As I walked alongside the seashores or seemed over a barren, empty discipline, I used to be greatly surprised on the visible constancy on provide, woven into the material of the surroundings and amplified throughout some unbelievable, distinctive set-pieces.
It is laborious to think about a recreation that even comes near this stage of visible high quality in Senua’s Saga. That is potential because of the sport’s cinematic, narrative focus, very similar to within the first recreation. The gameplay points from the unique are current, though they’ve been pared again or modified considerably. There are far fewer visible puzzles and extra exploration and wandering by way of these attractive environments, which will not be for everybody, as evidenced by the criticisms within the recreation’s opinions.
Fight additionally feels much less arcadey and is sort of fully targeted on one-on-one fights with giant, gradual sword swings and punishing repercussions for those who fail to dam or parry. Our sister web site, Pure Xbox wasn’t an enormous fan of this, saying that the sport “is not satisfying to play in fight”. However even in these moments, the element within the surroundings, whether or not it is smoke resting within the background or fireplace illuminating a darkish village, is difficult to disregard.
The best way Senua grunts and shrieks as she swings her sword from one aspect to the opposite is harrowing. How one can see the emotion in her face as she picks herself again up after an intense battle to proceed on her journey, regardless of being more and more exhausted by her struggling, is immaculately displayed by way of the sport’s unbelievable movement seize.
Nowhere on PlayStation are you able to play a recreation this detailed and immersive visually, set inside a story that’s as brutal as Senua’s Saga’s is. That may be a big loss for the PlayStation platform and in addition followers of the collection who started Senua’s journey nearly seven years in the past.
Are you disenchanted Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 has launched as an Xbox Collection X|S console unique, after the collection beforehand debuted on PS4 and PC? Would you play the sequel if it was ever ported to PS5? Tell us beneath.
