I can make this review one of my shortest yet. If you’re looking to see just how far gaming has come in the last few years and what it’s capable of visually, look no further than Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. However, you will be sorely disappointed if you’re looking for gameplay to match or even complement the visual extravaganza.
If I’m being completely honest, Hellblade II is the first game I’ve experienced that truly deserves to be called next-gen, from its goosebump-inducing audio to its captivating story and its orgasmic visuals. However, throughout it all, there was one whisper that turned into an ear-ringing shout: where is the game?
Hellblade II is an experience that’s not afraid to grab you by the hair and drag you down into the dark depths of its psychologically torturous story. The psychological brutality is even more cutting than the physical violence, and yet somehow, there is a sweetness in the payoff that feels so, so, so right and yet also incredibly wrong.
There is no way that a game so good can also be so disappointing. Yet, the most significant and psychologically torturous part of the game is that as much as it screams out to be one of the best games not only of the year but of recent memory, it just can’t stand on its own as a game.
The mechanics in Hellblade II are almost exactly the same as they were all those years ago when they were first introduced to us alongside Senua’s plight. However, because they didn’t evolve alongside everything else, they feel even weaker this time around.
The game only lasts about six hours, and unfortunately, much of that time will be spent going between stripped-down combat and tedious, overdone puzzles – both things that the game could have done without. And that’s not to say that the fighting in the game doesn’t look great because it truly does, and the ever-sharp and resonating sounds only work to bring the scenes to life on the screen; however, after the novelty wears off, you soon realise that underneath the shiny, there are very few bones.
The combat is essentially just a series of one-on-one fights that lack variety. This is compounded by not offering players any kind of weapon variety or the challenge that comes with facing multiple foes at once.
Even when it comes to the puzzles, the game struggles to find its footing. At its core, the puzzles are the same focus-based challenges as the first time, only this time, the difficulty has been scaled right down, making the puzzles less of a mental challenge and more of a lesson of tedium.
Even when it comes to the puzzles, the game struggles to find its footing. At its core, the puzzles are the same focus-based challenges as the first time, only this time, the difficulty has been scaled right down, making the puzzles less of a mental exercise and more of a lesson of tedium.
However, what the gameplay lacks in… well, gameplay, it more than makes up for in the story—a story that I’m going to say absolutely nothing about. All you need to know is that it’s a tale about psychosis and inner turmoil, where players will be questioning what is really real and what is in their heads. It tells this story in an emotionally stirring and mature way that video games seldom manage to.
I will just say that if players want to get the most out of their six-hour joy ride, then make sure you seek out all the additional lore that you can throughout your playthrough and maybe even replay the game. There are some alternative narrators that really start to give the story even more context and depth.
Overall, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II left me struggling mentally as much as our titular protagonist because as much as my entire heart and soul were whispering in my ear, telling me to love the game, my head wouldn’t stop screaming about the lack of gameplay and challenge until it drowned everything else out.
