Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a visually stunning game with top-notch performances. However, it falls short in terms of gameplay.
I wasn’t a big fan of the first Hellblade, which was also beautiful and well-acted but had puzzles and gameplay that didn’t resonate with me. I approached the sequel with an open mind, hoping for improvements. Unfortunately, some aspects have even regressed, making me realize this type of storytelling isn’t for me. Some issues here might apply to the Hellblade series in general, though it retains its strengths.
Hellblade 2’s visuals are breathtaking. The Icelandic landscapes, underground caves, devastated villages, and ritualistic death pits are among the best I’ve seen in gaming. Achieving this level of detail on a Series X, rather than a high-end PC running Cyberpunk, is impressive. The environmental detail is unparalleled and will leave you awestruck multiple times.
The acting is equally impressive, with another powerful performance from Melina Juergens, which is sure to be remembered during the award season. Chris O’Reilly also stands out as the slaver Thórgestr.
Hellblade II is relentlessly cinematic, far beyond what games like Uncharted and The Last of Us attempt. There’s no UI, no upgrades to find, and limited exploration—just a straightforward march through the story. This cinematic approach extends to combat, featuring dynamic sequences where enemies crash into you and each other between player-controlled segments. Many battles feel like one-take John Wick-style Viking fights, which is neat.
However, I didn’t enjoy it as a game. The term “walking simulator” fits well here. You often hold down the forward button or occasionally run, but it gets old fast, especially in a short game. A long cave sequence with a few puzzles bored me, and a foggy woods section where you only walk for about 20 minutes was tedious for a seven-hour game.
The story feels less urgent this time. It’s not Senua’s personal tragedy but her helping strangers and her unseen “people” by slaying giants. By the end, I understood how this connects to her story, but it lacks the deeply personal hook of the first game.
The voices in Senua’s head, heard through recommended headphones, are nearly intolerable. The constant, often useless narration gets tiresome quickly. While it aims to convey mental illness, it becomes a deeply unpleasant experience to play.
The game’s linear, on-the-rails nature allows it to look so amazing. Like the first game, there’s essentially one path. Occasionally, you can find a secret bit of the story, but mostly it’s walking, running, and climbing.
Combat, though cinematically presented, is basic in practice. You have a heavy attack, light attack, dodge, and parry. Enemies usually have two patterned moves, making them easy to defeat. Every fight involves blocking, dodging, hitting, and using a slo-mo mirror for an almost guaranteed kill. Despite its cinematic flair, there’s no depth.
Some puzzles are interesting, like the “flip pieces of the room upside down” ones. However, the returning “find the shape in the landscape” puzzles from the first game are frustrating, often involving bumbling into walls or rocks you can’t bypass.
I enjoyed parts of Hellblade 2, especially some intense environmental/music sequences. However, as a game, it wasn’t enjoyable for me overall.
