Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Reviews

Masterful Atmosphere

Memorable Storytelling

Short but Sweet

With Hellblade, Ninja Theory delivers a focused and engaging take on action games with a message behind it. Critics love the presentation and the inventive nature of the gameplay.

Critic Reviews for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Game Rant

Denny Connolly

With Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Ninja Theory attempts to deliver a AAA experience in a $30 package and delivers on just about every front, with only a few problems.

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PC Gamer

Leif Johnson

78 / 100

Hellblade could benefit from more exploration and enemy variety, but it's a powerful portrait of the strength of will over personal demons.

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Eurogamer

Johnny Chiodini

Essential

Ninja Theory crafts a highly competent action game and a nuanced, powerful exploration of mental health.

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Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a masterclass of atmosphere, storytelling, and the marriage of mechanical and conceptual design. While there are moments that feel shoehorned in to remind us we're playing a videogame, the care and attention Ninja Theory has clearly poured into Senua and her story has created something amazing. This is a game everyone should play, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to have lived inside the mind of Senua, however briefly.

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Game Informer

Joe Juba

8 / 10.0

Given the heavy subject matter, calling Hellblade "entertaining" feels inappropriate. However, it is undeniably memorable, telling a compelling tale that explores subject matter many consider taboo

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Polygon

Ashley Oh

8.5 / 10.0

Hellblade is not an Orphean quest to retrieve a dead lover from the underworld. It's not some epic tale of revenge. It's an education and contextualization of being psychologically different in the time of Vikings and Celts. Nearly every facet of the game — whether it's combat, puzzles or exploration — is deliberate, pointing back to the overarching theme of what people called “cursed” during that time. Hellblade successfully weaves metaphors of grief and loss into fundamental game mechanics and rich folklore, and through these I felt like I truly was able to understand how someone else sees the world.

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