Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Reviews
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a beautiful but ultimately hollow game. The fantastic presentation props up a story that is less personal and engaging than in the first game, and the gameplay feels like an afterthought. It was great to see Senua again and to see her outside of the grief-misery she was enveloped in during the first game, but beyond that, there's not much to Hellblade II. It's a short and less memorable experience that shows off Ninja Theory's visual craft to its fullest - but it achieves little else.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is, at its core, a short game, but an excellent one. But it's not for everyone. It's a bloody and often disgusting experience based on strong emotions and immersion in a character that just won't let you go. It's more of an artistic experience than a traditional game.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
An exceptionally well realized portrayal of Senua's struggle both real and praying on her fears, with brutal and satisfying combat and puzzles that require you to appreciate the world. It successfully continues what the first game started and improves upon almost every aspect.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II keeps the basics intact, and while a strong lead character, great animations, and simple but enjoyable combat continue to deliver, the poor pacing and performance issues prevent this sequel from breaking free of its past.
Next gen graphics and presentation is now among us, next gen game design on the other hand, will be running late.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Overall, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a cinematic masterpiece. A game filled with epic characters and epic boss fights that will be etched in your memory. If you are into action-adventure games with epic proportions, then this game is something you should look into.
If you sincerely appreciate masterful visuals, pitch-perfect audio, and visceral story-telling then Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is about as perfect of a game as you can get. However, those looking for substance gameplay-wise will wish there was much more to it. ⚔️
Ninja Theory tried to deliver a fantastical experience through Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga and I believe they’ve succeed in that from a story and presentation front. However, as a gamer, I wish the gameplay was a bit more involved from the linearity the developers tacked on.
The roughly six-hour-long campaign of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a commendably well-written and audiovisually stunning work, but its gameplay leaves something to be desired. While I am a fan of story-driven and more compact experiences, I would've liked to give Senua a bit more room to explore the harsh and unadorned, yet oh-so-beautiful Iceland. Maybe I’m alone in my opinion — who knows — but the lack of freedom inevitably affects the final score.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Wow, what an incredible journey Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 was! I’ve never played a game quite like it before. The level of immersion is truly something else and has to be seen and heard to be believed. If you’re a fan of narrative-driven adventure games, this is simply a must-play.
Like Senua's Sacrifice before it, Saga is a showpiece of technical innovation by an incredibly small team. Its use of mental illness as a narrative device continues to be a core pillar of its experience, tapping into nearly every avenue of combat and narrative. Melina Juergens is joined by a phenomenal cast that each has some fantastic moments to shine. Senua's Saga is a cinematic masterpiece with noticeable blemishes in its puzzles that don't quite measure up to the quality bar raised by nearly every other part of this whole experience.
Senua’s return is authentic to the original, only with more polish. The captivating and emotional story is thrusted forward with Hellblade 2’s hefty visuals and audio. The only thing letting it down is how repetitive some of the gameplay is.
The developers at Ninja Theory had a clear goal with Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. And they did it almost perfectly. The script of the amazingly crafted story is complemented by perfect acting performances and the entire audiovisuals, from sounds and music to graphics that will take your breath away. If this is precisely what you're looking for and liked the first game, then you know what you're getting into, and you definitely won't go wrong. It's a shame that it's more of a movie than a game. Because, as a game, it's languishing in many ways. Even as a walking simulator.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a well-deserved and worthy sequel. Ninja Theory has delivered a spectacular narrative, just like its predecessor, along with cutting-edge technical quality, featuring otherworldly graphics and an incredible Nordic-inspired soundtrack. I did miss more gameplay moments, with greater combat depth and a few more puzzles, as in the first game, but these points don’t detract from how amazing Hellblade II is.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory continues their strongly auteur path, proudly advancing their unique series with this logical and predictable sequel. The new adventure of Senua doesn't stray from its past, at least gameplay-wise, limiting innovations and confining itself to being "better seen than played." The overwhelming beauty of the audiovisual production, despite evident compromises, stands as the most impressive on consoles today. Some will undoubtedly complain about the lack of interactivity, bland combat, and self-serving puzzles, but if viewed as a purely narrative experience with strong cinematic elements, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will satisfy those seeking such an experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is a bleak yet deeply absorbing game - and one I’ve not played anything like before. Combat is a little simplistic, and some parts are pedestrian, but the remarkable visual and audio design, performances and acting, the intriguing narrative throughout, and a beguiling world that has one of the strongest senses of place I’ve experienced elevate the game wonderfully.
I do recommend this experience however, as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is almost everything I wanted in a sequel to Hellblade. The original game’s graphical fidelity for its time in 2017 matched the AAA space 1:1. With the level of graphical fidelity in this game to set a benchmark that will be very hard to top in terms of realism across the board. However, the combat, while having a better presentation, did feel mechanically stripped down in places that feel questionable. While the puzzles are mostly similar but still very enjoyable at times. This game will still feel niche, yet unique, which I feel is not a bad thing. Considering it feels designed to be the next evolution for the experience that only Hellblade can offer.
A cautious revolution. An experience in the true sense of the word. Heavy, intense and powerful. Hellblade 2 blurs the lines between game and film in a supremely clever way that will probably be utilized by other competing developers in the years to come.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is, like its prequel, a title that makes narrative and cinematic components its strong point. Artistically, we are faced with an inspired and immersive game, thanks to the way the protagonist's psychosis has been told. Unfortunately, at the gameplay level, no great strides have been made compared to the past, making these sections quite passive and not very interactive. A real shame considering Ninja Theory's experience and skill.
Review in Italian | Read full review