Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Reviews
But then, games can be a lot of things. The are fewer boundaries in gaming than any other form of artistic media, and titles that challenge established understanding of the medium push the margins further out. Hellblade 2 doesn't offer meaningful exploration, it doesn't come loaded with side quests and activities, and it doesn't let you play your own way. It has a strict vision for what it does offer: an uncompromising and harrowing story, immersive environments, photorealistic visuals, and excellent sound and performances. And with its sensitive and important representation of mental health disorders, Senua's Saga stands distinct among formulaic big-budget games.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II marks a triumphant return of Senua’s adventure with a balanced gameplay, powerful representation of psychosis and incredible visuals.
A visual and aural triumph, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II trades agency, freedom, and longevity to galvanize mood, atmosphere, and other, more cinematic qualities. By its very design, Senua’s Saga will polarize an audience rich with choice-driven adventure games. But by committing to its vision, Ninja Theory has crafted a thoughtful and haunting slice of violent opera - long on style, short on length, and certainly deserving of acclaim.
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.
A decent follow-up to the previous game but not enough flair and novelties to keep you engaged enough. Senua's Saga is playing it safe when it comes to sequels coupled with some pretty formulaic combat.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a perfect example of flexibility in a video game. This game allows developers to be ambitious and implement their innovative ideas to a great extent. if you crave cinematic games, you will have a blast playing Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.
Review in Persian | Read full review
If the aspect you like most about a video game is its story, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a great option and will give you hours of fun — and can be finished in up to seven hours —, however, it can frustrate you if you're just looking for unrestrained action.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II showcases a level of visual prowess that blows anything we've seen so far out of the water and uses it to present a journey that, while short, excites from beginning to end.
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2 is a fair sequel to the first title, improving on all its special features such as the technical and sound compartment and a very interesting introspective narrative. However, the second chapter still decides to leave behind some elements that were evidently never considered a priority for the project, such as the gameplay that at times interrupts the rhythm of the story.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 can be a mentally taxing experience by design, especially if one already has their own litany of mental health struggles. It is a necessary part of a game that explores its themes touchingly and tastefully, a beautiful and astoundingly stylish production. Like its predecessor, the presentation outstrips the gameplay, which suffers from repetition and a lack of escalation or variety. It’s a damn fine thing in totality though, one well worth digging into.
Graphically and audiovisually the game is rock solid, but in terms of gameplay and replay value it collapses considerably. The story is beautiful and intense, Iceland and Senua's journey are beautifully depicted. The serious psychological problems that Senua experiences, after a terrible amount of suffering, are also well explained. It is therefore a shame that the overall picture is a little disappointing and you are still left with some questions about the game. Of course you can think what you want, that is everyone's right, but asking fifty euros for this is a bit too much ( Xbox Game Pass is an alternative).
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is definitely worth a try, mainly due to its brand-new, ultra-realistic combat design and mechanics, and the mixture of simple and challenging puzzles. Not to mention, the unbelievably realistic visuals that’ll blow your mind. However, don’t expect an amazingly written storyline to follow. Plus, once again, it’s on Xbox Game Pass, so there’s no harm in seeing it for yourself.
Even though the gameplay loop felt a little repetitive by the end of the experience and the game doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to some recent gaming experiences (aside from its audio-visual presentation), Hellblade II still stands as a shining example of a small team of creative minds from all different disciplines coming together to craft a meaningful experience that gets to the heart of the human condition.
If you are seeking an interactive, heavy themed, intense movie this is your game.
A graphically spectacular narrative adventure, but with few playable innovations compared to its predecessor.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A disappointing follow up where everything is the same as it was in Hellblade I or worse. Except for visuals, they look truly marvelous. If only everything else received the same treatment.
Review in Russian | Read full review
The target audience for Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is certain to be narrow. This game is purely designed for fans of narrative-heavy games where the gameplay takes a back seat, as well as those who want to play the sequel to the original. Some portions are spot on, and other parts fail badly at maintaining the mood while attempting to stay true to the concept. On the other hand, it is highly difficult to recommend this game due to its linear plot-oriented experience, lack of fighting, and difficulty in completing puzzles.
For a game that is about six hours, it is barren and wastes a lot of time by having players tediously walk through vast and empty environments or trudge through forced walking sequences. It is an unsatisfying experience that fails to live up to the original and you still can’t skip cutscenes.
Stunning Icelandic landscapes merge with nightmarish hallucinations in this big-budget battle sequel
