Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you are seeking an interactive, heavy themed, intense movie this is your game.
Hellblade 2 remains the most technically impressive experience I’ve ever played through. Through the chosen medium of games, Ninja Theory tells a compelling narrative that, if you can put up with some rather archaic gameplay, will leave you deeply satisfied - and maybe just a little traumatised.
A graphically spectacular narrative adventure, but with few playable innovations compared to its predecessor.
Review in Spanish | 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.
Ninja Theory and Xbox Game Studios deliver the kind of narrative experience I've been waiting for. Admittedly, I'd have liked it to be a little longer, but the studio has done a good job of fine-tuning the gameplay of its series, while raising the visuals to a level that places them among the very best. I hope that Xbox will now use Ninja Theory's expertise to offer more memorable experiences like this one in the near future.
Review in French | Read full review
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a tricky beast. On one hand, I was impressed by the realistic visuals, the voice acting, the music, and Senua’s growth as a character. On the other hand, its pacing was awkward, even though it was short. It suffered from a lackluster third act. It’s pretentious, to an arrogant degree. It was also quite devoid of gameplay, focusing more on spectacle than substance.
With its unique presentation, cinematic narrative with amazing storytelling, game-changing visuals, beautiful sound design, and digestible length, Xbox Games Studios and Ninja Theory have a successful franchise on their hands.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II raises the bar of narrative games, as it delivers a cinematic experience with groundbreaking audio and gameplay.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a visually stunning game with a fantastic sound work to creative a brilliant audiovisual landscape. Unfortunately, the gameplay mostly takes a backseat (for better or worse) and at times can feel repetitive even with the game short duration. That being said, is an ideal experience for fans of the original.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” is a remarkable achievement in storytelling and game design, and a reminder of what is possible when creativity and technology unite in perfect harmony. It won’t convince the naysayers of the previous title, but if the first clicked, this unique and unforgettable journey will absolutely land hard.
Ninja Theory returns to Senua's universe with a sequel brimming with technical virtues that coexist with the loss of focus on what it is trying to tell.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ninja Theory tells a gripping and adult story in a surreal world that is incredibly beautiful to look at despite its horrors. If you like cinematically staged games with a gripping story, go for it.
Review in German | Read full review
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a fantastic game, but probably not for everyone. It appears to be a next-generation title in every aspect; impressive with its ever-changing Icelandic landscapes, realistic photogrammetry, lighting, particle effects, character movement animations, acting, and intriguing storyline. The combat is brutal, and the voices constantly heard by Senua sound as if we are hearing them in our own heads.
What Ninja Theory has achieved transcends reality, creating a work that is practically perfect for what it aimed to be: an audiovisual adventure with a strong narrative component. Beyond state-of-the-art graphics and sound that will undoubtedly set a standard in the coming years, what truly astonishes is the maturity with which the team has taken an excellent game like the first Hellblade and molded it into something so qualitatively impressive that it becomes difficult to even describe. This elevates the medium to a new communicative level, capable of evoking emotions and surprising players from start to finish. Experiences like Hellblade 2, which leave a lasting impression on the soul, are few and far between in a generation, and we can only rejoice in seeing how the beautiful artistic vision of the Ninja Theory team has become a reality.
Review in Italian | Read full review