Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Reviews
For all the warranted concern of AAA developers veering too far from gameplay into pure cinematic awe, there's no denying Ninja Theory's narrative depiction of mental health is an infectious one — the type of narrative that has been long overdue in this industry.
When you think you’re seeing a render in-game that looks too good for Switch, that’s because essentially a video is playing. Yes, the actual game part is lower resolution, and yes, of course if you can play it on PS4, Xbox One, or PC, you’ll get the better looking experience, but if you are a Switch-only console household then you’re getting a great looking game that sounds amazing, and tells a story with one of the best takes on mental health in a long time. Play it on handheld with headphones and you’ll be shocked, just don’t be surprised if it looks blurry (and sub-HD) on the big screen.
One of the most inventive games of the year, showing that time and patience can be behind a challenging, smart, and incredibly interesting game.
Despite familiar echoes and mechanical touchstones from other games, Hellblade’s psychological bent and the constant voices in Senua’s (and therefore your) head give it an identity very much of its own.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is beautiful, discomforting, and compelling. It might challenge what you like about games, but challenge is good. You're doing yourself a disservice if you don't try it.
The ending of the game will leave you wondering just what was real and what was an illusion. I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic arc of each major scene. It starts out calm, moves to disturbing, and then descends into chaos and madness. I think the storytellers and designers exercised tight creative control, with a game that is understated as well as explosive.
Hellblade is brave for tackling psychosis so directly, and braver still for pouring so much of its efforts into its narrative. It's unlike anything else I've played this year, and for that reason it deserves a slice of your time.
Despite a bug that forced my first playthrough to end prematurely, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an incredible game that will continue to linger with me as a singular and emotionally affecting experience. For its audio and visual design alone, it is stunning, but for its ability to use the video game medium to bridge our understanding of mental illness while also telling a personal and powerful story, it is a masterpiece. If you feel capable of withstanding the emotional strain it requires, a dark and fulfilling tale awaits.
Few mainstream video games have tried, let alone achieved, anything close to the emotional intensity that courses through this game.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice's story of mental illness is unlike anything we've experienced before.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a complete experience for a bargain price. Struggling through life as a psychosis sufferer is an alarming experience, and Hellblade provides an illuminating glimpse into the lives of those afflicted by such terror. Combat is visceral, yet on the game's easiest mode should prove no problem for those interested in experiencing the story. At an asking price of $29.99 USD, the campaign is just long enough to feel like this is money well-spent. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a stellar entry from Ninja Theory, and I can only hope this is the first of many “independent AAA” games to come from the veteran studio.
Hellblade could have been carried alone by its insanely beautiful graphics and standout voice performances — some of the best of 2017 — but while these scenarios were always refreshing interruptions from long, meditative walks through Helheim, they distracted from the game's greater focus on demystifying a taboo mental disorder.
There is something bewitching in how the immediacy of video games can lead to places other mediums cannot.
It's a unique title which succeeds in its mission of giving gamers a glimpse into how people deal with psychosis and loss.
Focusing his game on the psychosis of his heroine and his gameplay mechanics on it was a risky bet but won hands down. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a masterstroke for its storytelling, atmosphere, artistic direction and the care taken on the subject of mental illness and on Senua.
Review in French | Read full review
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a very bold game that manages to talk about mental issues in a truly emotional way, using the gameplay dynamics of an action adventure. It's an authentic manifesto of how videogames can deal with serious matters in a way that fits perfectly the medium. And if you'll decide to go along with Senua in her descent to darkness, you'll probably remember her for the rest of your life.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice evokes the strongest feelings of empathy thanks to a great production, deep character development, animation work, special effects and unique sound. Unfortunately, boring tasks with runes and too simple fights in limited arenas with waves of enemies are not the best elements for an original and emotionally strong project. I hope that with good sales on PSN and Steam big publishers gonna work with Ninja Theory again and studio will release a game of DmC level or something even more great.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Ninja Theory has delivered a game that is equally good and important for the industry in terms of serious storytelling and the ability to create AAA experiences at a low cost.
A title that asks its player to step into the role of a woman suffering from an extreme mental illness. In doing so, it offers a glimpse into a world unknown- one of suffocating dread but also, one of breathtaking beauty.