Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Reviews
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.
Hellblade is one of my favorite titles this year. Its incredible use of sound and visual manipulation to completely immerse you in its experience is a credit to Ninja Theory. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a prime example that you don't need a massive budget to create something extraordinary.
Blending powerful imagery, unrivaled visuals quality, an excellent combat system and a unique setting blending Norse mythology with mental illness, Ninja Theory fully delivers on their independent AAA pitch with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. This is one of those titles that, albeit not flawless, should be experienced by every gamer at some point.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is not going to appeal to all tastes, and nor does it try to. As a character action game, it has decent if underdeveloped combat and a mixture of some excellent and some overplayed puzzles. But it's the way that the title utilises the unique attributes of the medium to raise awareness of mental health that elevate this release beyond the sum of its parts.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is stunning, combining a tense and gripping story with perhaps the best representation of mental health in gaming.
Hellblade is an amazing achievement in game design. It is something I think everyone should play.
Hellblade triumphs equally as action game, mythic quest and psychological character study, bringing together some amazing visuals, great performances and ingenious design. It's short-lived but perfectly paced with a blend of action and puzzles that grows in richness and complexity as the game goes on. While some might prefer Enslaved or the DMC reboot, I'd call it Ninja Theory's best work yet.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice might not deliver when it comes to hack-and-slash combat, but its world, characters, and approach to storytelling help it to redefine what we might come to expect from AA games moving forward.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice‘s strongest sequences mirror specific physical symptoms or psychological fears.
Mental illness is a seldom discussed and often misunderstood topic. While Hellblade is far from a direct and immediate exploration of psychosis and how it affects people, it uses a powerful narrative mixed with symbolic gameplay elements to weave a tale of horrific trauma and unsettling experiences. Hellblade is easily one of 2017's very best games, and the best game I've played all year that isn't Zelda.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an interesting action game that, aside from an enjoyable gameplay and great combat mechanics, offers an interesting premise that could easily delude your perceptions. Easily put, it is a game that defy any expectation that gamers can have of it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Still, I must recommend this game, as what it does is very important. To take something like psychosis and give it not only a voice, but a clear picture is not an easy task, yet Ninja Theory has succeeded.
Not without flaws, but full of interesting ideas - including a multi-layered sympathetic and credible title heroine.
Review in German | Read full review
Hellbalde : Senua's Sacrifice is a Hel of a game. A gorgeous, scary, crazy, oppressive and unique experience with a great setting and story, different and loveable heroin and some interesting gameplay mechanics. Maybe the best surprise of summer 2017.
Review in French | Read full review
The performance capture truly adds a special touch to the already intense cutscenes, the audio department is stunning and visually it's kind of a treat: too bad that the gameplay elements in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice are just so shallow, bland and uninteresting, dragging down an otherwise deeply fascinating project.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While some gameplay elements left more to be desired, Senua’s journey is well worth seeing through
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a prime example for anyone making the case that video games are a powerful art form. Creatively ambitious, it's exceptionally well-thought-out and implemented – making it striking at both a sensorial and psychological level as it delves deep into an exploration of life with psychosis. It has its gameplay flaws but remains must-experience for adult audiences. An instant classic for this generation.
Hellblade is one of the best interactive experiences of this generation and a true technical show. However, the gameplay of the game is not equally calibrated and often loses pace in some areas.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice manages to tell a thoughtful story about mental illnesses while also providing exciting gameplay and some absolutely fantastic visuals and audio. For anyone looking for a tight, well-paced, linear action game, this is it.