Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Reviews
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.
While the main appeal of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, – Psychosis and mental instability – was not for me there is still plenty of fun to be had with the game.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a harrowing journey into the fragility of the mind. It's a masterpiece in storytelling, and while the game mechanics itself might not complement that throughout, they do a decent job of allowing Ninja Theory to deliver a mature story revolving around a sensitive subject matter. We hope that this opens up the door for more budget priced triple-A experiences, because this one was one hell of a ride!
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a beautiful and unusual game for a very select audience. If you want to rest from various open worlds and focus on a very personal and linear story with tons of cool little details, this is something for you. I don’t think there ever was a game that displayed the madness of a troubled mind in such a way. Hellblade is a great single-player adventure!
Review in Polish | Read full review
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a real gem and an example of how independent games should be created. Beautiful graphics, intriguing atmosphere and convincing main character. Mandatory position.
Review in Polish | Read full review
I know Hellblade won't be the catalyst to us understanding mental illness overnight, but, again, it needs to be stressed that Ninja Theory took a bold risk here and their art is going to change perceptions somewhere down the line. It's a game where the difficulty of its subject matter trumps its combat, which is unfortunate. How a group of twenty people can make one of the most affecting games of the year, when teams of hundreds routinely fail to do so, is beyond me.
Hellblade's mundane mechanics help underscore a powerful story of overcoming your demons, if you're willing to subject yourself to the honest portrayal of mental illness it presents.
It could be a whisper or a shout but Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice will stay with you. Deftly crafted with stunning detail and an expert depiction of psychosis, it's a journey that's as torturous as it is heart-breaking.
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is a hauntingly beautiful journey through the madness of a warrior's suffering to find her true love. The story is art, the graphics are engrossing and it's truly everything it was advertised to be. Ninja Theory provided a gaming experience that is a rarity these days in the gaming world and it is not to be missed.
Embark on an epic and completely immersive personal journey with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. A game that's about fighting your inner demons as much as it's about fighting real tangible ones. Certainly a unique experience, but is it worthy of your money and time?
Hellblade offers an engrossing single-player cinematic experience coupled with Ninja's Theory's tight melee combat systems and responsive controls. An enthralling sensory onslaught for the eyes and ears.
An emotional inferno, worth your suffering.
Striking a balance between superb visuals, outstanding sound design, excellent character writing and a well-written story which spans wonderfully rich Celtic and Norse mythology, Hellblade will go down as one of my favourite games of this generation and perhaps even longer than that
Expertly crafted both in story and gameplay, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is at the same time both a unique experience and a derivation of some of gaming's best.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is the action adventure genre stripped of its excess, until a smaller, more personal journey remains. While it may feel shallow and lacking for some, those wanting something other than the usual big-budget 70-hour fare will find Senua's story to be unlike anything else in recent years.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice demostrates that videogames can be the perfect medium to tell a story about complex themes. The depiction of a disease like psychosis is believable and deep. The story works out very well, but the puzzles and the combat system are the game elements that push back the the overall quality of this very interesting project.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A tragic, compelling love story that demands you play it till the very end...
Offering exactly the same contents of the PS4 version, Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice on Xbox comes as a no brainer for the ones who love narrative and mature themes in a videogame, but may not be so palatable for the ones who primarily ask interactivity to a game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Intense, powerful, important and very well done
Ninja Theory ought to be praised for what it's achieved – an adult story that's told like no other, combat that's skilful and harrowing, unique environmental based puzzles and light, scenic adventuring.