Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for PC, PS4 and XONE is an action game developed by Ninja Theory – an experienced team popular mainly for the well-received Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DMC: Devil May Cry.

Plot

The titular Senua is the protagonist of the game. She is a Celtic female warrior who embarks on a dangerous journey to the Vikings' hell in order to fight a battle for the soul of a deceased man whom she loved. During this adventure, the woman has to face both terryfing creatures inhabiting this ghastly land, and her own weaknesses, as the protagonist experiences different visions and hallucinations.

Mechanics

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for PC, PS4 and XONE is played from a third-person view. Exploring extensive levels constitutes the key part of the experience. It is worth noticing, that a lot of the elements in the game world are creations of the protagonist's imagination – in order to depict the demons haunting Senua in a satisfying way, the creators cooperated with people who have suffered from schizofrenia, as well as doctors that specialize in this particular disorder.

On her path, Senua faces different enemies that originate from the Norse mythology. The powerful bosses are the main enemies – to defeat them, one has to observe their behaviours, discover their strong and weak spots, but also needs to develop effective tactics. When fighting, the protagonist uses only her sword, so making a good use of the capabilities offered by the combat system is the key to success. Senua is capable of launching strikes and linking them together into spectacular combinations – she can also perform counter-attacks and quick dodges.

Technical aspects

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for PC, PS4 and XONE utilizes the Unreal Engine 4 – the creators managed to make a good use of this technology, as the game offers high-quality, three-dimensional visuals. The audio present is worth noticing as well – apart from a soundtrack composed specifically for the game, the player listens to the protagonist's auditory hallucinations and inner voices supporting them throughout the journey.

Misc.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was described by the developer as one of the first independent games to reach the level of quality that has been so far associated exclusively with triple-A projects. The game was entirely financed by Ninja Theory, and the players, through video materials regularly published on the Internet, could follow almost the entire production process.

Last updated on 22 May 2024