Update of 05/21: Our test is available here 👇
Original article:
The first big Xbox exclusive of this year promises to be formidable. Gamers often agree that Microsoft does not have a license as strong as those of PlayStation (God of War, The Last of Us, Uncharted, etc.) but Hellblade could prove us quite the opposite. Ninja Theory's next game, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II has shown itself through several promising trailers so far, attesting to its real rise in power since the first opus. Enough to become a cult franchise? A start of an answer can be found in the first reviews of the title.
Some media, mainly American, but not only, managed to get their hands on Hellblade 2 well before its release on May 21. The 45-minute sessions allowed the few journalists to get a first idea of the quality of the game. The results were sometimes mixed reviews. There is obviously good and bad in everything we touch, but Hellblade 2 has not yet shown everything.
Praise, and more praise
Most media praise the narration of this new opus. The story is a direct sequel to the first title released 7 years ago. Mental health and how war impacts survivors are some of the central themes of the game. With Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory wanted to bring a new dimension to suffering and healing, transporting the game to a new generation. IGN is full of praise for its almost cinematic narrative:
“Its ambitious storytelling and accomplished cinematic framing far outweigh any flaws that might lurk beneath them, and the incredible technology powering its beautifully ugly world is a joy to behold.”
So is Games Radar+, who says: “Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews describes Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 as ‘an immersive cinematic experience.’ It would be more accurate to say that it is a stunning visual and auditory assault on the senses.”
Same excitement on the side of Jeux Vidéo Magazine: “It is screamingly realistic and it is extremely fine. From the smallest stone that is placed on the path, to the reflection of the flames of a large fire that is about to crackle.”
A gray area in particular
Visually, the game hits the mark. Despite everything, a few flaws are already to be noted, particularly concerning the action. First of all, we note that the title will be capped at 30fps on consoles, which is low for a current-gen game. Fluidity will not always be there. In addition, IGN has reservations about the overall gameplay of Hellblade 2, relegated to the background unlike the images we were able to see several weeks ago.
“All this attention paid to the presentation and the story runs the risk that the gameplay of Senua Saga will not always be the center of attention, and that it will be a little behind. That’s certainly a criticism that can be levelled at its predecessor, and based on my 45 minutes of playing Hellblade 2, it’s not clear that much has changed since then.”
In many cinematic games, you have to find the right balance between technical and visual demonstrations, and action – the two components of a game/video, after all. Hellblade 2 may struggle in this area. But given the themes it tackles, it’s hard to believe that this will dampen our enthusiasm. We’ll just have to wait until May to find out.
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