Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
PlayStation 4
I knew as soon as I heard about Hellblade and its premise that this was a game I was going to have to check out. It took me a few years, as I was waiting for it to go down in price, but I finally got around to it just a couple days ago. Seeing as how this was the first time I had ever played the game, nostalgia doesn’t really play a factor in this part of my review.
Story:
Luckily I knew what this game was about in advance, otherwise I may have been very lost or confused when I sat down to play it. You take control of Senua, a Pict warrior from ancient times. The game starts with a long introductory sequence as Senua rows across a corpse-laden river and brings her canoe to rest on the shore. As this sequence plays out, you hear what at first you believe to be the narrator of the story speaking, but you quickly discover that the voice is coming from inside Senua’s head. Senua has some form of mental psychosis where she hears many different voices speaking to her. Some of these voices she recognizes as her own thoughts, others appear to her like a guide telling her what to do. Other voices are… not so friendly or helpful.
As you play the game, you discover through these voices, as well as a series of flashbacks and hallucinations, what Senua’s quest is all about. Her boytoy Dillion was brutally murdered by a gang of violent Norsemen. Believing his soul to be lost, she hacks off his head and embarks on a quest to the underworld to save his soul from eternal damnation. Keep in mind that Senua suffers from severe mental psychosis. Much of what you see and experience as you play is either imagined or hallucinated, making it REALLY hard to follow at times. The game never quite lets you know what is real and what is not. I read an article online about the creation of the game, and one of the game’s creators said that it didn’t matter – everything is real to Senua.
As I remarked earlier, with all of the hallucinations and voices and nonsensical things going on as you play, it is really hard to follow the game’s main plot. I played through the game twice before writing this review, and I still can barely tell you more than the bare bones of the game’s storyline. I looked at Wikipedia, and there is this huge, in-depth summary of the game’s plot. I don’t know where they got any of that stuff from, as I certainly didn’t pick up on it as I played. But then again, my attention span is absolutely terrible, and I have never been very good at deciphering cryptic things. I have a feeling if you are a fan of David Lynch, you’ll love the style of this game.
Gameplay:
Most people seem to love Hellblade’s graphics, sound, storyline, and setting. The production values of the game receive universal praise nearly every website I visit. Where Hellblade is the most divisive is in its gameplay. I’ve heard the game described as a “walking simulator with puzzles a kindergartener could solve”. I’ve also heard the combat described as boring, mindless, and repetitive button mashing. I won’t really argue with either of those assessments, but I do think they are a bit extreme.
Basic gameplay does involve a lot of walking, sure. You walk, you explore, you look at things, you listen to the voices in Senua’s head. Most puzzles involve trying to find hidden objects located in the game’s scenery. For example, you will come across a locked door with a big X symbol on it. That means you have to go back and find the X hidden somewhere in the area around you. In this instance, you can create the X by looking at two leaning trees from just the right perspective. This unlocks the door and allows you to proceed to the next area of the game. Some of these puzzles can be easy, some can be quite difficult. I spent a lot of time wandering around, stuck as stuck could be, only to find the solution staring me right in the face.
Overall, however, these are not the most complex puzzle solving sequences I have ever seen in a video game. But they do the trick. They are different, and they also play into the whole psychosis theme of the game. You aren’t physically solving any puzzles, you just look at things and that somehow magically unlocks the doors barring your progress. It doesn't really make any sense, but hey: mental illness.
Combat, I was not so crazy about. You only fight a grand total of four or five different enemy types throughout the whole game. Battles are extremely scripted. The music changes, Senua draws her weapon, and you have to fight wave after wave of enemies that all look alike. Defeat the enemies, and Senua puts away her weapon and you can resume with your walking.
There is no leveling up. You don't gain experience. You don't use items or health potions. Combat is extremely basic. The X button dodges left and right. The square button is a weak attack. The triangle button is a strong attack. I found myself using the same strategy on nearly every enemy: Square, square, triangle. When the enemy looked like it was about to attack, I used the X button to roll out of the way. Square, square, triangle. Roll. Square, square, triangle. Over and over and over again. Of course, this doesn't work on every single enemy type, but it does most of them.
Later on in the game, you gain the ability to use a mirror related special attack by pressing the L2 button when a purple lens flare appears on your screen during combat. This puts your character into rampage mode, where it is hard to damage you, and your attacks are faster and more powerful than ever. Learning to master this mirror attack is critical to beating the game, as battles do get quite difficult the deeper into the game you progress.
That about sums up the gameplay of Hellblade. You walk around and explore, while solving perspective and vision based puzzles. You fight waves of repetitive enemies during combat sequences. You listen to the voices in Senua's head. You watch a lot of confusing cutscenes. You walk, you solve more puzzles. You take on more waves of the same kind of enemies you've already fought dozens of times before.
Graphics:
Visually, this game is absolutely stunning. The character of Senua is very realistic looking. The game shows her from every possible camera angle, and you are constantly seeing close-ups of her face as you play. She is one of those characters you just can't look away from. She is extremely intense. The role is very well acted. A game like this relies on the ability to get people to believe in its main character, and Senua definitely looks and acts the part.
The game's landscapes are all drop dead gorgeous. Everything around you looks amazing and very well detailed. You want to play this game in the dark with headphones on, as the atmosphere of the game is just tremendous. You really feel like you've stepped into this living, breathing, and slightly menacing and terrifying fantasy world.
Hellblade doesn't hesitate to throw all kinds of trippy hallucinogenic effects at you either. Like I said before, the makers of the game really want to sell Senua's mental psychosis to the players. In addition to the "real world" of this game, expect to explore all kinds of nightmare sequences designed to mess with your senses. The "hell" portion of the game with all the hands trying to reach for you? Terrifying, but awesome at the same time.
I like how they manage to blend FMV sequences in with the game's graphics during some of the cutscenes. I never thought I'd see FMV in a game again. But the way it is done is (to me) very classy. Flashing lights, bright colors, jerky camera, an FMV face floating in the dark, talking to Senua, surrounded by the hallucinogenic effects created by the game's graphics. It is a nice mix of old school and new. I've read a few reviews where these FMV characters have been criticized, but I don't know. I like it. It's different, and adds to the game's unique quirks and charms.
Sound:
Hellblade's audio quality is on par with its visual quality. It is incredible.
The game urges you to play with headphones on to get the full effect of hearing the voices in Senua's head. I would urge you to play with them as well. One of the main reasons for playing this game is to experience Senua's psychosis alongside her. I played without headphones for a few minutes once, and I can definitely say that I was missing a lot of important audio cues.
The game's music and sound effects are very good. Nothing I am going to remember, however. Where the game excels is in its ability to create an immersive environment for the player. Not only does the game's natural environment look and sound incredible, the voices and audio cues play a huge role in making this such an immersive atmosphere. I am not lying when I say that I haven't seen many games that have been as impressive in terms of audio and visual presentation as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.
Overall:
I really, REALLY wanted to love this game. The concept of portraying mental psychosis through the main character is so unique and intriguing to me. The graphics are amazing. The voice acting is amazing. The sound effects are amazing. The presentation is top of the line. This is one of the most immersive games I have played in my life. Technically, it is a marvel.
But is Hellblade actually fun? I harp on this all the time when I do game reviews. I don't care what the game looks or sounds like. It could have the ugliest graphics in the world, but if it was fun, I'd still like it. On the flip side, it could be the prettiest game in the world, but if it wasn't any fun, I wouldn't care for it. As much as I appreciate the intense amount of detail that was put into portraying Senua's mental illness, as well creating such an out-of-this-world sensory environment, I didn't have a whole lot of fun while playing.
The game doesn't do a great job at guiding you where to go. There were many times I played where I found myself wandering through the same areas, examining every nook and cranny, things I'd already examined dozens of times before. I'd be stuck, with no idea where to go next. I'd look online only to find that I was completely on the wrong track. Thanks, game, for telling me I needed to move on!! I feel like I wasted far too much time wandering around aimlessly due to the game not making it clear where I needed to go, and when.
As much as I earlier complained about the game's combat, it was its story that let me down the most. I never knew what was really happening on the screen. I know this is meant to show you things through the mind of someone who is insane, but I am a guy who likes cold, hard facts. I love a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I came to the wrong place here. Nothing made any sense as I played this game. Nothing!
I mean, it is kind of fun coming into the game and putting together the bits and pieces of backstory the game gives you. But everything is fragmented, coming from the mind of an unreliable main character. I don't know. It was just not my thing. This could have been a great game if handled in just a slightly different manner, but in the end it was a bit too cryptic for me. Like I said before, if you enjoy dream-like ambiguous plot lines, like you would see in a David Lynch movie, you'd love Hellblade.
All in all, I found this game to be an... interesting experience. It is a very well made game. I can't say one bad thing about its presentation. I just didn't find it to be that fun. The combat is okay. The puzzles are okay. The storyline is a confusing mess. I hate to say it, but after hearing all the great things about Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, I have to admit that I am thoroughly let down. It is a decent game, but I expected much better.
Overall:
C-
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