Over a year ago, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 released to generally positive reviews from both critics and fans alike. Sitting at an 81 on Metacritic and very positive on Steam, most of those who took the time to play it came away feeling pretty satisfied with the product.
However, similar to the voices that haunt Senua’s thoughts, there’s a resounding negative that haunts this sequel — it feels more like an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo rather than a video game. While players praised the game for its beautiful graphics and immersive story, many had issues with it due to its lack of gameplay elements and essentially feeling like a “6-hour movie.”
It’s hard to disagree with that statement, as there are minimal puzzles, no exploration, and a large focus on scripted combat encounters that put player agency on the back burner. Still, I can’t help but feel in awe at what Ninja Theory accomplished with this title. It’s a technical marvel, and that remains true a year later.
Now that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is out on the PlayStation 5, more players will get to experience Senua’s journey. Ninja Theory didn’t just port the game to Sony’s console, but actually enhanced it to include new and improved features.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Looks Incredible on the PlayStation 5
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is, without a doubt, the best-looking game on the PlayStation 5. That’s a tough thing to say, considering we recently got the stunning Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and games like Horizon: Forbidden West exist, but it’s true regarding photo realism.
I would go even further to say that Hellblade 2 may be the most graphically impressive game ever made. I’m saying all this after playing Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 on just the standard PlayStation 5. Those who have a PlayStation 5 Pro can expect even better graphics, as the game has been confirmed to be PlayStation 5 Pro Enhanced.
For the record, I played the game in quality mode, instead of the newly added performance mode. While I did switch it up occasionally, just to see how performance mode would look on screen, I always found myself going back to quality mode simply because it looked better, ran perfectly fine, and had no bugs or stuttering.
There’s no real reason to play Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 in performance mode, unless you’re a player who needs a game to run at 60 FPS. However, I really couldn’t tell that the game was running 30 FPS in quality mode, so the recommendation is to try this mode first before switching, since you want to experience this game with the best graphics possible.
As I said earlier, Hellblade 2 left me in awe at what Ninja Theory accomplished. The lighting, shadows, sunsets, fire, blood, and simply everything else look so incredible and realistic on the PlayStation 5 that I constantly found myself taking a step back to take in its beauty.
Let me give you a major tip: wear headphones to help with surround sound, turn off all the lights, and play this game on the biggest TV you have. I promise you it will be one of the most immersive experiences you’ll have with a video game in a long time.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2’s Problems Are Still Clear a Year Later
For those who aren’t familiar with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, or didn’t have an Xbox or PC to play it last year, this section is for you, as it will detail the issues that plague this sequel. Whether these issues are enough to push you away from this game boils down to preference.
The best way to describe Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a 6-hour walking simulator with an interesting story, beautiful graphics, and incredible set pieces. There are almost no gameplay elements, making this sequel feel more like a really expensive arthouse film.
The lack of gameplay elements is pretty astonishing, as the game has barely any puzzles and includes scripted combat encounters that only require pressing a few different buttons. These fights look incredible, but are so simplistic that all you need to do is press dodge, attack, and dodge again.
If you’re looking for a game that will ask the player to be very involved in its gameplay, then Hellblade 2 is not the right choice for you. However, if you can look past its walking simulator nature, and you’re someone who appreciates the art of video games, then you’ll absolutely love this game. It’s a representation of how powerful this medium can be, and there’s really not anything like it on the market right now.
Through its immersive set pieces, explosive cutscenes that blend into its gameplay, and the moving story underneath it all, Hellblade 2 is a wild ride. It seems that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 was designed to amaze and shock its player base through its cinematic presentation, rather than through traditional gameplay mechanics. In that regard, it succeeds even a year later.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2’s release on PlayStation 5 brings a handful of new additions to the game. You get an enhanced photo mode, a brand new 60 FPS performance mode, developer commentary, and the popular Dark Rot from the original game.
It really makes you appreciate the amount of passion and care these developers put into their work.
The most notable of these editions are the developer commentary and Dark Rot mode. The former allows players to play through the entire story as the developers speak about the creation process of Hellblade 2, while the latter is essentially a more lenient version of Permadeath modes from other games. If you die a certain number of times, your save file is wiped.
After beating Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which is a requirement to unlock developer commentary and Dark Rot mode, I immediately started a new game to listen to the creators behind this project. This was my favorite part of my time with the game.
Getting the opportunity to hear how each moment was made gives great insight into the world of game development. Many games have made their own version of developer commentary, but Ninja Theory goes a bit further in detail than most.
Developer commentary mode almost feels like you’re on the creation journey with them as they describe the struggles, mistakes, successes, and their thought process to create such a unique experience. You’ll learn about how the devs made sounds for its impressive audio, what is going through Senua’s head in key moments, and even about specific story beats. It all kept me interested for an entire second playthrough.
The developer commentary really makes you appreciate the amount of passion and care these developers put into their work. Not just Ninja Theory, but the entire industry as a whole.
Not Including Cut Content Is a Missed Opportunity
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced Edition on the PlayStation 5, but part of me wished there was more included. This is considered the “definitive edition” of the game, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that something is missing.
Due to the game’s very limited gameplay and more of a focus on cinematics, it would have been nice for this edition to include cut content. I was hoping for new combat encounters or puzzles, maybe from levels that didn’t make it into the final product.
Since the game is incredibly short, with playthrough times averaging around 6 hours, including deleted levels would have made this version feel more special. These levels wouldn’t even have to be finished and polished, either, and I still would have loved to play through them.
Take The Last of Us Part 2, for example, where Naughty Dog released a handful of deleted levels in the remastered version of the game. Players love this sort of stuff, as it makes them feel closer to their games and the developers behind them. It raises the players’ appreciation, similar to developer commentary mode.
Still, the new features added on top of the immersive base game are enough to justify the $49.99 price tag, especially for players who have never played the game before. Better yet, the new features are being added as a free update for Xbox and PC fans, allowing returning players on those platforms to have access as well.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is the best-looking game on the PlayStation 5 right now. The beauty of its graphics is jaw-dropping and helps enhance the emotional impact of its set pieces and carefully choreographed levels throughout its 6-hour story. The new features, such as developer commentary, 60 FPS, improved photo mode, and Dark Rot Mode, are great additions that improve the already fantastic base game and are enough to justify the investment. However, this sequel isn’t a game for everyone, and those who have never played it should go into it with their expectations in check. It’s a walking simulator focused on delighting its players through fidelity and cinematics, rather than having fun through its gameplay.
