The long-awaited sequel to one of Microsoft’s major games, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, has been released.
This is one of the main exclusives of Xbox Game Studios. The developers from Ninja Theory were able to create a real next-gen, a level that few people can reach even now.
But not everything is as cool as it seems visually. Is the price of $50 justified and is it worth spending time on the news? Let’s figure it out together.
New facets of psychosis
To be honest, I personally don’t know anyone who would ask for a sequel over the original game. It was logically completed, the authors summed up the results, albeit rather lengthy ones.
However, Ninja Theory decided that they still had a story about Senua and her borderline mental issues. Only now the heroine is not tormented by her conscience and the desire to return her dead husband. Now she wants space, she is still accompanied by the voices with which she has come to terms. Plus, there remains the voice of darkness, which is now Father Senua.
Psychosis research is still somewhere in the background. Gamers who have not played the first part will not even know that something is wrong with the GG’s head.
The main message this time will be another transformation. The heroine finds herself again, but at the same time changes her path because of those she meets.
Meeting any of our victims here is common (by series standards). There is already more than one secondary characters, and they are all similar to each other. Moreover, their goals in amazing life situations coincide with those in Senua.
Our journey takes place in Iceland during the Viking Age. Local motifs will accompany us until the very end of the game.
As I said above, the voices do not stay in the heroine’s head. They followed her throughout the game, and they were constantly in her emotional state, sometimes causing the real fountain of emotions. They comment on your every action and evaluate them, sometimes questioning a number of events.
It seems that not only Senua, but also other people have gone crazy. After all, they too can hear voices and see monsters, including giants. And the giants here are not just another monsters who want to destroy everyone. The authors skillfully flesh out their personalities, revealing backstories, personalities, and motivations.
Endless Cinema
The main circumstance and disadvantage of the game at the same time is the huge emphasis on “kinso”.
If earlier the game had more variety and some kind of gameplay, now it has become more of a screen for a real movie. The external one is not installed in the best way.
Or rather, not even that. The graphical game looks like a real next-gen. Many scenes are visually executed simply stunning. Sometimes you even forget that this is a game and not a big-budget movie. It is this level of detail that the authors of the ninja theory managed to achieve.
Even in the 7-year-old Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, it seemed that the creators managed to achieve heights and make a realistic picture with facial animations, but in the sequel there was actually a big break not only from the original, but also from the entire gaming industry. In some places the appearance is reminiscent of the tech demo of The Matrix: Awakening, also made on Unreal Engine 5.
Cinematic black bars will greet you throughout the game.
But in terms of attention, it is the current developers who have failed to achieve an impressive organization. There are some impressive angles, but nothing more. It feels like they couldn’t decide what they ended up making – a movie or a game.
As for the gameplay. The original game didn’t have many mechanics. In fact, apart from solving relocated riddles with signs and battles, there was nothing else in the title. The stakes of the case were on history.
In the sequel placed even more emphasis on historyand this had a negative impact on the gameplay.
In addition to riddles with signs, simple puzzles with balls that change reality have been added here. And… everything from the world.
There are still some collections of tables in the video totem, when activated, Drut begins to create another mini-story about life in Midgard.
There are also small trees that also reveal the main narratives, but from different characters. You need to look for them by looking at the terrain to open a hidden passage.
The combat system is very degraded as a result from the first part. Here we only have access to a weak/strong attack and dodge. No more a la counterattacks, jumping attacks, and so on. Well, the charged ability has been preserved, which greatly slows down time.
There are no more fights with some opponents. Now there is always only one enemy in front of you. And when you defeat him, you move on to the next one.
True, sometimes such transitions look quite impressive. The developers did a really good job on this element.
But due to the reduction in the variability of battles, most battles look dull and cannot surprise anything (except perhaps with colorful backgrounds).
From the point of view of gaming applications, everything is excellent here. Any dynamic action causes genuine delight and fascinates. It’s a shame that the game relies solely on scripted elements. And this is in 2024.
In fact, before us behave simulator with periodic tasks and rare connections. The story here is powerful, as are the graphics. But as a game, this project works poorly. There is almost nothing to interest the player.
System requirements
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is exclusively available on Windows PC and Xbox Series S/X.
Here are the system requirements for PC gamers:
Minimum
Operating system: Windows 10/11 64-bit.
Processor: Intel i5-8400/AMD Ryzen 5 2600
RAM: 16 GB.
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070/AMD RX 5700/Intel Arc A580
Hard disk space: SSD 70 GB
Featured
Operating system: Windows 10/11 64-bit.
Processor: Intel i5-9600/AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
RAM: 16 GB.
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 / AMD RX 5700 XT / Intel Arc A580
Hard disk space: SSD 70 GB
Ultra
Operating system: Windows 10/11 64-bit.
Processor: Intel i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
RAM: 16 GB.
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080/AMD RX 7900 XTX
Hard disk space: SSD 70 GB
Keep in mind that this is a game on Unreal Engine 5. And it has its own unique problems with the engine, such as periodic loading and performance degradation.
In fact, it is highly not recommended to play with low-power hardware with FSR 3. The game turns into an incredible mess.
To play or not – the choice is yours
If you are a fan of the original, then the sequel may pleasantly surprise you. This game is aimed at the most casual players.
But if you want interesting gameplay, pass by. It’s almost not in the game. For its $50 price tag (or free on Game Pass), the title offers a well-developed story and stunning graphics. But nothing more. There are also fans in this genre, and they will definitely like the project.
In general, the choice is yours.
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
