Game review: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Xbox Series X)

Developer Ninja Theory has been around for quite some time, making enjoyable action games along the way, such as Heavenly Sword, DmC: Devil May Cry, and 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Due to the success of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theory was bought by Microsoft to become an exclusive Xbox game studio in 2018.  

Ninja Theory has been working on an Xbox-exclusive sequel ever since, and now Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is out this year for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Thanks to Xbox, we have been given an Xbox Series X/S copy of the game for review purposes. 

Unfortunately, I have not yet played Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, but the sequel is kind enough to refresh the first game's story for new players. Before you begin playing Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, a small narration recaps the events from the first game. 

At the start of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Senua has been captured by some enemies from a different province because they have been kidnapping multiple people to make them slaves. Senua purposely gets herself captured so that she can find out who the kidnappers are and put a stop to their evil plan. 

Well, things don't go according to plan at first because the ship she is on gets shipwrecked, and many of the slaves die upon impact. To cut a long story short, things get even scarier for Senua because she is now on a land that is being ravaged by a giant. Her new goal is to now survive her kidnappers as well as find a plan to stop the giant from killing more people. 

Before I begin talking about the gameplay, I do want to say first that Senua's Saga: Hellblade II has some of the best-looking graphics I have seen for the Xbox Series X platform. The character models are realistic-looking and the environments are downright gorgeous. The game looks far better than Starfield and Rise of the Ronin. 

To be fair, though, the reason Senua's Saga: Hellblade II looks so good is because the game features linear levels. The levels are somewhat small because there is mostly only one path for you to follow. This is not a huge open-world video game where you can roam anywhere you wish. 

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, but the linear path of the game also means that Senua's Saga: Hellblade II does not feature any sidequests, either. I finished the game, and I don't think I encountered any villagers offering sidequests for Senua to do. This means the game is story-driven and is mostly a one-and-done experience. 

In terms of gameplay, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II features a lot of walking, puzzle solving, and some combat sprinkled throughout it. The puzzles are quite clever because you may need to change the environment to unlock a blocked path. There are also some puzzles where you may need to open a door and find the right shape to gain access. It's all about exploring the levels to see objects from a different perspective. 

Another big part of this game is that Senua has a form of psychosis that makes her hear the same two voices whispering in her head. If you play this game using headphones, you can hear the voices whispering in your ears constantly. The effect isn't as powerful if you're playing the game using TV speakers. 

At first, some people may think whispering is annoying, but it actually becomes very useful as you progress. The voices in Senua's head actually give you lots of clues if you're struggling to solve a puzzle or if you get lost navigating through the levels. That being said, I do think they talk too much when some other characters are speaking to Senua during cutscenes. 

Combat-wise, it's best to describe Senua's Saga: Hellblade II as a stripped-down version of the fighting in the modern God of War video games. Both games are from the over-the-shoulder perspective, and the combat feels heavy, bloody, and satisfying. 

Sadly, though, unlike in God of War, Senua only has access to one sword throughout her entire adventure, and there's no RPG system included in this game where you can unlock more moves or skills to use. Senua can, however, block attacks using the right bumper and evade using the 'A' button. 

You can press the 'X' button for quick attacks and deliver a final blow using the 'Y' button for strong sword attacks. Probably the best use of combat in this game is Senua's special mirror that can somewhat slow down time. When you press the triggers, you can activate the mirror's special skill that freezes enemies, giving you enough time to strike them down with ease.

Some people may also be disappointed that the combat is only one-on-one focused. Unlike in God of War or other action games, enemies never attack you from behind or anything like that. If you are engaged in combat, it's just a fair fight all of the time. 

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II also lacks any epic boss fights that you may have in other games as well. The only boss fight in this game is the final enemy you face at the very end. The other two 'boss fights' are more scripted boss encounters. 

Another thing that might disappoint some people is that Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a very short game. In my first playthrough, I managed to finish the game in just around seven hours. The game does not feature multiple endings or anything like that, so the replay value is limited. That being said, the game is slightly discounted, costing $79.99 in New Zealand, or you can just play it through Xbox/PC Game Pass.

Aside from being very short and having limited combat options, I still had a fun time playing Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. The puzzle-solving elements are fun, and the game features a strong story with excellent graphics. You should definitely check this game out if you have an Xbox Series X/S or PC. 

Verdict: 8.0/10