Space Ginger Game Review – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

This is my first ever game review so take it easy on me… or not. Whip me like a red-headed step child if you must... just whip that follow and resteem while you’re there hey! I’ve been playing video games since around 1988 when I first stumbled upon the Atari at a mates house. Since then gaming has been a staple in my life and both helped me escape mundane life to explore the beautiful realms of The Legend of Zelda but also sucked me dry like a Steam Summer Sale. I recently picked a copy of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice as it looked intriguing and my first thoughts is this one amazing piece of playable artwork. This game deserves a Space Ginger review!

Quick review:

If you like a game that offers scares and puzzles while combining elements of cinema and gaming, one that keeps you engrossed in the storyline but adds an element of combat and puzzle, this game might be for you. If you’re a sooky little bitch scared of the pixels maybe you should play Mario Odyssey instead and leave playing as a woman to the...err... real men!

Story:

Get ready for a game that’s 100% more about pleasing the gamer than selling you lootcrates for your SBD. Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, you are a warrior girl named Senua, who is either tripping hard on Salvia or experiencing mind-fuckery psychosis while having to travel to a land called Helheim, fighting off bad mofo’s on the way and trying to rescue the soul of her dead lover. Straight up, this is a game made by passionate developers.

Graphics:

The graphics are..... amazing.... real damn amazing! Graphics aren’t everything in a game but boy do they really help immerse you into this one. Sorry if I explode with the over-reaction of a DOUBLE RAINBOW but the graphics in Hellblade are stunning, really bringing forward the feeling of evil, darkness and visualising mental psychosis with many interesting and unique gameplay trickery. Possibly some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen in any video game over the last 30 years. It makes me stunned that this game is from a small indie game company.

#NinjaTheory is the name, good games is their.....game. I’ve been around for the growth of 2D platform games to 3D realistic games and this really wow’d me from the get go despite all the impressive things I've seen over the years. The more you play the more it really sinks in how much passion and effort has been put into this. There is no map, no HUD, no lifebar, not even a tutorial… nothing that distracts you from its main goals of immersion, emotion and storytelling.

Senua herself often makes you believe she is a real person. Her average appearance works well in this type of game as you don’t get distracted by the typical oversized breast implants or Barbie type fashion model looks. She really looks and feels like she’s stepped out of the pages of a book and into a video game. This game in VR would be quite the experience. Senua’s movements feel realistic from the way she walks to the way she runs, often only bringing you out of immersion when she turns her body, but that is a very minor gripe. The lighting is beautiful throughout, especially when you’re faced with scorching bonfires or light bouncing off the ocean.

Sound:

The scary sound effects from the deep growl of the narrator to Senua’s own voices inside her head really make you feel like you’re playing through a real person’s troubled mind and not just a bunch of pixels on a screen. Senua’s consciousness voices often try to tell you that you are weak, cowardly and will be killed at the first encounter of even the weakest enemy. Sometimes they are right!

I don’t get scared easily. This game got my pulse rising. I'd say just enough to feel slightly uncomfortable and at times my pulse would rise enough for me to verbalise what I was feeling. "Run Senua! RUN!!!!". I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND HEADPHONES. My 7 year old daughter tapped me on the shoulder while I was playing with my headphones on and I shit myself! Not literally. That would be pretty shame. I did jump though as the clarity and ambiance of the game really had me ‘zoned in’ and a fair bit out of this reality and into a virtual one.

Gameplay:

The levels are fairly linear, sometimes feel a little boring and often with only minor puzzles that need to be solved in order to move forward. Don't let this fool you though as they are still very scary and they feel quite real. On the odd occasion I had to fold and ask my old mate Google to help me with the solution to a puzzle. This was usually just because I really wanted to move on to the next level instead of walking around a level for ages because I’d missed something obvious, not because they are difficult. The puzzles are relatively simple and I hope if they make a number 2 they will be a little more varied and difficult. There are a few different types of puzzles but I won’t spoil them as you’ll get your own excitement once you get into it.

Combat is fairly straight forward and you will feel like a bit of a badass quite quickly. Don’t let your guard down because the first time these frightening enemies cut you down you may genuinely feel horrible for Senua withering on the ground in pain. The enemies look FUCKING AWESOME! They behave fairly simply but there’s a decent few types of them and they have varied attacks. The combat is a little simple for my liking but it does get the adrenaline going each time.

Note… if you die too many times…. GAME OVER MAN! I do not know this for a fact, I am much too scared to die so I fight like hell each time! I have read that your save game will get deleted if you die too many times. You’ve been warned.

Overall:

I personally feel this game is one of the best of 2017 and a lot of game companies could learn a thing or two from Ninja Theory. While it’s a bit slow at times and maybe could use a bit more re-playability, I think it’s well worth the money even at full price. It gives value for money and an experience I’ll never forget. They took a huge chance making a game that isn’t just a pew-pew shooty multiplayer game and I believe it paid off. Can’t wait for a Hellblade 2! Available now on #PC and #PS4