Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

At first I wanted to write a review to encourage people to play this game but after an hour of thinking about how to start the review I realized I cannot. That’s because there is so much emotional and unique things in the game that simply writing about it would be a spoiler. I went into this game almost completely blind in terms of what I knew about the game. I did regret seeing the title of one of the articles on the internet that has shifted my expectations. So I actually suggest you play the game first and they come back to read my review. If you want to know a bit more about this game, I can tell you that this is an adventure game about Norse mythology with exploration, puzzles, some sword-fighting. And of course a great soundtrack with one song being one of my favorite ever.

Be warned: there can be SPOILERS



One of the first things I saw on the screen is a warning about depictions of psychosis which was in-line with what I came to expect after seeing that article title about the game being about mental health. Instead of googling what psychosis is I decided to let the game tell me all about it. The first thing I hear is the voice of the narrator telling me Senua’s story. But I also hear voices in my head. Different voices, saying different things, discussing me, arguing with each other. All the while narrator voice telling dark and gritty story. This made me uneasy right away and this feeling didn’t go away until almost the end of the game.



Hellblade is about Norse mythology but Senua’s story and her mental issues take center stage. I spent a lot of time listening to the stories, listening to the voices and thinking about what the things I saw meant to represent. What made her the way I saw her. And the more I discovered the more it made me want her to be victorious. But victory wasn’t what she was after. She just wanted to rescue her loved one from the darkness no matter the cost. I looked at controller settings and saw that there were buttons related to combat: light attack, heavy attack, kick, evade and block. But when as I was fighting more and more I started realizing that there is way more depth to it that I initially thought. By chaining attacks and kicks you can inflict a lot of damage. Sometimes you need to hit and evade and then continue hitting. Or you can parry your foes. I absolutely love the sound the sword makes when you parry. It resonates so beautifully it practically makes music. Even though fighting is not the dominant part of the game it is certainly great. Slashing through enemies feels satisfying and there are several different enemy types to slash through. Sometimes they come from different angles and you need to think tactically because they can overwhelm you. But those voices in your head can help you. They will warn you, will give you advice. The most interesting enemies were bosses. Fighting them was interesting and scary at the same time. And defeating them was satisfying.



There are also puzzles in the game. They are mostly centered around seeing symbols that aren’t really there, seeing things differently. I like puzzles and accustomed to solving them so it wasn’t a problem for me. There was an added layer of switching perspective. I see it as another way to show what it’s like. Showing you more and more how the symptoms of psychosis can manifest.



I like talking about music in the game when it’s good. And this game is no exception. There was this amazing song during the final battle that made me so focused that I probably didn’t take more than two hits. It was so beautiful and it sounded like it was meant for that battle which it definitely was.



What follows is one of my favorite game endings. It felt as if I lived through Senua’s emotions. True testament to the performer Melina Juergens. As I write this review I still remember those soul piercing eyes, those fear shattering screams and empathy I felt for her on this incredible journey.

I'm sitting here reading my own review and thinking that writing didn't go as we as I thought it would. And I don't know why. It felt like I had so much to tell but ended up dry and bog standard I don't even know I'm putting it out there. Writing a good review about it would mean doing a lot of spoilers. And I don't want to do it. I'll sit down one day and will write my impressions.