Highlights
When Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was launched in 2017, it rapidly turned one in all my favourite video games of all time. I bear in mind taking part in it late into the night time, grateful for the darkness that hid my tears because the credit rolled. As a queer one who has needed to be taught to stay with the psychological well being challenges of bipolar dysfunction and PTSD, Senua’s journey resonated and comforted me in a manner no different sport ever had. So it’d shock you then, that after I heard Ninja Idea was engaged on a sequel, I used to be extraordinarily hesitant.
Involved In regards to the Sequel
My greatest concern—notably after Microsoft bought Ninja Idea—was that the subsequent entry within the Hellblade collection would goal to be one of many huge, AAA experiences which might be taking up the video games business, full with a cluttered mini-map, crafting, facet quests, and extra. That is to not say these options are inherently unhealthy in fact—they do have their place—however to me, this felt at odds with what Hellblade did so nicely. I did not need breadth, I needed the collection to take care of its depth; I needed emotion, artwork, storytelling, introspection, mythos, terror, and magic. In actual fact, I used to be so involved that the studio would commerce in its depth for breadth, I did not foresee what truly occurred.
![Hi-Fi RUSH Rhythm Action Game Chai main character](https://static1.dualshockersimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/hi-fi-rush-rhythm-action-game-by-tango-gameworks-available-now.jpg)
Console Divides Us
The unique Hellblade wasn’t only a sport to me; it was a shared expertise with my greatest buddy. We performed it on PlayStation, every of us coping with our personal traumatic pasts. For my buddy, it was their father, and for me, it was my mom. What made the expertise so private was that we have been proverbially holding one another’s palms as we went via the method. We have been in social gathering chat, taking part in our video games individually however progressing collectively.
The early a part of the story was notably onerous for me, particularly after I began to get triggered by the flashbacks that occurred with Senua’s mom, which jogged my memory of my very own struggles residing with a mom who was recognized with bipolar dysfunction and borderline schizophrenia.
My buddy struggled close to the top when the daddy’s shadow loomed giant, and there was loads of speak about Ragnarok and the top of days, which reminded them of when their father would discuss in regards to the Bible and the top of days, making them paranoid in regards to the future. For each of us, it was a really emotional expertise and an essential step in understanding our pasts.
However now, my buddy is on PS5, and we’ve but to have the prospect to share this expertise once more. Even when we did have it on Xbox, it simply wouldn’t be the identical. The ecosystems of the sport consoles are totally different, and the share play performance was integral to our expertise. If the sport obtained too intense for one particular person, we might at all times shift over to the opposite particular person’s sport. Figuring out that there are extra gamers like us on the market, it looks like an untapped alternative. Microsoft hasn’t been the perfect at making exclusives work for the platform. Why not make it potential for Sony followers to play the sport too? In spite of everything, the primary sport was obtainable on PlayStation.
Doubling Down on Depth
To me, Hellblade 2 sticks intently to its first sport on objective. The aim appeared to be to double down on the gamification of psychological sickness and to essentially tighten up on the character expertise. Whereas many critics have known as this strategy shallow, with some even describing it as a tech demo, it was precisely what I anticipated. A brief, intensely emotional expertise that pushes the boundaries of how psychological well being will be portrayed in a sport.
Sadly, Microsoft’s advertising and marketing bolstered it an excessive amount of. It was marketed, for my part, to be their reply to God Of Struggle, however the manufacturing worth and scope have been by no means that prime. We overlook that Hellblade wasn’t a AAA sport. It was a budgeted launch, and provided that the sequel was entering into the identical sneakers, there was by no means going to be a much bigger, extra bloated sequel.
![Nintendo Switch, Sony PS5, Xbox Series X](https://static1.dualshockersimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/as-sony-and-xbox-dilute-exclusivity-lets-be-grateful-that-nintendo-exists.jpg)
When Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 lastly launched, it acquired initially nice evaluations from each followers and gamers. Nevertheless, as extra individuals performed it, critiques started to emerge. Many criticized the sport for being underbaked, too brief, or missing formal depth.
It debuted on the High 50 Most Performed Xbox video games record in twenty third place, regardless of its inclusion in Xbox Sport Go. Given the shortage of considerable promotion, I hope Microsoft will contemplate releasing Hellblade 2 on PS5 to permit a broader viewers to expertise it.
The Way forward for Ninja Idea
A report by WindowsCentral means that Ninja Idea’s subsequent sport is already greenlit, and they don’t seem to be at risk of being shuttered like different studios. That is reassuring, however it will be unwise for Microsoft to chop ties with such a proficient studio if Hellblade 2 underperforms by inside metrics.
The unique Hellblade bought one million copies in its first yr and reached 6 million gamers over 4 years. Now, within the Sport Go period, gross sales are fractional, and it’s about complete gamers or hours performed—information solely Microsoft has full entry to.
Microsoft not too long ago confirmed of their official podcast, that it will be going multiplatform, bringing a quartet of first-party video games to rival consoles.
Whereas it didn’t specify which video games, this shift may very well be a possibility for Hellblade 2 to achieve a wider viewers. Microsoft, please contemplate making Hellblade 2 a multiplatform sport. It could not solely honor the legacy of the primary sport but in addition permit gamers like my buddy and me to share this deeply private and transformative expertise as soon as extra.
![Hellblade 2 Senua Hiding From A Cannibal](https://static1.dualshockersimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hellblade-2-main.jpg)