Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1377 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,049 out of 1377
  2. Mixed: 197 out of 1377
  3. Negative: 131 out of 1377

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  1. Talbis
    Aug 9, 2017
    5
    I... I don't know. The game looks amazing, sounds amazing but it's so slow. First impression of the game, first 30 minutes or so, is walking and exposition and when you think you'll finally get some action... nope, short fight, walking and puzzles. Not at all what I expect from Ninja Theory, not at all. More than that however, the puzzles ruin the pace of the game for me, but perhaps it'sI... I don't know. The game looks amazing, sounds amazing but it's so slow. First impression of the game, first 30 minutes or so, is walking and exposition and when you think you'll finally get some action... nope, short fight, walking and puzzles. Not at all what I expect from Ninja Theory, not at all. More than that however, the puzzles ruin the pace of the game for me, but perhaps it's just me. This is a matter of my expectations, more than the game itself, but I really think that it's not a game for me and I feel a bit misled. A linear puzzle game with elements of fighting is how I'd describe it. Or "that game with a really stupid title" (for a second there I was sure it's a sequel to "I am Setsuna", based on the title alone). Overall - meh... seen worse, seem better.… Expand
  2. BlakeArius
    Sep 9, 2017
    6
    Pretty overrated. You can see why from the amazing visuals and sound. Senua's probably the best character model i've seen in a game and overall makes great use of the unreal engines new features. Sound is binaural which is great as a schizophrenia simulator but draining nonetheless.
    I think the game would be worth more if everything else wasn;t so token. The combat is stiff, repetitive    Pretty overrated. You can see why from the amazing visuals and sound. Senua's probably the best character model i've seen in a game and overall makes great use of the unreal engines new features. Sound is binaural which is great as a schizophrenia simulator but draining nonetheless.
    I think the game would be worth more if everything else wasn;t so token. The combat is stiff, repetitive and unchallenging. The puzzles are just time wasters most of the time and the story seems to just repeat the same notes all the way through. There's some great ideas and presentation, shame it's wrapped up in a boring slog of a game.    … Expand
  3. IncognitoSTK
    Aug 15, 2017
    5
    Beautiful visuals and great sound design. But it's barely a game and more an interactive story. The sparse combat scenes aren't interesting at all. If you play games for the challenge, this isn't an effective one.
  4. HeadyWook
    Aug 18, 2017
    6
    It's a unique idea and concept, which initially won me over. Beautiful game, artistically it's pretty great. The fighting doesn't have much depth to it, but that was expected, as long as it was made-up for in the story and exploring. I enjoy these kinds of games where you explore and unravel a story in the process. However, while the exploring brings you a lot of eye candy the plot itselfIt's a unique idea and concept, which initially won me over. Beautiful game, artistically it's pretty great. The fighting doesn't have much depth to it, but that was expected, as long as it was made-up for in the story and exploring. I enjoy these kinds of games where you explore and unravel a story in the process. However, while the exploring brings you a lot of eye candy the plot itself isn't that captivating. The puzzles and challenges were interesting in brief times throughout the game but mostly felt repetitious and annoying. It feels like a game where they focused on visual detail while ignoring their writing and level design.… Expand
  5. Erimud
    Aug 24, 2017
    5
    It's essentially 'Ryse: Son of Rome' except that they got their price tag correct at launch.

    I would greatly stress that this is a LINEAR hack and slash.. you will be walking down a path, being told a story, while occasionally going into a round fighting room / area. It tells a decent story, and it's interesting, but I didn't really feel any sense of fear as everyone would have you    It's essentially 'Ryse: Son of Rome' except that they got their price tag correct at launch.

    I would greatly stress that this is a LINEAR hack and slash.. you will be walking down a path, being told a story, while occasionally going into a round fighting room / area.

    It tells a decent story, and it's interesting, but I didn't really feel any sense of fear as everyone would have you believe. It's far too predictable to truly get under your skin.    … Expand
  6. korr
    Aug 27, 2017
    5
    wailking,walking and puzle=combat=boss then walking,walking and puzzle=combat=boss. again,again,again,again aaaaaaaaaaaaand again oh forgot good graphic and voices.
  7. oz4n
    Dec 4, 2017
    5
    I see this as a huge potential wasted.

    This game has one of the most amazing graphics I've ever seen, and the sound is absolutely and absolutely the best out there. Story? Top notch. I was about to lose my mind just like Senua while playing it, and I did at some point such that I quit the game and removed it, quickly youtube'd the rest of the parts. I believe that if you made this whole    I see this as a huge potential wasted.

    This game has one of the most amazing graphics I've ever seen, and the sound is absolutely and absolutely the best out there. Story? Top notch. I was about to lose my mind just like Senua while playing it, and I did at some point such that I quit the game and removed it, quickly youtube'd the rest of the parts. I believe that if you made this whole thing a movie rather than a game with all the cutscenes, it would make a treasure.

    However, gameplay-wise, it's a garbage.

    I know many people won't agree with this and even will try to roast me, but that's that. I feel insulted by being forced to solve puzzles (during which you don't have to use your brain btw) to proceed in the game, and run through the levels at a very slow speed which can eventually make you get a cancer. I liked the combat system, I mean, it's simple and since it's not the point of this game, it's fine. But I was super tired of stupid filler fights with the same enemies over and over again, which really added nothing to the story itself.

    Anyway I could complain more but the eventual idea here is that this would make a great 2-hours of game if I didn't have to spend hours on solving 'puzzles' and running all over the map again and again. Everything else, the story, the narrative, the graphics and especially the sound was totally amazing. Kudos.    … Expand
  8. AcerolaOrion
    Sep 20, 2017
    5
    walking simulator with constant asmr spam, combat could have been great but clearly was not the focus and therefore ends up very basic and repetetive, stupid permadeath mechanic to compensate for low difficulty

    boring and at times annoying

    visuals and pricing are obviously great
  9. Kaprawiec
    Oct 16, 2017
    5
    Couldnt finish this game. The first impression is great, a/v is stunning but the game itself is just repetitive and boring. Puzzles are always same "search symbol" in the enviroment which just made me not want to play anymore.
  10. pappm94
    Feb 20, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very very slow movement, it makes me mad. The puzzles are horrible, no need for logic, just see the sign and that's it, Uncharted series does it much better.
    Now I know that this game had a very small budget, and honestly, the result speaks for itself. The graphics and sounds are good.
    One thing is actually very very brilliant, but SPOILER ALERT for that.
    So the game tells you at the beginning that if you die too many times, you are going to lose your progress and you can start your game from the beginning. And it made me feel afraid and nervous every time I had a fight, I was thinking of what happens if I can't finish this game at all? If hours of gameplay just disappeared. Well, turned out, the permadeath is not real, they just say it to make you feel how Senua feels. I think it is genius. That's why I gave the game 1 point higher than I originally planned.    … Expand
  11. GuybT23
    Feb 6, 2018
    7
    Graphically really well done game. Unreal4 engine exploited at the highest levels, other games should use it like this. The focus of this game, however, is the story before the gameplay that transmits anxiety and anguish and is told especially with the audio so the lack of localization in other languages ​​makes it lose all the sense.
  12. StoiaAlex
    Jan 9, 2019
    6
    I hate to give this game a low score...but my expectations were so high because of all the fuss surrounding It. Way too much positive review. It's like a very beautiful 3rd person walking simulator with a powerful, sensible story and a boring implementation.
    I can see why it's so acclaimed and if I hadn't expected perfection I would have probably enjoyd it...but the cycle of insipid    I hate to give this game a low score...but my expectations were so high because of all the fuss surrounding It. Way too much positive review. It's like a very beautiful 3rd person walking simulator with a powerful, sensible story and a boring implementation.
    I can see why it's so acclaimed and if I hadn't expected perfection I would have probably enjoyd it...but the cycle of insipid puzzles and unfocused-uninspired battles just frustrated me.

    Maybe after 2 hours it gets better.    … Expand
  13. Mad-Marty
    Jan 14, 2019
    6
    The first part is too slow ... but later on its ok.

    Basically the game consists of illusional portals that change the world and and finding symbols.
    Little fighting.
  14. Voodoo123
    Aug 14, 2017
    7
    +Impressive visuals and facial capture raises the bar
    +sound and visual distortions amplify the simulated psychosis
    +interesting story with cool indie movie vibe to it
    -gameplay repeats itself often particularly in the opening 2 hours
    -long sequences of walking around frustratingly designed areas throughout the game
    Playing Hellblade was a memorable experience 7/10
  15. Mahdiar
    Oct 31, 2017
    7
    Gameplay : 6
    Graphics : 8
    Story : - (1 hrs played)
    Sound : 8
    **********************************************************************************
    Overall : 7
  16. bloozy
    Sep 19, 2017
    5
    Weak combat system and gameplay. Boring locations and riddles.

    Unless the sound deserves respect. As a game, it is bad and overrated. It's just a piece of bad art. This is an artistic installation!
  17. sanchouz
    Aug 20, 2020
    7
    Very special experience. The sound and music outstanding - recommended to use headphones. The game-play is little bit slow - good mix between puzzles and fights that are tough. The plot for my view is not so interesting so i found my self not even listening to Brut at some point of the game.
  18. rezo_21
    Nov 15, 2021
    6
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME SCORE : 61 IIIIIIIIII====================
  19. MaxmilianKohler
    Aug 19, 2020
    5
    Mouse movement sucks no matter what. And at some points it drastically increases your mouse movement.

    Don't mind a story-heavy game. Not a fan of the symbol matching. Not a fan of the fighting. You have to guess what buttons and combos of buttons they want you to press at what points. And it completely locks your movement and vision. There are some things that are buggy. Like I    Mouse movement sucks no matter what. And at some points it drastically increases your mouse movement.

    Don't mind a story-heavy game.

    Not a fan of the symbol matching.

    Not a fan of the fighting. You have to guess what buttons and combos of buttons they want you to press at what points. And it completely locks your movement and vision.

    There are some things that are buggy. Like I lined up the right signals but it doesn't register.

    Found the symbol stuff boring, and the fighting was repetitive, boring, restrictive, and tedious. That's most of the game right there, so I uninstalled early on.    … Expand
  20. Matusiowo
    Aug 16, 2020
    6
    + Emotionally greatly developed with fantastic dubbing
    + Cool idea of puzzle by matching visually the environment to a symbol
    + Interesting main character with incorporation of psychotic reality + Fighting feels good mechanically (though it's not huge part of the game) +/- Surprising handling of ending with mixed feelings towards it - Very narrow variety of what player can do. It    + Emotionally greatly developed with fantastic dubbing
    + Cool idea of puzzle by matching visually the environment to a symbol
    + Interesting main character with incorporation of psychotic reality
    + Fighting feels good mechanically (though it's not huge part of the game)

    +/- Surprising handling of ending with mixed feelings towards it

    - Very narrow variety of what player can do. It feels more like watching a movie with a walking simulator
    - Repetetiveness with puzzles and mostly are about running around    … Expand
  21. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Sep 11, 2022
    7
    As a story i'd say its pretty good and condensed. As a game its pretty meh. Insanly long walking simulator sections and backtracks. Piss easy combat sections that drag way too long. Puzzles that may you nearly fall asleep. Imo this would make for a way better book or film.
  22. jarvitom
    Nov 15, 2021
    7
    Game is unique and innovative visually pleasing but I did not like the vibe of the game
  23. Cracken443
    Jul 2, 2021
    6
    I really enjoyed the game everything is great the combat ,soundtracks ,graphics ,story and the characters , tbh the combat was boring a little bit but it's fine , and I can't wait for hellblade 2
  24. Lorribot
    Sep 16, 2018
    6
    This is not a story based game, it is a fighting game with bosses and puzzles that has an interesting plot line, if that is not really your thing, then look elsewhere.
    The visuals are good and the main character is interesting. there is some simple problem solving, but it the fight sequences that are the main feature so if you are in to key mashing fighting then you you should find it of    This is not a story based game, it is a fighting game with bosses and puzzles that has an interesting plot line, if that is not really your thing, then look elsewhere.
    The visuals are good and the main character is interesting. there is some simple problem solving, but it the fight sequences that are the main feature so if you are in to key mashing fighting then you you should find it of interest if a little short and a little slow or you may find it a little simple and teh puzzles boring. If you are an OK button masher then you may well find the combat boring, tedious or frustrating and teh puzzels simple and long winded.
    There also seems very little difference between any of the difficulty settings for combat so those looking for the story will be disappointed.
    Whilst concentrating on the visuals and the character the game play has been not had enough thought and it is neither a puzzler or a fighting game and will possible not please either audience and the engine does not allow either to tailor to their preference by making the puzzles harder or more interesting or the fighting simple enough for those who want to experience the story or rewarding enough for those that enjoy more complex or artistic fights.    … Expand
  25. naufri27
    Apr 3, 2021
    6
    Ninja Theory nos trae la historia de una guerrera picta que intenta rescatar el alma de su amante muerto como excusa para contar los síntomas de una persona enferma de psicosis.

    Siendo un concepto muy interesante para aprender sobre esta enfermedad y estando bien acompañado de unos gráficos que representan de forma sobresaliente su ambientación nórdica y unos efectos sonoros que    Ninja Theory nos trae la historia de una guerrera picta que intenta rescatar el alma de su amante muerto como excusa para contar los síntomas de una persona enferma de psicosis.

    Siendo un concepto muy interesante para aprender sobre esta enfermedad y estando bien acompañado de unos gráficos que representan de forma sobresaliente su ambientación nórdica y unos efectos sonoros que consiguen nos metamos en la piel de su protagonista, como videojuego no termina de estar a la altura. Los puzles y los combates apenas exigen al jugador debido a su facilidad, y la partida no se puede guardar en ningún momento. Es decir, que si quieres repetir cualquier tramo porque te ha gustado especialmente, deberás rejugarlo desde el principio. Y no morir demasiadas veces en el intento, pues si lo haces tu partida se borrará, ya que la intención de los desarrolladores es que cada partida fuese un viaje a la cabeza del personaje principal sin la posibilidad de volver atrás. Solo un viaje hacia delante sin muchas posibilidades de repetir para corregir tus errores. Claro que, para ello, al menos deberían haber puesto varios registros de guardado de partida por si en el mismo dispositivo había diferentes personas jugándolo.

    No sé muy bien qué esperar de la segunda parte anunciada, ya que necesita un buen empujón para ser considerado un buen juego y no sé si la «prensa especializada» se lo ha hecho saber o simplemente le ha alabado la intención de que aprendamos sobre la psicosis sin criticar su ejecución como juego regulero.    … Expand
  26. PublicNuisance
    Apr 19, 2020
    7
    Hellblade was a fantastic experience overall but with a couple very big issues. One major issue with it was was the puzzles. I despised the many puzzles where you had to find a specific rune shape hidden somewhere in the near area. This doesn’t sound bad but it is extremely frustrating when you have found this shape and are focusing on it but the game refuses to recognize this until youHellblade was a fantastic experience overall but with a couple very big issues. One major issue with it was was the puzzles. I despised the many puzzles where you had to find a specific rune shape hidden somewhere in the near area. This doesn’t sound bad but it is extremely frustrating when you have found this shape and are focusing on it but the game refuses to recognize this until you move an inch or two to the right or left to get lined up just how they want it. That and sometimes the shape would not be a static image but you would have to stand in such a way that a couple tree branches form the shape. I was in an angry state by the end as these make up the bulk of the game’s puzzles. The combat itself is fairly good for the most part with the exception of the fact that the game would auto focus on a specific enemy and would switch target when it deemed it best which leaves you open to attack from other sides easier. You can manually switch which enemy you are targeting but I would have preferred that I just have a free camera to attack who I want and am facing. The combat was similar to The Witcher 2 in that you will be dodging and evading a lot of attacks along with parrying and having light and heavy attacks to alternate between. I find this ironic because I hated the combat in The Witcher 2 but didn’t mind the combat in Hellblade. I think it was the lack of magic spells and traps which I didn’t enjoy in Witcher 2. The overall presentation of Hellblade was simply amazing. The music was well used and always fit the mood well. The voice acting was superb by all involved. The facial expressions captured for Senua were the best I have ever seen. The graphics were fantastic, everything from the clothing detail; facial features; world detail; lighting; shadows; all was just top notch and had a great direction to it. In particular there is a scene where you’re supposed to be wading through a bloody river full of corpses in what I can imagine would be representative of “Hell” that was by far the creepiest version of Hell I have ever seen. There was one scene where the lip syncing was mistimed with the voice acting but it only lasted a minute or so. I would have also liked to see an option for a map added or some kind of direction identifier as some parts were very difficult to navigate. I will also say that the representations of auditory and visual hallucinations seemed authentic and well done. I don’t suffer from them myself but I can see why the game has gotten praise for their handling of mental illness. I can say that those I have known that have suffered from depression can relate to your own brain constantly insulting you and taunting you.

    I played Hellblade on Linux. I used Lutris; Wine and DXVK. It never crashed on me and I didn’t notice any bugs or glitches during play. I did notice one small issue where when the game initially launches it doesn’t quite stretch to full-screen but you can just click the screen and it then does. The game uses Unreal Engine 4. The game auto saves and has no manual save option. For the most part this isn’t an issue but there are a few times I would have loved having a manual option. You can change the difficulty setting at any time during play. There are 7 different graphics options as well as a Vsync option. The game recognizes and supports higher refresh rates even though there is no official option. Performance wise the game was usually pretty good but there were frequent drops that were noticeable. The game could go from 144 FPS to 85; back up to 144; down to 18; up to 85; etc. It was stable sometimes but when it wasn’t it would cause some lag that would last 1-3 seconds. When it was stable it was usually in the 80’s. I played using version 1.03 of the game from GOG.

    Disk Space Used: 22.9 GB
    GPU Usage: 67-99 %
    VRAM Usage: 2083-3822 MB
    CPU Usage: 12-37 %
    RAM Usage: 3.2-5.2 GB
    Frame Rate: 2-144 FPS

    While I didn’t enjoy the puzzles or the auto targeting in combat the rest of the game was so good that I still played through it and will recommend it. The story; atmosphere; voice acting; graphics; are all just worth playing and experiencing. I paid $11.29 CAD for Hellblade and feel that was a good price given my issues. Speaking about just the rest of the game though it was easily worth $50 had the puzzles been done differently. I finished the game in 8 hours 13 minutes on normal difficulty.

    My Score: 7/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 5700 XT 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 20.0.4 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 19.0.2 | Mate 1.24 | Kernel 5.6.5-1-MANJARO | Lutris 0.5.6 | Wine 5.5 | DXVK 1.6    … Expand
  27. muzmuz
    Apr 12, 2020
    7
    A quality game packaged in an affordable price range, with good cutscenes, impressive sound design and enjoyable combat/puzzles which all collectively brings you a distinctively unique experience. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is a single-player game that you don't want to miss. Unfortunately, I believe the writing in this game isn't very comprehensive, which embitters the experience forA quality game packaged in an affordable price range, with good cutscenes, impressive sound design and enjoyable combat/puzzles which all collectively brings you a distinctively unique experience. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is a single-player game that you don't want to miss. Unfortunately, I believe the writing in this game isn't very comprehensive, which embitters the experience for anyone looking at a game with a generally enjoyable story.… Expand
  28. dandalis
    Feb 19, 2018
    7
    A different kind of Ninja Theory game from what i've played before which were much more action gameplay focused, but not say thats anything for the worse, Hellblade's another solid outting for them surely.

    Right off the start you get the feeling it'll be a more a experience type of game than action packed ride, with emphasis on very well done cinematographic cutscenes and story telling.    A different kind of Ninja Theory game from what i've played before which were much more action gameplay focused, but not say thats anything for the worse, Hellblade's another solid outting for them surely.

    Right off the start you get the feeling it'll be a more a experience type of game than action packed ride, with emphasis on very well done cinematographic cutscenes and story telling. Also its a great achievement from audio and visual standpoint alone this game completed with a nice original soundtrack, knowing Ninja Theory is no triple A developer at this point, its quite an achievement. If there's anything that poked my eye, it was the passive sky box, i hate that developers dont go the extra mile to have active sky box with cloud movement for maximum immersion factor. Game boasts some amazing motion and facial capture strengthened by strong performance by main actress who turns out is a developer of the game herself, the motion capture tech was much showcased before the game's launch and it really becomes an integral part of the game's success, not just a gimmick. Story being built around mental disorder problems of Senua also woks out quite well, much of the time leaving you thinking about what you see in the game whether its real or they're the manifestations Senua's mind is making up. Game world while lacking high resolution textures in many places overall looks quite beautiful with great lighting, weather effects backed up by great art design that successfully captures the post viking invaded celtic setting.

    Where i had some issues with Hellblade were its gameplay designs. While i actually walked, not ran, through most of the entirety of the game to capture and get immersed in its world, i also couldnt help but feel that there wasnt anything really to do while these segments lasted compared to Enslaved or Devil May Cry, the developer's previous 2 games, its just, take in the pretty world and move on. The puzzles while backed up by the research developer's did on what people with psychosis experience to ensure their place in the game, felt more like padding from modern gameplay perspective, theyre nothing that ruin overall experience for the worse, but solving them didnt gave me any real sense of satisfication. Then theres the combat which is just about servicable, it simply lacks depth and fun factor from previous Ninja Theory's games like Enslaved or DmC, the lock on/swap taget system also doesnt work out as well as it should. As i said before, i know it was not intended to be a action game first, but knowing the developer's pedigree, i was expecting more finesse in that department.

    I still dont get it why Metacritic lists a 7 as mixed score for video games, for me that counts as a good game rating and i do wanna remind that in my books Hellblade is a good gaming experience worth having.    … Expand
  29. Leo_Manzano
    Aug 28, 2022
    7
    Working.............................................................................
  30. Panica3643D
    Jul 6, 2018
    7
    Скучноватая игра получилась. Геймплей совсем не порадовал. Даже не смотря на то, что игра короткая, он успел надоесть уже через 2 часа. Всю игру нас заставляют делать одно и то же. Есть пару приятных моментов, но они теряются на общей картине.Скучноватая игра получилась. Геймплей совсем не порадовал. Даже не смотря на то, что игра короткая, он успел надоесть уже через 2 часа. Всю игру нас заставляют делать одно и то же. Есть пару приятных моментов, но они теряются на общей картине.
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Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PC Game of 2017
14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jun 3, 2018
    85
    Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice takes us on a long road to hell paved with contemplative yet stressful scenes, and an impressive respect for Norse myths and legends.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 30, 2017
    90
    Hellblade can disappoint you with repetitive puzzles, linear structure and the fact that it was stripped down to most basic, indispensable mechanics. But Hellblade is not about gameplay. It’s about darkness and fear and despair. The emotional weight of this game is unbearable. Forget about The Last of Us, To the Moon or Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Hellblade is soul-crushing in a way I never thought a game could be. Remember Requiem for a Dream? That’s what Hellblade does to you. I will NEVER forget Ninja Theory’s masterpiece. [10/2017, p.38]
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Oct 12, 2017
    75
    If Heavenly Sword had an opposite, it would without a doubt be Hellblade. A dark, gritty, psychotic, atmospheric hell-ride through the forest of insanity. It looks great but plays like a gloomy record. Not everyone will enjoy this dark adventure. But what it does, it does great. Maybe even too great, if I may say so.
    Read full review
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