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. smithgoga
    Jul 19, 2018
    3
    The combat is ugliest as i ever seen in any games. Maybe it's possible to play it on console but on PC its just unplayable. It is very frustrating than you even switch to the easy combat mode but can't win the fight again and again because the control is piece of crap. The idea of the game is good but implementation is crap. I'll give it three points for the effort.
  2. 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.
  3. LifeHistory
    Jun 22, 2018
    8
    I want to start by saying this game puts many triple-A Games and companies to shame.
    Now lets get to the Pros and Cons.
    Pros: Gorgeous graphics. Fantastic voice acting. Good Story. Original and fun and well made combat. Cons: I wish all the cut scenes were CGI. The game was very liner. I wish for a more open space so that I can enjoy the beauty of its world. The puzzles where    I want to start by saying this game puts many triple-A Games and companies to shame.
    Now lets get to the Pros and Cons.

    Pros:
    Gorgeous graphics.
    Fantastic voice acting.
    Good Story.
    Original and fun and well made combat.

    Cons:
    I wish all the cut scenes were CGI.
    The game was very liner. I wish for a more open space so that I can enjoy the beauty of its world.
    The puzzles where a bit repetitive and I wish for more variety and improvement.

    The developers made a great job and clearly have the skills to improve and make an even greater game if they have more budget. Now is this game for everyone? Yes and No. I'd say definitely give it a chance its not hard only joy.    … Expand
  4. Praseodymium650
    Jun 18, 2018
    10
    I feel that this is a game that everyone ought to play.
    The story gets full marks for me. Rarely in a video game story do I see this much character development and such remarkably well plotted pacing. It starts you off on a fairly simple concept to follow, slowly introduces the changes, and winds up painting a beautiful picture of a wounded but strong woman's journey through despair.    I feel that this is a game that everyone ought to play.
    The story gets full marks for me. Rarely in a video game story do I see this much character development and such remarkably well plotted pacing. It starts you off on a fairly simple concept to follow, slowly introduces the changes, and winds up painting a beautiful picture of a wounded but strong woman's journey through despair. Very uplifting for those who struggle, and believe me if you haven't been there, you will. We all lose everything eventually. This story reaches down to the core of what it is to be human and to be mortal and its beautiful.
    The visuals are beyond gorgeous. I've got a pretty high end rig so your mileage may vary, but ultimately you can't deny that they use visuals with nothing short of pure excellence. They really leverage graphics technology to set a mood by distorting the camera, layering overlay effects, and playing with lighting effects in a way that really shows off their expertise. I've worked in Unreal before so I kindof know how they're doing it and they must have had a field day. I'm surprised the game runs with all the **** going on in the screen at any given moment. Animation was also stellar, especially Senua. There are a few people reviewing the game without finishing the story and I feel like those people missed the entire point of the game before buying and their disappointment makes sense. The story is amazing and if you aren't getting the story you're missing out on basically everything.
    The puzzles are taking a lot of flack in the negative reviews and I guess I'm sympathetic. I freaking loved all of them, but they take some time and some work to solve until you start getting the hang of it. For me that really made it work. I was impressed by the technical aspect of the puzzles because so many of them involved re-arranging 3D objects into 2D shapes which is not something I know how to do as a developer or would have thought to do so it is fascinating to me. I also enjoyed the door puzzles a lot as they made me feel like a reality wizard solving them. It is also worth pointing out that each type of puzzle represents an aspect of delusions common in many forms of mental illness, from ascribing mystical meaning to mundane objects, to hallucinations, etc. They are really well represented, and to make a puzzle that is both accurate, challenging, and fun is a big deal for me, I hate puzzles.
    Combat also is getting panned frequently and while I'll agree that the same enemies keep showing up and combat isn't hard, I wouldn't say it isn't fun. Its beautifully animated and very well telegraphed. I'm normally **** at blocking in fighting games and I could do it here and it felt super good. My go to move for a while was dodge but eventually you get a charge up sword and if you experiment you can learn some pretty sick moves that will make you feel unstoppable. They also do a good job of gating your combat experience so that you start off feeling fragile and vulnerable but end feeling like a warrior goddess. It fits so well with the story. They also release a steady stream of different enemies throughout the game, so I didn't find it so much stale as others did. Considering the game is short and combat isn't really the focus, I don't really think it needed more than what it got.
    The environments were out of this world. I really enjoyed everything, from the murder river to the burning villages, creepy woods, stormy coasts, Creepy crypts, dark catacombs, fetid swamps, and nightmare realms made up of convulsing burnt corpses and acid lakes. What a very metal trip.
    Hellblade is an experience, and I'm grateful for it. I recommend taking a rainy weekend day or a day off when you have no other obligations and playing it straight through. Take breaks if the puzzles start to get to you, and don't forget that most of the spiral staircases have an UP and a DOWN. And when the light's go out RUUUUUUN.    … Expand
  5. Pitonas
    Jun 10, 2018
    10
    Jesus Christ it's good, character graphics are impeccable, story truly touching, and surroundings are terrifying, I have played it only 2018 but when I think back in 2017 it probably would have been the best game I have played. Loved every second of it.
  6. rassaneJ
    May 31, 2018
    10
    Best ever video game experience i've ever had and trust me i played a lot of games .but this one is so unique . a BIG thank's to Ninja Theory .
  7. ntsarb
    May 16, 2018
    9
    Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a fictional story about love, bravery, loalty, determination, hope. It is about finding the courage and the strength to overcome your own fears and find your path in life.

    Hellblade is also a story about domestic abuse, mental health, social stigma and their consequences to people's lives. It is about showing support, compassion and understanding to those    Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a fictional story about love, bravery, loalty, determination, hope. It is about finding the courage and the strength to overcome your own fears and find your path in life.

    Hellblade is also a story about domestic abuse, mental health, social stigma and their consequences to people's lives. It is about showing support, compassion and understanding to those who suffer.

    Hellblade is a computer game that blends historic events with real stories and experiences revealed through the testimonies of people who suffer from psychosis, supported by Health Neuroscience experts from the University of Cambridge.

    The story takes place during a period of bloody war, at the time Vikings invaded Britain. The main character is a young woman, who suffers from a severe form of psychosis; her name is Senua. The player takes control of her actions and experiences the world through her eyes.

    Puzzles and combat rely on fairly repetitive mechanics and navigation in the 3D world is quite restrictive. However, the story is bold and full of surprises. The game implements "permadeath": Senua gradually gets weaker, when badly injured. Even though progress in the game is saved between major events, if Senua dies before the end, all game progress is lost and the story has to be restarted. In practice, the game adjusts the difficulty level to the skills of the player, making it an achievable challenge!

    In the role of Senua, Melina Juergens' acting is fantastic and the scenery is amazingly detailed. It's an impressive project artistic work!

    It took me 29 hours to complete the story. This includes pausing the game several times, to think twice what I've just heard or seen, or just take a break! It's quite an emotional experience, not for the faint hearted.

    Highly recommended.    … Expand
  8. Amsheagar
    May 12, 2018
    9
    Hellblade is a story centre game about a woman who is fightning with psychosis. The gameplay and the fight are very simple, but i didnt feel bad. I have worried about Senua, the main character during the fights, and i have never felt this in other games. The most parts of the game are walking and storytelling, but also there are some puzzles. The whole game is very frightening andHellblade is a story centre game about a woman who is fightning with psychosis. The gameplay and the fight are very simple, but i didnt feel bad. I have worried about Senua, the main character during the fights, and i have never felt this in other games. The most parts of the game are walking and storytelling, but also there are some puzzles. The whole game is very frightening and terryfying. There is a dark atmosphere, that must be experience once. The 3D sound effects are fantastic with headphone. This is very realistic. The music is very good. The graphic is average, but this is not a triple A game, so that is not problem. i hope, there will be more games like this.… Expand
  9. KARF4GEN
    May 10, 2018
    8
    Весьма вероятно, что с появлением таких проектов боссы крупных геймдев контор наконец вернутся к проработке атмосферы своих игр.
    Hellblade можно обвинять в малом количестве и разнообразии геймплея, но в плохом саспенсе точно нет...
    На самом деле сложно назвать Hellblade игрой в привычном смысле слова, на мой вкус это интерактивное кино о постравматическом синдроме и тяжелом психозе, а    Весьма вероятно, что с появлением таких проектов боссы крупных геймдев контор наконец вернутся к проработке атмосферы своих игр.
    Hellblade можно обвинять в малом количестве и разнообразии геймплея, но в плохом саспенсе точно нет...
    На самом деле сложно назвать Hellblade игрой в привычном смысле слова, на мой вкус это интерактивное кино о постравматическом синдроме и тяжелом психозе, а так же преодолением их.
    После SOMA самая моя любимая отныне игра от независимых разработчиков.
    Единственный огрех ее ужасная идея с рунами, мою близорукость руны просто замучили;поиск и наложение руны в нужной плоскости точно не хорошая для всех идея. Еще было пару вылетов, но ue4 больной движок и явно не дружен с моей звуковой картой.
    Больше не могу сказать что-то плохое про игру. Было интересно от начала до конца.    … Expand
  10. kunkun
    May 7, 2018
    10
    un ejemplo a seguir para todas las desarrolladoras triple A, increible los graficos ,la historia, como te pones en la piel de senua a cada momento,el apartado sonoro,todo es una completa maravilla,super recomendado jugar con auriculares 7.1 o 5.1, un imperdible sin duda alguna,no es solo un juego,es una experiencia
  11. feather7
    Apr 28, 2018
    9
    Nice idea, really interesting story. And amazing visual quallity. One thing is wrong, only ticket is possible buy. Not BD disk.
  12. kch3691
    Apr 1, 2018
    8
    A gorgeous and unique game that deserves to be played despite it's many flaws.
  13. Aeryx
    Mar 12, 2018
    8
    Nothing I played before could have prepared me for the outstandingly haunting experience of Hellblade. The game takes you on a journey through Helheim. But is it really real or is it all in your head? Because in the mind of someone who has psychosis, it makes no difference. The game aces the binaural audio design of the world and the story is outstanding and unique. My only issue with theNothing I played before could have prepared me for the outstandingly haunting experience of Hellblade. The game takes you on a journey through Helheim. But is it really real or is it all in your head? Because in the mind of someone who has psychosis, it makes no difference. The game aces the binaural audio design of the world and the story is outstanding and unique. My only issue with the game is that the enemies, pattern recognition puzzles and backtracking can wear you out a bit as it does get repetitive. But these things aside, this game accomplishes what it sets out to do, and that is to fight through an unreal world in the shoes of someone suffering from severe mental health issues. No lootboxes or in-game microtransactions is also a big plus.… Expand
  14. SarcasticSaint
    Mar 6, 2018
    10
    I play games for emotions, and Hellblade gave me more of them than any other game of all time. If you are not a child and are able to empathize, you will love this game. If you are looking for garbage for the spinal cord - just walk past.
    Great story, incredible visuals, the best in the industry sound and amazing actor play.
    10 10
  15. mag9us
    Feb 26, 2018
    10
    This game is different, this game is amazing. Combat system is strange, but good on high difficulty. Strong story, soundtrack and main character.
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. mekss
    Feb 9, 2018
    10
    I haven't written any review yet, this is my first one. I got it yesterday, and finished at 5.AM, sitting there, staring in my screen, not understanding how to feel. I have not got such an emotions before at all, but in the books that I read as a kid. I can not describe the emotions that ran through me during the game. I did not know anything about mental illness motive before I bought it,I haven't written any review yet, this is my first one. I got it yesterday, and finished at 5.AM, sitting there, staring in my screen, not understanding how to feel. I have not got such an emotions before at all, but in the books that I read as a kid. I can not describe the emotions that ran through me during the game. I did not know anything about mental illness motive before I bought it, I just red a positive comment in you tube, and when the game started, it seemed as another creepy yet interesting fantasy game about scandinavia and gods. In few minutes of gameplay I smiled as I felt feeling I had been feeling long ago, only in books, where reader can see through eyes of the hero - the game started to get in my head. Fascinating. Amazing. I feel as I am different person,l even now I don't understand how I feel, the game is a masterpiece, messing not only with senua, but letting player fell the fear, uncertainty and personal quest. However, there was a hint that there will be a sequel, and I am afraid that this game is one of the things that needs to be left as it is - I could play through it again only after some time, it is like a heavy movie. I am afraid that developers wont succeed in next series, ruining the game.… Expand
  19. 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.
  20. Afanasyev
    Jan 25, 2018
    10
    Это великая игра. Только не пытайтесь играть под препаратами, даже алкоголем. Есть небольшие притенении к программистам, но
  21. TitaniumDragon
    Jan 22, 2018
    0
    Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a strikingly high-fidelity game; the graphics, particularly of the main character and some of the enemies, are quite impressive. Unfortunately, the beauty is only skin deep; this game is a slow-paced slog with poor gameplay.

    You play as Senua, a mentally ill young warrior woman who is travelling to Helheim – the Norse hell – to battle Hel for the soul of    Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a strikingly high-fidelity game; the graphics, particularly of the main character and some of the enemies, are quite impressive. Unfortunately, the beauty is only skin deep; this game is a slow-paced slog with poor gameplay.

    You play as Senua, a mentally ill young warrior woman who is travelling to Helheim – the Norse hell – to battle Hel for the soul of her dead lover. She has voices in her head, constantly talking to her – encouraging her, telling her what to do, whispering about how she is going to fail or how she should turn back, or even telling her that everything is all her fault.

    This game seems to be very impressed with itself in its depiction of mental illness, and indeed, it is pretty well-executed on the whole – the whispering voices both work to reinforce the protagonist’s psychosis, as well as to help direct the player towards what they should be doing.

    And the game is very graphically beautiful – there are a lot of nicely rendered enemies, and Senua herself has a very impressive character model. That being said, I feel like Senua might be entering in on the uncanny valley – she looks kind of wrong on some level, despite her highly realistic appearance, and there is just something a little bit off about her visually which is constantly unsettling.

    Unfortunately, this is about where the game’s pros end.

    The gameplay consists more or less of four things – walking through long corridors, solving environmental puzzles by lining up environmental features to make “runes” that unlock doors or piece together objects in the environment, walking through gates to reveal some change in the environment, and fighting a series of battles against pretty samey enemies with not-so-great controls.

    The environmental puzzles are vaguely clever – walking around to line stuff up in the environment is a vaguely interesting idea that I’ve seen a few times. Unfortunately, it is only vaguely interesting, and the game has a very large number of these puzzles. Most of them are not particularly interesting, either – oftentimes, you’ll simply do a series of simple tasks, following through to the end of the path to get the assembled piece. Only on rare occasion does this require much in the way of actual problem solving, and after a while it becomes very old hat.

    This is not assisted by the protagonist’s slow walking speed – the character, even when running, simply does not move very fast, and this is constantly wearing, as navigating the environment is something of a bore and it only further stretches out the already slow-paced game.

    The combat is quite bad as well. The protagonist and their enemies move pretty slowly on the whole, with only a few moving at any real speed – while Senua herself is pretty slow. She has a weak slash, a powerful slash, a kick that can stun enemies (useful against the enemy with a shield), and has a “slow down time” ability that also serves to make some enemies tangible and thus possible to attack.

    Unfortunately, the combat is very, very bland. Most of the combat time is spent fighting pretty samey enemies – there’s only five types of base enemy, and you end up fighting them quite a bit. Unfortunately, there’s not much to mix things up there – two of them are pretty similar to each other, and none of them are particularly interesting to fight, as most of them are just defeated either by dodging an attack then counterattacking, or simply kicking them to stun them and then attacking. Due to the general clunkiness of the system, the various fights against the normal enemies feel extremely similar to each other. The slogginess of the combat is particularly evident towards the end, as there are two long combat sequences towards the end of the game which involve killing large numbers of these enemies back-to-back, and it is quite dull.

    The combat simultaneously also feels difficult and easy. Difficult because the enemies will often attack you at the same time, and the rather clunky controls makes it hard to position yourself in the way that you’d really want. But it also was easy, both because of the power of the slow time ability and simply because it seems extremely difficult to actually die. In theory, a few hits will kill Senua, but in practice, I could always stand back up after getting knocked down – in fact, I only died once in combat outside of the two battles in which you *must* die in order to progress, and I’m not really sure why I even died there.

    There are three real boss fights in the game, but of them, one felt rather similar on the whole to fights against the normal enemies, leaving only two which were really distinct in any meaningful fashion. They were okay, but neither felt great, and the general slow movement of Senua made them feel kind of slow and tedious.

    In short, this was a neat idea whose execution bored me.    … Expand
  22. Mandulum
    Jan 12, 2018
    8
    Five Word Review: Combat, story, character make worthwhile.
    Favorite Thing: The story telling and character portrayal were excellent.
    Least Favorite Thing: Hidden object puzzles.

    Date Completed: 2018-01-07
    Playtime: ~ 7h
    Enjoyment: 8/10
    Recommendation: This game has a lot going for it but if you play it for one reason it should be to experience Senua's character.
  23. Magnethead
    Jan 4, 2018
    9
    You should play this game if: You are into narrative driven games, you enjoy exploring complex character background in a beautiful, haunting setting.

    You shouldn't play this game if: You're in it for the gameplay. You enjoy technical challenges to your skill-level, you enjoy building characters in a complex game system or you just don't care about storytelling at all. This is a real    You should play this game if: You are into narrative driven games, you enjoy exploring complex character background in a beautiful, haunting setting.

    You shouldn't play this game if: You're in it for the gameplay. You enjoy technical challenges to your skill-level, you enjoy building characters in a complex game system or you just don't care about storytelling at all.

    This is a real gem in the art of narrative game-design where the focus in on the visual and not only the textual which is refreshing to see.

    Senua's Sacrifice focuses on internal narrative like many indie game titles these days but has a very modern graphic look and powerful soundtrack to support its story about panic, pain and psychosis. The game is around 10 hours long which is perfect length for a game like this that doesn't have sandbox worlds to explore or character creation and levelling to establish an evolving gameplay experience - the mechanics you start out with are more or less the same you end up with.

    The incredible story and talent of the protagonist are what will carry you through this game and stay with you long after it's done. There really isn't enough good things to say about Senua as a character or indeed about how she's acted. She feels real and intense without losing credibility as a fierce warrior, her mental... issues are credible, unpleasant and sometimes eerie to play through. She's equally easy to sympathise with and admire.

    The gameplay mechanics in Senua's Sacrifice revolves around simple but solid mechanics shifting from spacial puzzles to melee combat and back many times. The combat, while not amongst the most challenging of its kind, feels natural and flows well. It won't challenge a seasoned Witcher or Dark Souls veteran but it works well enough to not feel stale. The puzzles, as puzzles tend to do, can frustrate you if you missed some minor detail somewhere and get stuck but they're never unreasonable and the game helps you along very nicely if only you listen to all of the helpful (sometimes...) voices at your disposal.

    However, the narrative is the jewel in this game accompanied by stunning visual arts and a terrific soundtrack. Senua is probably the best female hero-protagonist we've ever seen in gaming so far. She's got a simple, bold ambition - to save the boy she loved - and she travels to Hel to do it. As with many such titles, the game explores her personal history and background along the way and she faces externalised version of inner demons as tends to be the case in such stories, but she does it with tenacity, audacity and without compromise. When you control Senua, she feels vulnerable and powerful at the same time and it's easy to want to help her, not only out of sympathy but because she's inspiring and strong.

    The Norse/Celtic setting works well enough - the Norse legends are recognisable to a Scandinavian and the world has a credible harsh and desolate feel.

    All in all, Senua's Sacrifice doesn't try to do anything no one arguably hasn't done before, it just does it more beautifully, with superior acting and visuals. Where many narrative-focused games have drifted away from the film elements to a more minimalist, simplistic aesthetic, Senua's Sacrifice uses all the modern tools of visual storytelling to tell a memorable and inspired story.    … Expand
  24. zkvarz
    Dec 30, 2017
    8
    Well done!
    For me this is one of the best games of 2017. Right from the beginning I've noticed that the game has no information on screen and it's very good for immersion. Besides that it has unique way of storytelling with background surrounding voices.It had beautiful design, greatest acting and up to date graphic. Although it's quite a depressing and dark game there is a good moral    Well done!
    For me this is one of the best games of 2017. Right from the beginning I've noticed that the game has no information on screen and it's very good for immersion. Besides that it has unique way of storytelling with background surrounding voices.It had beautiful design, greatest acting and up to date graphic. Although it's quite a depressing and dark game there is a good moral part in it.
    The gameplay is just great. I've played on high difficulty and it was just right. There are a lot of unique puzzles with changing the world surroundings and illusions which added just in the right amount.
    I'ts also a very good mixture of in-game shots with shots filmed on camera. I didn't see that experiment in other games. Also there are no pre-rendered scenes as far as I've seen.
    Some of the downsides for me is that it's relatively short, variety of enemies is not good enough and it's linear so there is little replay value for me.
    P.S. I would personally recommend playing it on HARD difficulty because it's.... just right. Even not that challenging as I expected it to be. On normal mode I would probably not die or die a few times.
    P.P.S Also, I've played with ps4 controller on my PC. With keyboard and mouse was not that comfortable. So if you have a controller I would recommend to play this way.    … Expand
  25. Gibbonici
    Dec 15, 2017
    10
    Don't come to this expecting Dark Souls. Don't come to it expecting the Witcher. Come to it as a thing all of its own and you'll come away from it with one of the most powerful gaming experiences you'll ever have.

    The story is wonderful, told mostly through the voices in Senua's head and past trauma relived as parts of her quest to rescue her lover's soul from the gods of the Norsemen.    Don't come to this expecting Dark Souls. Don't come to it expecting the Witcher. Come to it as a thing all of its own and you'll come away from it with one of the most powerful gaming experiences you'll ever have.

    The story is wonderful, told mostly through the voices in Senua's head and past trauma relived as parts of her quest to rescue her lover's soul from the gods of the Norsemen. The graphics and environments are incredibly immersive - you can practically smell the wet, rotting wood, feel the sleet and rain on bitter winds, and in the rare moments of sunshine, you can share the relief and joy that Senua feels.

    If you let the story and the character take you with them, the puzzles make sense. Finding patterns in the environment, walking between different versions of Senua's reality and finding your way through dark areas by sense alone, all feel like a visceral part of Senua's experience.

    The combat isn't massively difficult, but it is fluid and responsive. There are relatively few enemy types, each with their own tactics to beat, and the challenge comes when you get them in waves of different combinations, switching tactics and targets on the fly.

    But really it's Senua herself that's the main feature. Perfectly rendered, perfectly acted and perfectly animated every step of the way, you come to genuinely care about this damaged, vulnerable slip of a girl as she advances through her hallucinatory, metaphorical quest against odds that she cannot possibly beat. By turns she goes from determined to frightened to fierce to doubtful to angry, despondent and implacable, and as her moods change so does the world, all of it narrated by the voices in her head which become the voices in your own head.

    It's an incredible experience that is far greater than the sum of its parts. It is intelligent, respectful of its subject matter and doesn't treat the player as an idiot. It's a game that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished it, and it'll make you think about a lot more than solving its puzzles and working out its tactics. It's a heart-wrenching and heart-breaking experience.

    A genuine work of art, both visually and as a piece of literature. I know how that sounds, but if you take Senua's Sacrifice for what it is you'll know exactly what I mean. There really is nothing else like it.    … Expand
  26. hamed1372
    Dec 9, 2017
    10
    It was an extraordinary game that you cant even imagine.the dark atmosphere.the sounds in Senua's head were perfectly annoying but its good.the feelings that she had about herself and she torturing herself.for me it was an interesting and perfect game because it had some unique experience.
    to anyone who didn't played they missed a masterpiece
  27. TheMeadow
    Dec 4, 2017
    10
    I was expecting a basic psychotic horror game... I was pleasantly surprised by the wide arrange of emotions this game made me feel. I would recommend anyone to purchase this.

    It's important to immediately mention that this game is doing its part in destroying the stigma around mental illness. It puts you in the position of a warrior who has psychosis perfectly with the use of amazing    I was expecting a basic psychotic horror game... I was pleasantly surprised by the wide arrange of emotions this game made me feel. I would recommend anyone to purchase this.

    It's important to immediately mention that this game is doing its part in destroying the stigma around mental illness. It puts you in the position of a warrior who has psychosis perfectly with the use of amazing acting, binaural sound, and graphics that don't hold back.

    I would urge anyone interested in this game to take the critiques it receives with a grain of salt.

    Many are disappointed by the combat system's spam-one-button-to-win nature, but the intimidating nature of the enemies, the commentary of the voices, and the perma-death system made battles an intense and enjoyable experience. You also see a lot of hate for things like the camera positioning or the imbalance between gameplay and cutscenes. These didn't bother me at all. These are stylistic choices that game devs have the right to make. In a time where we can begin to question what makes a game a game, these complaints become senseless.

    Play this game.    … Expand
  28. 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
  29. logic
    Dec 1, 2017
    10
    Game of the year. Super enjoyable couple of hours. Engaging characters and deep storyline. Loved the Celtic lore. Combat on the keyboard is a little klunky. Amazing audio in this gem - wear headphones.
  30. smith
    Nov 30, 2017
    0
    Year 2017... mouse speed no change, motion blur can't off. Mouse speed has negative acceleration... What's wrong with you developers? Worst camera position I ever seen. Too many cut scene. Just tray to play 30 minutes and delete this trash.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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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