Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 95 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 95
  3. Negative: 2 out of 95
  1. GameCritics
    May 21, 2024
    45
    Until now, I’ve liked each new Ninja Theory game more than the last, and I can never deny the craft on display. Given that this is their first release since the Microsoft acquisition, I credit Hellblade II for not feeling compromised by corporate interests, but that only makes it more baffling that it lacks any real vision that I was able to discern. It’s not an offensively bad experience, and yet I can only offer one of the most damning criticisms imaginable – I have no idea why it was made.
  2. Edge Magazine
    Jun 13, 2024
    40
    By turns astonishing and insufferable, there is as much here to make your eyes roll as widen. Even the moments when Hellblade II delivers nigh-unparalleled visual spectacle (see 'Giant steps') are soured by the fact that our involvement in these set-pieces so often feels incidental. For long stretches, it's akin to watching someone else play, only occasionally - and always unwillingly - handing back the controller. We can't help but return to that old chestnut about the interactive experience being a conversation between designer and player; there is an irony that in this, of all games, we're scarcely able to get a word in edgeways. [Issue#399, p.104]
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  1. 3DJuegos
    May 21, 2024
    A brilliant narrative adventure game that is also the best looking video game I've ever played. Sadly, dull puzzles ruin part of the show. Even so, you need to play it.
  2. Kotaku
    May 21, 2024
    Senua’s enduring compassion and dedication through a rage-inducing journey of pain left a significant impression on me. Despite dealing with a fantastical world, Hellblade II is often, hauntingly, all too real.
  3. The Verge
    May 21, 2024
    The game is short, and I finished it in about 10 hours. But it packs a number of gorgeous scenes and scenarios into that brief span, from battling a monster in a volcano pit to the rhythm of metal music to navigating a Silent Hill-esque forest. This was an exhausting, beautiful experience that shattered me often, built me back up, and constantly challenged what it meant to manage one’s darkness. Senua is a broken person, but because of that, she fits into this broken world.
  5. TheSixthAxis
    May 21, 2024
    Just like its forbear, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is an oppressive, powerful and haunting example of the power of video games, and one that sets its own parameters for what a digital experience can be. It is a game that must be experienced, not least because, there’s nothing else quite like it. [Review in Progress]
  6. Xboxygen
    May 21, 2024
    With Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Microsoft and Ninja Theory have produced a masterful sequel following the first one’s footsteps. The atmosphere is as incredible as ever, the work on the technical and artistic side leaves us breathless, and the graphical fidelity reaches heights rarely seen on home consoles. Regarding the main issues worth mentioning with Hellblade I, they have been toned down but not completely eradicated. These include, for example, the feeling of playing through an interactive film punctuated by slightly tedious puzzles, and a lifespan that is likely to disappoint many. Fortunately, there are other revisions to counterbalance this feeling, such as the more intense confrontations and the adventure’s overall faster pace. There is no doubt that die-hard fans will be delighted, and that the game will find its audience. And for the rest of us, in the worst-case scenario, some of its magnificent landscapes will be fantastic wallpapers material.