Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga

In the way that The Empire Strikes Back is a great, 8/10 film that doesn't have [i]quite[/i] the cultural impact that A New Hope has at 10/10, Senua's Saga is a great interactive experience that doesn't have quite the impact that Senua's Sacrifice does as my favorite narrative game - but it's pretty close, and some things are better this time around. As others have said, this is a piece that leans heavily towards the cinematic - closer to an interactive movie than many modern games. While I do think it would have made an excellent film, I also think it has the most impact as it is, and was made in the right medium for the experience it delivers. I love a good open world game or game of skill, but I also love a good story experience - I enjoyed The Witcher II: Assassin of Kings even more than The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, for example - and in this way, the Hellblade games are some of my favorites. They are a bit like films, but films you can pilot, inspect at your own pace, and take-in with rich detail. Speaking of detail, Hellblade II has some of the most convincing natural environments I've ever seen in a video game. The rocks, moss, plants, caves, and bodies of water all look convincing to a degree I've rarely seen in real-time rendering outside of technical demos - and that makes the more supernatural and/or delusional sequences all the more impactful and spectacular. The world feels real and grounded, to-scale and existing without you - so when something wrong is moving through it, it really raises the hairs on my neck. [i]But of course, the deepest horror of all comes back to human beings and their behavior.[/i] While there is a great deal of walking in this game, those sequences aren't traversal and sightseeing alone (though the sights are amazing) - and there's plenty of puzzles and combat, both in similar style to the first Hellblade, if not the same. While the controls are very simple, the actions happening contextually through the combat system are surprisingly deep. Because the game has no HUD and because scripted sequences seamlessly blend into gameplay it's easy to assume that lots of what's happening during combat is fully scripted, but it's actually a wide variety of possible scenarios blending into each-other depending on your inputs and how they relate to your enemies. That said, the combat is primarily there for the feeling of desperation and struggle - and while being skilled at it will make a big difference in how it plays out (you'll die a few times if you suck at timing like I do, and will likewise be rewarded for reading your enemies movements well), it's not a fighting game and doesn't control with that kind of tightness, being more about how it looks and feels as a fight sequence than about reactive or strategic skill. Despite being a linear story, there's even some replay value with a sort of "hard mode" and developer commentary after completing it the first time. I do prefer the isolated and personal story of Senua's Sacrifice as one of my favorite games of all time, but I very much enjoyed her continuing story as it broadens and interacts with others in Senua's Saga, and very much appreciate what this one has to say. The larger budget and target audience show as a double-edged sword here compared to the original in a balanced way; not falling so far as the Matrix sequels, for example, but still being a bit more tropey and smoothed-over than the original. It retains its thoughtful and engaging approach to its themes and still carries a meaningful message, even if it's a bit predictable in places. The ambiguity regarding what is real or a product of Senua's schizophrenia remains here, additional questions being raised with other characters involved. How much did they see? How many of them are even real? It's ambiguous, and I love that about it. If you strongly prefer open exploration to a linear story or strategic depth to spectacle, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you can enjoy a tightly-crafted narrative experience and the previous game's themes of persevering through mental illness resonate with you, I can wholeheartedly recommend this one.