Have you ever lost someone so dear to you that your entire life shifted? This is a game about coming to terms with lost but it is also much more than a simple game.
Let me take care of the small details first. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice came out in the summer of 2017, only in digital form for Microsoft platforms and PlayStation, by British developer studio "Ninja Theory".
The game was such a huge success that actually the studio made its money only three months after the release of the game (6 months before predicted). A physical version of the game was released in late 2018.
You will suffer, you will be terrified, you will be so scared that you will want to give up.
The game revolves around a Celtic warrior, Senua, in a journey to the Norse mythology interpretation of hell in order to recover the soul of her recently deceased lover. However, it is much more than that. Senua suffers from mental illness, a condition that makes her hear hundreds of voices at the same time and even have hallucinations. In summary, while playing the game you won't know what is real or not. Even outside the game.
One of the first messages you will read when booting up the game is that it is strongly advised to play it with the headphones on. I fully agree with this statement. You see, Ninja theory applied a binaural audio technique in order to create the illusion that you are hearing the same voices as Senua. This leads to you feeling as paranoid as Senua´s while playing the game, makes you feel like having someone always speaking to you and even that someone is present in your room. Even when you're alone at home.
While most games use this to improve combat, Hellblade utilizes this singular technique in order to tackle a condition that is still taboo in our society: mental health. Even in movies and TV shows is hard to find a strong character with mental issues. Senua might be the strongest character I have ever played with because of it.
It’s a cathartic experience from beginning to end
If you play this game (and I sincerely hope you do) please endure the fear, endure the hard battle system, endure all the pain and disgusted the game will make you feel because, after end credits roll, you will feel cleansed.
The development team consulted experts in various fields of neuroscience and mental health issues and had people who have fought with psychosis their entire life. Even further than that, they reach to “Welcome Trust”, a foundation with the goal of making the general audience understand this sensitive subject. Meaning, they had full knowledge of what they were trying to achieve and also the stigma surrounding the issue they wanted to present.
I guess, what I want to say is that the game is an immersive experience like most of the gaming industry can't deliver. It shows the care and passion that the team put on the game in every single point. Not one part of the game feels rushed or that it was just created for profit.
Don't be afraid of trying something new
Have you ever wanted to try something new but were just too afraid to? Let me tell you about Melina Juergens, a photographer and video editor from Ninja Theory, who had no previous experience when she did all the motion capture and voice acting for Senua.
The actress who was supposed to play Senua in Hellblade quitted and the lead director, Tameem Antoniades, approach Melina to fill the gap while they looked for another professional actress. She was so perfect for the vision the team had for Senua that she ended up capturing and performing the whole game.
She now counts with three awards: Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama, in The NAVGTR Awards; Best Performer in the BAFTA Games Award and Best Performance in The Game Awards. The last one was delivered to her by Andy Serkis, known for bringing Smeagol from Lord of the Rings and other characters to the big screen.
Not all who wander are lost. But sometimes you need to be lost to find yourself.
The game takes around 6 to 8 hours to finish and it's pretty linear and focused on Senua's journey. You only have one side quest and that can be completed without going out of your way. The game has zero encounters to any Non-playable characters but instead, they use Senua's condition to introduce you to the games villains and other characters.
This was a breath of fresh air in a world where every game has hundreds of quests and millions of collectibles. While Ninja Theory could have implemented some of these, in order to extend the time players spent in the game and talking about it, they choose not to because they wanted to tell a story and they didn't want us to wander off.
That choice together with the decision to make Senua the only physical character in the whole game makes us care for her more than most protagonists. Somehow she keeps losing herself in the sea of voices she's constantly hearing, making her feel like she's not in the right track to achieve her goal. Like she is wandering off the right track. And, somehow, we feel exactly like that, even when most paths are straight corridors.
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." - Obi-Wan Kenobi
The main enemies in the game are the Northmen, also called Vikings. They are inspired by real-life events where Vikings, coming from the north would raid and kill, across other European territories. However, thanks to Senua's mental state, they are portrait as monsters who wear masks to hide their hideous faces. This is one of many clues that whatever you are experiencing in the game, it might be real or not. Previously to the events of the game, the only contact Senua had with Vikings were by stories told by her now deceased lover, Dillion.
So, they serve as obstacles that keep getting in Senua's way and they keep getting stronger and stronger, with various types of Northmen appearing in the game.
Stronger enemies are present in the game as boss fights. These usually make Senua come to terms with the fears from her past. Which end up making her stronger in order to face the next challenge.
This translates very well to the gameplay because you never truly feel in control during combat. You always feel like any of the enemies can defeat you, making the combat tense. You never feel like you have an advantage but it punishes you, really hard, when you mess up. It's rewarding to defeat any enemies even if you die a couple of times because you know: you and Senua will be stronger after it.
Let's address the elephant in the room.
Hellblade presents you with a message stating: “The dark rot will grow each time you fail. If the rot reaches Senua’s head, her quest is over. And all progress will be lost.” This means that every time you die the dark tendrils in Senua's right arm will grow up and you will be a step closer to have your save file erased, which it's a mode that you can't turn off. The twist with this mechanic makes me wonder if “Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice” is or not the most immersive game of all time. I won't reveal it for spoiler reasons.
This leaves players with great apprehension or fear, making them question carefully every decision and every move. Since the game main theme is mental issues like psychosis, anxiety and fears, it’s a perfect match. At least in my humble opinion.
Let me end this by asking you to please play this game! Even if you aren't a fan of the style, give it one hour of your time.
Hellblade Senua´s Sacrifice is available for Xbox One and PS4 in physical and digital versions, and on PC and Mac in its digital version.
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