What Makes Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice So Special?
Image Credits: Hellblade Website
About the game
Hellblade: Senua’s sacrifice is a dark fantasy game that is based on Norse mythology. The game is an action-adventure single-player game that features the journey of a warrior named Senua who wants the rescue the soul of her lover from the Goddess of death. The game that was first released in 2017 achieved success, and its plot, action, puzzles, and the horror elements made it popular among players. It was one of the top games on the PlayStation platform within a month of its release in Europe. The game was a commercial success with the developers breaking even within three months.
The game has sold more than a million copies on Windows, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 platforms where it was released. The success of the game led to the developer, Ninja Theory, releasing the game on Nintendo Switch in 2019. Ninja Theory is a gaming company based out of Cambridge, England. The company that has also published the game has other hit games to its credit, like Kung Fu Chaos, Heavenly Sword, and Bleeding Edge. The success of Hellblade: Senua’s sacrifice has led to the developers planning a sequel to this game, which is expected to be released on Windows and Xbox One.
Image Credits: Hellblade Website
Story and plot
The game revolves around the key character Senua, who is a warrior of the Pict people. Her lover Dillion is dead, and Dillion’s soul is with the Norse Goddess Hela. Senua’s mission is to recover her lover’s soul from Hela. Senua can hear voices in her head that are supposed to be part of a curse that she has. This is a dark game with elements of psychological horror. Senua carries her dead lover’s head with her. A dark entity follows her. The game is all about Senua’s journey and the obstacles she encounters on her way to meet Hela.
Once she meets Hela, she is defeated. She then has to complete four challenges. During these challenges, the past life of Senua is revealed as the game proceeds. The darkness that accompanies her is affecting her, and she has to overcome it to complete the challenges. Whether Senua can fight with Hela and defeat her forms the remaining part of the story. The game ends on a philosophical note and has been well-appreciated by players.
Image Credits: Hellblade Website
Gameplay
The game involves historical fiction and mythology with metaphors that take the player to a dark fantasy world. It is an action game that has horror elements and has an 18 rating, making it suitable to play for adults. When you start playing, you are asked to use headphones. There is a reason for it – the game uses 3D sound to accentuate the voices that Senua hears in her head. These voices distract Senua and can distract you too. The voices are important as they tell you a lot about the story, about Senua, and give you a hint on what you should be doing next in the game.
The videos and graphics are a great attraction, along with the soundtrack. The game uses voice acting, and you get to hear real voices as you play along. There are hallucinations, psychoses, and delusions that the main character experiences. The way the game has dealt with psychosis has won it a lot of appreciation. There is no game tutorial, and you need to rely on the voices that you hear. As you play the game, if you suffer hits, you start rotting. If the rot spreads to the brain, you die, and the game is over. There are puzzles in the game leading to action and involves an element of warped reality. This makes the game all the more enjoyable.
The game features
The following are the features that make Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice so special:
· The 3D sound effect is one of the highlights of this game, which makes it imperative that you play with headphones on.
· The game is a psychological horror game where the lead character hears voices in her head and is accompanied by a dark entity.
· The game involves Senua carrying her lover’s head and trying to get back her lover’s soul from the Goddess Hela.
· The game involves a lot of action. You need to make the player use various moves to take on opponents and defeat them.
· The excellent storytelling, graphics, soundtrack, and the action involves makes it a top game for players.
