⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Developer (Platform): Ninja Theory (Xbox Series X)
Publisher (Release): Ninja Theory (2017)
Length: 6-8 hours
Genres: Adult; Fantasy; Narrative; Action; Adventure
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
contains moderate violence and gore
severe trigger warnings for in-depth mental health depictions
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: vibe check before playing
👍 Pros 👍
Powerful and honest representation of mental illness (specifically psychosis)
Melina Juergens bring Senua to life
Sound design is utterly bewitching
👎 Cons 👎
Heavy narrative focus won’t be for everyone
Gameplay doesn’t scale much past what the player is introduced to
The focus on puzzles and trials wears out its welcome
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an experience. It’s a dark, contemplative love story with the kind of mental health representation that both hits too close to home and is exactly what we need. There’s genuine thought and care put into crafting Senua’s journey that I flipped between being absolutely rapt to too afraid to play because it felt like the game was calling me out a little too much for comfort. It’s undeniable, Senua’s Sacrifice is all about sacrifice, but this narrative-focused ride through Norse and Celtic mythology offers more than that, for better and worse.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Acceptance. Simply put, acceptance is just the coming to terms with something we’re not initially equipped to handle, but acceptance is far from that simple understanding. It’s a path full trials, denials, and required suffering that many, myself included, often turn away from while convincing ourselves that we’ve reached the end. Acceptance is painful and, despite being the final stage of grief, it’s deceptively the hardest. Ninja Theory weave this journey through primarily Norse mythology, using those legends as metaphors to feed the ambiguity of Senua’s journey.
There are trials ahead
It’s this ambiguity that’s going to cause some polarising player experiences. I’m not ashamed to admit I do not do well with ambiguity. I face enough of it with my own mental issues that more concrete plot threads tend to sit better. Hellblade revels in keeping the player in absolute doubt: is this real? Did that happen? Have I really found the truth? It’s a terrifyingly authentic depiction that sits at the core of many a mental health malady and it hits all the harder because of it.
‘The hardest battles are fought in the mind…’
Hellblade’s Primary Narrator
You’d think you’d grow used to the feeling of constant doubt and despair, but, as unsurprisingly surprising as it is, the breadth of suffering we’re capable of inflicting and receiving can always reach even deeper depths of darkness.
Okay, what the hell is that?
Despite its stellar representation of mental health and its seamless weave of it through ancient mythology, Hellblade, overall, suffers from such a sharp focus. It’s an already short experience that sees much of its playtime in repetitive scenes that don’t really build. By the game’s very nature, it’s not working toward a particular answer like most stories do, so pacing never feels like it’s stacking to any kind of meaningful crescendo. Its finale also revels in confusion enough that anyone taking things at face value might feel a bit unsatisfied, but, given some contemplation, I came to strongly appreciate the hopeful and honest final moments of Senua’s Sacrifice in a way not many games manage to inspire.
‘You’d think you’d grow used to the feeling of constant doubt and despair…’
🎭 Characters 🎭
Senua, our titular protagonist, is masterfully brought to life by Melina Juergens who navigates the character’s trials with absolute honesty. Describing Senua is as difficult as simply describing mental illness, she’s wilful, capable, and a warrior who can hold her own against even the gods; she’s also brash, overwhelmed with doubt, and always so close to the edge. Against her will, she’s an unreliable narrator with 100 angels whispering from one shoulder while 100 devils scream from the other. Ninja Theory’s depiction of her psychosis is raw, well-informed, and handled with the utmost care that sets an unbelievably high standard for any developer aiming to tackle such a sensitive experience.
A warrior up against gods
Surprisingly, as far as we know, Senua never actually comes into contact with another living human being throughout her entire journey. Her solitary adventure is accompanied solely by her traumatic memories, the ghosts of her past, and the hallucinations of those she knows and the darkness she fears. She’s never alone, but the player will feel her isolation. Supporting cast members come in the form of hazy live-action segments that the developer did a decent job of meshing in-game.
‘…she’s an unreliable narrator with 100 angels whispering from one shoulder while 100 devils scream from the other.’
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Punctuating Senua’s Sacrifice are some haphazard combat sections that I admire for their simplicity. Admittedly, fighting never develops much past what the player is introduced to but with next to no menus providing a very organic learning experience, it works. What is there is fast, fluid, and fun which does help balance the game’s primary focus of delivering an artful narrative. Everything is done from a third-person perspective but with some added little twists to add flavour as Senua goes through trials that mirror her mind state, but its focus on visual puzzles wears out its welcome fast. They can be fun and add a little depth here and there to the story, but, after a while, they begin to feel like what they really are: padding.
He’s quite tall…
Armed with the head of her dead lover, Senua’s world is drenched in greys and browns, draping Hellblade in a distinct style that clashes meaningfully with the moments the developers really want to make pop with colour. Graphically, animations and movement are smooth and natural, with some great visceral feedback from the controls. Where the game truly shines, though, is in its sound design. Holy crap did the developers absolutely nail the audio in this game. Senua’s adventure is plagued with the voices she hears near constantly and, instead of wearing out their welcome, they provide an intensely layered development pierced with some dark humour. The way they cascade and overlap and sound so distinctly close despite never being seen is nothing short of stunning. This talent also boosts the game’s ambient sounds, with the world’s atmosphere fully surrounding the player and delivering effective horror and soaring revelations with the utmost confidence.
Is there no God?
I do feel the game is missing a layer of…well, something. I hate that I can’t put my finger on it, but the mechanics for me needed just a little something more to really elevate them.
‘Armed with the head of her dead lover, Senua’s world is drenched in greys and browns…’
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is art first and game second. It has perhaps the best representation of mental health the medium has ever seen and will undoubtedly hit close to home for even those that haven’t faced the psychosis Senua struggles with. Ninja Theory and Melina Juergens bring the titular protagonist to life with wonderful animations and personal experiences, showcasing significant talent in sound design and atmosphere. The latter benefits from dedicated mixing of metaphor and Norse and Celtic mythology, and the heavy story attempts to balance organic combat with repetitive puzzles. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, with a slower approach to pacing that aims to develop plot points and not player interaction, but for those looking for an honest portrayal of suffering, grief, and hope, there is no better game.
‘The hardest battles are fought in the mind…’
Never a truer word was spoken.
The Phoenix Project 
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