Ninja Theory, the studio behind Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry, blew the gaming world away with the 2017 release of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. This game about a woman’s journey through the Norse realm of Helheim to rescue the soul of her dead lover was a profound experience for many as it gave a powerful depiction of a woman dealing with mental health issues, primarily psychosis. 7 years later, much has changed for Ninja Theory, now a part of Xbox Games Studios with the resources and time that allowed. The follow-up to Senua’s Sacrifice has long been the poster child for this generation of Xbox games and fans have waited patiently to once again step into Senua’s shoes.
Picking up not long after the events of the first game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II follow Senua as she goes to confront the Norsemen who have been raiding and enslaving her people, but soon finds her quest for vengeance to not be a simple as she had hoped.
The Koalaty Critics were not unanimous in their opinion of Senua’s Saga, but the majority found it to be a must-play experience with several finding it to have had significant impacts on them personally. The fans of this entry were compelled by the experience, performances (particularly by the returning Melina Juergens) and story that the game provides, but the more critical critics found issues with what they considered minimal and dated gameplay, thematic issues and a general feeling that this sequel didn’t improve enough on the first game in those areas. What the Koalaty Critics could all agree on is that this is an incredible achievement in graphics and audio and all made sure to point out that this game is best played with headphones.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC now.
KOALATY CRITICS – AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
The Beta Network – 5/10 (Anthony Culinas)
“For those who weren’t too keen on the inward, self-reflective story of the original, Hellblade II won’t do much to intrigue them. In fact, I could not care less about it if I tried. It seems as if the devs didn’t either, since there’s barely any meaningful character interactions or moments that will compel you to keep playing. I’ll admit the acting is quite strong, but the overall feeling of the narrative is like when a person tells you that someone you’ve never met just passed away. Your level of emotional investment will be minimal at best. “
Checkpoint Gaming – 10/10 (Charlie Kelly)
“Once in a blue moon, a game is so emotionally heavy and cathartic, it changes my life and forever stays with me. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the incredibly anticipated psychological thriller follow-up to the 2017 hit, is the latest and most prominent example of this in my life to date. Arriving at the right place at the right time, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a masterpiece and is well worth the wait.“
Games Crater – 10/10 (Jade Garrett)
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II succeeds as both a cinematic adventure and a deeply moving exploration of its protagonist, Senua. As I dove deeper into her continued story, I found myself completely engrossed. I understood the importance of her psychosis, I felt her pain, her exhaustion, her fear, and most definitely her courage as she fought in her many atmospheric and distressing fights.”
GamesHub – 4/5 (Steph Panecasio)
“As sequels go, there’s always a high level of expectation, especially with a game as lauded as Senua’s Sacrifice. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II gives you a masterclass in sound design and mental health representation, but it’s fair to say that a lot of the shock value from the first game is lacking.The first game’s big point of difference doesn’t feel as jarring now that we have a stronger understanding of what’s at play. Senua’s psychosis is still all-encompassing, and portrayed extremely skilfully, but although there are deeper elements, it’s something we’re more familiar with.“
Kotaku AU – No Score (Emily Spindler)
“In the depths of the game, this cacophony of sound, placed against the backdrop of Heilung’s masterful work on the soundtrack (more on that later), was almost too intense. I found myself having to step back from the game for a breath, the feeling almost too oppressive to breathe. While some might find this level of sensory intensity to be too much, it was ultimately this exact feeling that kept me coming back to play more of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.”
Maxi-Geek – 9.5/10 (Aaron Ducret)
“This is a game that must be played with headphones to fully appreciate the detail put into bringing these themes to life. The game suggests this upon opening, but this shouldn’t be a suggestion. The full 3D Binaural sound design is masterful here. The clever crafting and merging of the different voices, the sounds of the world, the narrator herself on top of the music crescendos during action sequences. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has one of the most impressive and immersive audio designs ever.”
MKAU Gaming – 9.5/10 (Mikey B)
“Every detail, from the play of light on the water to the intricate textures of the landscapes, is meticulously crafted, leaving no room for criticism. The result is a world that feels profoundly real, drawing players deeper into Senua’s harrowing journey and making each moment a feast for the senses. No detail is spared, and you find yourself constantly darting your eyes around, eager to take in more of the stunning scenery. “
BUY XBOX GAMEPASS – AMAZON
NextPlay – 9/10 (Mikeey Barrow)
“You can go times of up to 30 minutes of not encountering a sword fight and just be content with the environmental puzzles presented.That’s what I loved about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. There was no game padding in the entire experience. The story was clear and concise, and while I will admit there are times when walking from areas could take some time, there was never a moment where there wasn’t something to admire from the game’s visuals or a conversation between travelling partners or the voices in your head.“
Player2 – B (Paul James)
“Despite all of its work in immersive storytelling, the greatest flaw of Hellblade II is in its gameplay balance. Ninja Theory doubles down on the strengths of the original, but in doing so takes from two other key pillars of the game, its combat and its puzzles. Players will spend over 75% of their gameplay time simply walking Senua from place to place, with very occasional changes of pace.”
Press Start – 9/10 (Brodie Gibbons)
“It’s going to take some doing for a team to craft a better-looking game than Senua’s Saga this year. Although the console experience is locked at the dreaded 30fps, the game is staggeringly beautiful. All of its characters and their performances are rendered to such a jaw-dropping extent, taking care of even the most piffling detail, I believe it’s the new benchmark for both performance capture and model work.”
Progress Bar – 9/10 (Darcy Tranter-Cook)
“The gameplay is simple, perhaps even more so than the original. It’s best to think of Senua’s Saga as an extremely high-fidelity and cinematic walking simulator. There is combat, puzzle-solving and exploration, but it is all light, linear and simple. Despite this straightforwardness, I don’t want to undersell what Senua’s Saga offers. The combat feels like you’re playing a CGI cutscene. The various people and creatures you fight are intimidatingly realistic, with the glow of nearby fires reflecting off their skin and the binaural audio making it seem like they’re in the room with you.”
Stevivor – 9.5/10 (Jay Ball)
“After playing Senua’s Saga for the past few days, every other game looks like it’s aged 10 years. Despite the world being made up of linear pathways, and the characters being — well, characters — this by far is the most believable and realistic video game I’ve seen in my years. Of course the believability is largely thanks to the excellent performances of the entire cast. Melina Juergens’ Senua reeks of tenacity and contrasting vulnerability that is so genuine you’ll cheer Senua on with each challenge she overcomes both on the battlefield and during the battles that rage inside her mind.“
WellPlayed – 6/10 (James Wood)
“In pursuit of a grander scale, Senua’s Saga has a slipperier relationship with allegory and theme than its predecessor, often flowing between narrative and metaphor, the direct and indirect, in uneasy bursts. Senua’s desire for vengeance against those who enslaved and murdered her people ostensibly drives the plot but as the game unfurls its true emotional goals, the who, what, and where become borderline immaterial to the why. “
Koalaty Critics
Aggregator Score
