#11: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
I was not ready for where Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 was going to take me. This narrative-driven game about a troubled woman tasked with solving impossible challenges for herself and those around her warranted a number of playthroughs for me, and it continued to live on in my mind for countless hours afterwards. In fact, it still does. While many might rightly critique Hellblade 2’s combat and its sometimes-mediocre puzzle sequences, Hellblade 2 remains a gripping, emotive experience if you come for its imposing, dark aesthetic and stay for the harrowing themes of struggle, perseverance, and mental illness.
Read More: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2: The Kotaku Review
Hellblade 2 is as much a journey through the wilds of Iceland as they’re under siege from powerful, mythical beings as it is the tale of protagonist Senua’s struggle with her own self image. Many of the game’s moments can be examined from multiple angles, including the conclusion, which throws many of Hellblade 2’s fantastical elements into a contemplative place of uncertainty. What even is real? What are the heroic deeds on display in this game? Is it a vanquishing of giants? Or is it something deeper, more internal? Hellblade 2 invites this kind of thought.
And while the first game was rightly celebrated for its unique depiction of mental illness through the use of binaural audio which brought the voices in Senua’s mind to life (making headphones for it and this sequel a must), I found that this game takes that aspect further, with the voices in Senua’s mind persistently raising doubts in ways that really get inside your head. As someone who struggles daily with complex anxieties and traumas, I found Hellblade 2 deeply relatable. Though I don’t experience the same kinds of mental illnesses Senua does, the game accurately gives voice to what it’s like to wrestle with your own thoughts in complex, obsessive ways.
It may have a short runtime, and it might have made some sacrifices to the gameplay that made its predecessor so beloved, but taken on its own terms, Hellblade 2 is a memorable and powerful experience. — Claire Jackson
