Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Set in the Viking Age and steeped in Norse/Celtic mythology, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is one of those games you just don't forget. It is a brutal journey deep into darkness - into the hellish underworld and into the most vulnerable parts of the mind. It is a masterpiece in terms of atmosphere. The music is out of this world, like a dark, epic fairy tale, it sends shivers down your spine - absolutely magnificent. Hellblade's representations of mental illness and dealing with a traumatic past are both beautiful and terrifying.
The combat style is very unique and a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Some of the puzzles and pacing of the game can be a bit frustrating at times, but it all adds up to an extraordinary gaming experience.
I must say that the Sea of Corpses was one of the most epic and exhilarating moments in my entire gaming history. That part was just incredible. It seriously still gives me the chills just thinking about it! I loved it!
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a hauntingly beautiful game that stays in your mind and in your heart. Fantastic job!

This game is a work of art, simple as that.
This isn't just a video game. It's an interactive panic attack.
Play alone in the dark with headphones, and don't feel ashamed if you have to step away and take a break.
I would rather name it : Schizophrenia Simulator

Okay, so this is a game helps to understand how it feels like when suffering from a mental illness. The constant whispering and illusions are definitely damaging the sanity. The lacking of clues on sealed doors, unexplained portals and broken paths are not helping either. Maybe there are clues in the whispers, but I’ll rather keep them muted. In the end, I have to play a few adult games to lift my spirits before coming back to finish the game.
Achievements are not missable except for the Nordic mythology collections. You can select chapter to complete them so no worry. The whole game is less than 10 hours in terms of contents.
While the game can run smoothly on steam deck in default setting, the battery drain is significant and the deck can become very hot. It’s better to limit the deck to 30 fps for better overall performance.

So on of the first things you'll see when starting the game is a disclaimer about how they worked with psychologist to create a realistic depiction of psychosis and that people who suffer from psychosis may find it disturbing. Don't assume that's just a "We hope nobody is offended" type of statement, like I did. I have psychosis, and just the opening scene, the voices in her head (especially since I had surround sound headphones on) triggered my own psychosis. I had to take a break about 1-2 minutes in, but decided that I was so impressed with the depiction of it that I would calm myself down and keep playing. Her hallucinations are done so well, the live action rotoscoped people she hallucinates are so uncanny and uncomfortable (My own hallucinations don't look anything like that so I can't say how accurate that part is). Now typing it out it sounds like a very backhanded compliment, but I actually really appreciate how much effort was put into depicting her psychosis in a way that was so real to me that it instantly triggered my own. It's not often that we get good/"accurate" (it's different for everyone, so nothing is gonna be accurate to everyone) depictions of something like that and it deserves a lot of praise just for that aspect alone.

ugly cried for 15 minutes straight after finishing this. what an unforgettable, stellar piece of art.

A unique single player experience, Beautiful visuals (and distortions) and haunting audio that does a great job of depicting a protagonist in what could be described as a psychotic state. Playing with a headset is recommended and really augments the experience. The pacing was done well for most chapters and the Nordic lore is sprinkled in with easy to find lorestones (collectibles). Senua's facial expressions run the gamut and truly show us her sadness, guilt, rage, and confusion as we progress through the story. The voices that surround us as we play do a good job of pointing out things in the environment, combat and a plethora of other things. Since there are no tutorials or a HUD, the voices will give important information along the way, and I found this to be a special departure in terms of the storytelling that I haven't really experienced in other games. The combat is fairly simple and does get repetitive but it does the job well enough to move the story along. Everyone should give this game a shot.

astonishing story,great visuals
ANNOYING puzzles.