Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

I don't quite know how to explain this game. I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I suffer from PTSD and this game, along with the first one, portrays flashbacks incredibly well. It is a beautiful game, 100%. The detail in almost every aspect is amazing. Some parts of the game I just sat and stared at for a while because it was so beautiful.

But this game is a tiny glimpse into the world that is psychosis. Voices in your head, self-doubt, irrationality, improperly perceived feelings of danger, snap reactions to nothing, flashbacks that can be utterly debilitating... this game portrays it incredibly well and I really felt everything Senua went through -when she's alone-. In games like this, it's not the combat or the puzzles, although they are quite entertaining in this. It portrays what goes through the minds of traumatized individuals when they don't have something else to focus all that high-strung survival energy on.

From a technical showcase and story perspective, this is undoubtedly a well-crafted game. It offers a visually stunning experience in every aspect, from realistic lighting and intricate textures to detailed character expressions. Although the running speed is still slow, this allows you to leisurely take in the beauty of the surroundings and be amazed every time you enter a new location.
However, despite all these technical achievements, the game's inherent fun seems to have been sacrificed. The frequent cutscenes and limited interactions make this game feel even less like a game than its predecessor did.
In the end, Hellblade 2 doesn’t seem to be a game for everyone. While it boasts highly impressive aesthetics and technical marvels, it might have been better suited as an interactive movie. As someone once said, it's more akin to an atmospheric walking simulator. If that sounds intriguing to you, then it truly is. If it sounds boring, then it really is.
인상적인 그래픽과 기술적인 놀라움을 가진 워킹시뮬레이터입니다.
흥미롭게 느껴진다면 정말로 그렇고,
지루할 것 같다면 그 또한 정말 그렇습니다.

"What happens when you stare at the void and human eyes stare back"
"Every monster was once a man"
It would not be fair to compare this sequel and it's predecessor, Senua's sacrifice hooked us with such a heartbreaking and dark storyline, carrying her dead lovers head on her waist and travelling to hell to bring him back.
It was so deeply heartfelt, petrifying and heartbreaking.
The sequel, storyline wise could never match that and it didn't try to, they didn't aim for the story to hit higher than the previous.
They continued it.
While keeping the same themes, grief, loss heartache and rage. They've shown us what happens after, what comes next is the promise Senua made.
Mental illness of any kind is usually portrayed heavy handedly as someone as victim or a villian, it's not often we see someone with such strength and resilience.
To see anyone so Ill, represented in this way is like a bringer of light in the darkness, not only does it make you feel like it's possible to be this strong, it makes you want to be.
When you boil them down the first game represented accepting loss however hard that may be and coming to terms with your own mental illness and the second is the hope and purpose that comes after, however faint that hope might be.
Audio comment
I can't overstate the power of the audio in this game, Senuas binaural inner voices kept me fully present all through the game, they make successful moments feel even grander with their comments and in unsettling areas they kept me in a constant state of anxiety.
"She's going the right way, no I don't like this something feels wrong here, she should turn back this looks bad, what's she doing? She doesn't know where to go!"
"OHMYGOD please shut up i'm trying to think!"
This added so much to the immersion of the game.
Should you buy this?
The length of the game for me was under 8 hours, so if you equate time to worth then I guess this isn't for you.
I've seen this described as a walking simulator and I would have to agree... I don't think that's a bad thing (for me at least) but I can see why others wouldn't want that.
It is ultimately a continuation of a story, it's not going to have 20 hours of fetch quests or a skill tree but you should know that before you buy it.

Beautiful game, I didn't care about the limited gameplay because every scene had me staring with my jaw wide open. The game immerses you in a way very few do, just like the first one, it's really something special. 10/10 would play again.

I don’t feel deceived by this game, even though my expectations have been somewhat not met. I don’t feel deceived mostly because I was highly skeptical of the potential contained by a sequel to what I felt was a one-off adventure, wholly constructed and finished throughout the single game we got.
Unfortunately, Hellblade 2 feels like a game made on the back of the success of the first one, without any clear direction. If there was a clear direction and idea, it was not allowed to fully flourish in time and money.j This is regrettably another fumble in what is a pretty harrowing year for AAA gaming.
The game is exceedingly pretty and has some wonderful set pieces, but it seriously overstays its welcome in order to hit a more generous runtime.

---{ Graphics }---
☑ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☐ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☑ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ Not quite infinite but thousands of hours
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Not annoying but easily exploited
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

We miss games like this , It's not open world, there's no map, there's no markings on the screen , the story has a very deep meaning , the characters, the graphics 10/10 .. well done ninja theory