For the most important ventures in life, there is a lot of courage to do. It is not always a question of success and failure, but there is something to overcome challenges, raising slides above the level we are ready to go. No, you have not strayed into the seminar of some life coach – all this has to do with Ninja Theory’s development team and their new Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
The direct link between these traps and the game itself is in her story. Senate Celtic Warrior was the only survivor of his tribe after the Viking invasion from the north. Traumatized by these events and grieving his own conscience, Senua seeks to save the soul of her late partner, Dillon, by dragging his skull into hell and seeking the goddess of hell to free him. It is a challenge that Senua will have to undo the painful roots of his psychological disorder, as it will only come to the notice that a living person can help the dead only to help himself.
An indirect link between the earlier philosophizing and Ninja Theory studies is in their experimental approach to Hellblade’s development. Namely, it is a production-level game that’s what we call high-budget AAA projects – it has a clearly defined design and manufacturing process, uses advanced visualization technology, acting is very professional, etc. However, at the same time it is an independent production game at which Around 50 people worked and sold at a slightly lower price (30 euros) than high-budget titles.
“In Ninja Theory, you have been making the very game you like, without any interference. This is Hellblade’s biggest asset.”
In Ninja Theory, you have designed to do just the kind of game they want. Without someone saying that games of the world are going today, so they should design it or say that the game must have a micro-transaction because a few million copies sold will not cover the costs, half of which goes to marketing. It is a courageous endeavor when playing is not done solely with the intention of earning it. And the team is cooler when I can say that this game is very good.
Hellblade is not of the same quality in all of its segments, but it is crucial to keep the slider high where it is important to experience what a game is trying to convey to a player. Story and presentation are the same top rankings of Hellblade. It is a solid fable that does not simplify its action, does not hide the seriousness of its theme and does not protect the player by caricating the motif.
The problem of psychosis in Hellblade is openly presented and secured through all aspects of it, including condemnation or misunderstanding. Hellblade does not shy away from the taboo, he is not afraid to talk about primitivism within religious enigma, he is not afraid to make the statement that hell is a state of mind just as psychosis is a brain disorder.
“Hellblade does not shy away from the taboo, he is not afraid to talk about primitivism within religion, he is not afraid to argue that hell is a state of mind just as psychosis is a brain disorder.”
Senua is an extremely complex figure whose thoughts are primarily manifested through the most basic emotions. There are several different voices in her mind, each of which represents one of her variants, and at each event in the game the voices are intertwined and react according to their style – one comments on the things that are scary, the other is concerned, the third is full of doubts,
The visual side also defines Senu as a phenomenal figure. Melina Juergens, who is not surprisingly an actress but a video editor in Ninja Theory, is playing, and animation technology allows her to express a wide range of facial expressions. When all this goes through, there is a fantastic scene in which Senua tells the enemy. I would dare say – one of the best scenes we could see in the games this year.
Hellblade is also making the maximum effort to connect the player with Sena. The camera is set very close to the subject, and when it comes to the game itself, there is a recommendation that you should use the headset. Indeed, I confirm that Hellblade without a handset is a half-witted experience. The best advice that someone can give you for this game is to not play it with loudspeakers on a computer or TV.
Namely, the voices I mentioned earlier have been recorded as 3D sound, which means that you can hear them only in the right position using the headset. The effect is such that your voices are “circling” when Senua hear them – in your head, and so connect with it. You do not have the headset as if someone whispers directly to your ear, and plays on a few occasions to make a point toward the sound, which makes it easier for you to do with the headset.
Playing Hellblade without a handset is a twisted experience. The sounds in your Senna’s head will best be seen when using headphones.
The purpose of linking to a figure is also present in the design of the interface … which it does not have. That is, there are no indicators where you need to go, how much health you have, etc. Everything you see can see Senua, with the exception of some puzzles that still need some guidance to solve.
One of the tricks to connect with a character is that your game says that with too much death you can get a bad end, that is, your game gets rid of all the progress, so you have to start from the beginning. Though it sounds worrying, do not let it deny you the game – it’s not a classic system of permadate, and it’s more like psychological pressure than the real impact.
You can be killed in two ways: in combat and in “pursuits”. The fight is very simple and will definitely not delight fans of action games. The killing of the enemy is extremely satisfactory, especially because of the camera’s proximity and what you see as each blow leaves a trace on the enemy. However, all the moves are immediately available to you, which means that you will fight the game from the beginning to the end of the game in the same way.
There are several variations of enemies that force you to use different types of attacks, but mostly every fight is solved the same way. Until the end of the game it unfortunately becomes tense. Waves and waves of enemies are being created in front of you, and your moves on the controller / keyboard mouse are reduced to a normal rhythm. It is not that something is corrupt in that combat system, but it is simply not deep enough or elaborate enough to carry a game of eight hours.
Similar to the puzzles of its kind you can count on your fingers – one hand. They are beginning to repeat in the early stages of the game, which is not happy because they take place in the linear structure of the level. In the second half there are several stealth shares that slightly improve the variety of content, but even with them you have the impression that Senuina’s adventure is designed by the video game format.
This is the only disruption to the complete immersion, the situation you can predict when you are waiting for the row of puzzles, the order of struggle and to the very end. And yet, you know that puzzles are designed with variations to help developers have a better job of filling in content. But maybe it’s just me – you might not even be bothered by thinking about how it was “panned” by the Senuin road to the so-called. Helhaima.
In the presentation, apart from the things I’ve mentioned in this article, Hellblade is “pitted” pretty impressive. In addition to the excellent 3D sound that is materialized in the voice acting, music is also praised in occasional moments, which reinforces the intensity of action or emotion. For example, the fight sometimes accompanies music with some sort of Nordic warlocks, which gives the scene a remarkable ambience.
The environment does not look so amazing with the technical side of games like Tomb Raider or Uncharted. The textures are a little messy, but the good news is that you’re likely to give more visual attention to the visual design. The way he has been shown, for example, in this game is so imaginative that you have to stand for a moment and watch the scene in admiration, although graphic is nothing special.
I sincerely hope you will not have to stand for a moment and say, “Wait a minute, why do I get this at 15 fps?” I did this on the PC and the problem was not in optimizing the game because as far as I could see such a case, there were not many people. What’s more, the game turned me great – 60 fps at maximum settings at 1080p resolution, all the way to the second part when it came to the blinking of the neighing border.
Changing the graphics quality settings did not have any effect on it, and it was not as if the game suddenly became more demanding, nor did my hardware crack for temperature or anything like that. Simply put, Hellblade has decided that in some parts of the game it can not work beyond a mere 15-20 frames per second.
I believe that this problem will eventually be corrected, and as I said, it does not have to mean that it will hit you too. If you play on the PS4 console, I think you’re safe, though you still have to agree to 30 fps. In any case, it is frustrating when a technical flaw casts a stain on a very good product like Hellblade. Frustrating because you want to find out how Senuina’s adventure will get bogged down, you want to enjoy the maestral starring and fascinating animations.
Of course, all you want is that you are interested in a grounded approach to a psychological disorder, a grounded interpretation of Nordic mythology, and a deeper understanding of topics such as suffering, sacrifice, and responsibility to one’s own being. Hellblade is not a revenge adventure that will send you to the horns of the horns. Fairy demons point and no horns.
