Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice- Sleeper hit of this generation?

I am a modest fan of UK developer Ninja theories past work. PS3 launch title Heavenly sword pushed facial animation to new heights and made good use of Andy Sirkis motion capture knowledge to produce a new benchmark for animation. They have since gone on to make multiplatform releases with Enslaved: odyssey to the west and DMC: Devil may cry, both critical successes but nothing that has pushed them into the limelight. That one game that makes people sit up, take notice and say " this is something new". Hellblade though, has come completely out of left field and stunned me a little. I had little to no awareness of this games existence until last week if I am honest. First impressions from trailers look like a cross up between Horizon and For Honor in tone and setting........ This could not be further from the truth.

Hellblade puts you in the role of the titular Senua, A Pict woman who has lost her lover Dillion and attempts to find a way into the Norse version of Hell in order to bring him back. Senua is also ( for want of a better phrase ) bat shit crazy. We are talking full on psychosis here, visions, voices in her head and the inability to separate what is real or false. You are given no tutorial and there are is no HUD visible on screen. This removes all semblance of this being a game and puts you in the same disoriented position that Senua is in. You are not told what is going on, there is no map pointing you in the right direction, it's just you and the voices. During the opening section of the game, Senua is rowing a small boat down a river lined with corpses on pikes. The credits roll on the right side of the screen. The first name that is mentioned, before the director or the acting talent is the mental health professional they consulted while making the game. They are taking this seriously and it shows. The voices are present from the outset chanting "turn back", "you are going to die" "why are we here". The whole thing enforces doubt and unease and it never lets up. They are always there and comment on every move you make.

Let's get one thing out of the way, I feel like a great pair of head phones is essential for getting the proper experience from Hellblade. The game uses binaural audio, an effect that is hard to describe until you hear it. As the voices in Senua's head argue and ramble, scream and cry, they come at you from every direction. Its thrilling, atmospheric and ..............utterly terrifying. You are not sure if the voices are a game mechanic designed to give you direction or if they are there merely to keep you feeling off balance and doubting yourself. And then we have the other symptoms of Senua's condition, the visions. The best comparison I can give to describe some of the nightmarish sights that will burrow into your psyche is Silent hill on acid. I don't wont to elaborate too much as it would spoil the experience, but I can honestly say this is one of the most disturbing and thought provoking experiences I have had in any form of media. Think about that statement and let it sink in for a minute........ There are no cheap jump scares to shock you, just a constant feeling of unease that never lets up.

So, with the premise and audio out of the way, what does the game actually play like you may ask? In truth, this has as much in common with games like the Witness than it does with typical third person games. You will be required to solve puzzles based on perspective and disregarding the linear way you see reality. If that sounds strange, it is. you will need to see specific runes in the landscape around you in order to open doors, notice changes in scenery when viewed through gateways and basically question everything you see. You never know if what you are looking at is real or part of Senua's mind and this is the most important point- for someone suffering from Senua's condition, everything is real.

The Norse setting provides some absolutely superb backdrops for the journey. From the aforementioned boat ride at the start to the realities of various gods and even to Hell itself, this is without a doubt one of the most artistically stunning games ever created. It is capable of showing you the absolute worst that a human being can imagine in the depths of their mind, punctuated with short sections of incredible beauty and music. You will stop at several sections and just stare in wonder. Of course, none of this would be credible if not for the performance of Senua herself.

Melina Juergens is Ninja theories video editor. She was asked to fill in for mo-cap and facial animation until a full time actress could be hired. She did such an amazing job that she was offered the role. The facial work on display here is peerless. I think we have finally gotten past the "uncanny valley" territory and have reached a level of realism that is virtually photo realistic. You can see panic and pain in the way Senua's expression changes and see confusion in her eyes when multiple voices pull her in different directions. The movement animation is also top notch. Senua walks, runs and climbs with a feeling of weight. This also extends to the the games combat system.

Senua's exploring is punctuated with a number of combat sequences against faceless viking north men. You have a sword for protection with light and heavy attacks, a dodge, a block and melee attack used to throw opponents off balance. These core techniques will be used through the entire journey. Some may feel like this combat system is overly simplistic, especially compared to some of Ninja theories past efforts. But as you work your way through the game, the composition of combatants are expanded and mixed into different packs. Some enemies hide behind a shield until pushed of balance, others are incorporeal until you land a certain blow etc. This causes you to prioritise targets. As I mentioned earlier in the review, there is no information overlaid on the screen so you will not see any prompts or quick time events. instead you have to feel the flow of combat, weave in and out of opponents and strike when there is an opening. The voices also play a part in the combat mechanics, crying warnings of "behind you!" or "you cant win , run" etc. In practise this heightens the atmosphere and works really well, Especially during the games boss encounters which are uniformly excellent both in visual design and the tactics you need to employ in order to best them.

Having a look around at other peoples opinions online, I think it is fair to mention that people have encountered a bug in a section towards the end of the game which results in an auto save locking you in into an section you cant escape from. I did not have this problem my self but i think it is important to note.

Overall, the biggest compliment I can give Hellblade is that the experience effected me. It has been one of those rare games that leaves me thinking about it long after I shut down the PS4. It is intelligent, thought provoking and beautiful/disturbing in equal measure. At times it can be outright harrowing to play, but in that lies its brilliance. I would not call the experience fun, but i would recommend that everyone gives this a go. It's £25.00 on PSN at the moment and at the very least it will send a message to developers that games don't need to be triple A experiences or indie titles. They can be graphically excellent , thoughtful experiences that don't have to be £59.99.

I can only hope that we continue to get these experimental projects that push the industry forward.

Final Verdict

9/10