Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review: 3 Ups & 2 Downs
A fascinating experience, but not a great video game.
At the heart of Ninja Theory's (Devil May Cry, Enslaved) new video game, lays perception.
Deeply engulfed in Norse mythology, Senua's journey to hell to save the soul of her lover is much more than a simple narrative that serves as reason to do some hacking, slashing and exploration. This is a game about feelings and emotions not only of the main character, but mostly about the way she evokes them in others. And how this all leads to an illusion that's created for the character and the gamer as well.
The idea of an unreliable hero who's subject to trauma and/or emotional disorder is clearly nothing new, as it has been explored in games like Max Payne or Spec Ops: The Line, but here it seems that presenting the illness was more important than the actual enjoyment you're supposed to have during gameplay.
Yes, the topic itself is not enjoyable, but it influences the experience to the point that some people have become discouraged and even have crucial, ruinous problems completing the game.
What works and what doesn't? Well...