Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (2017)

Regarding this title, one thing I see a lot - and I see it said for other games as well but especially for this - is how you need to wear headphones to really get the full experience thanks to the voices constantly talking to her, and I do agree with that. HOWEVER, people who claim that that's the thing that saves it are absolutely wrong. These people state "this is the thing that creates the immersion which makes the game worth it" and these are the very same kind of people who claim you need to watch a movie like "Skinamarink" in the dark, alone with headphones in order to fully "get it".

But no, you're wrong. I watched that movie exactly that way, without even knowing that was the intended way to do so, and it still sucked. It's still easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. A badly produced product is still a badly produced product regardless of how you experience it. The only thing that might overwhelmingly alter your opinion in regards to how you experience something is nostalgia. This is why so many of us cling to clearly bad movies that we saw as children and still love, because we saw them AS children, so they're imprinted on us in a way.

Now that's not to say Hellblade is bad, because unlike "Skinamarink", it isn't just one blurry shot of a forest for two hours with barely audible dialogue. Hellblade is beautifully made. On a technical level, I get why it's admired and respected. And hell, I can get behind something being nothing more than a spectacle for the eye. I recently watched the movie "Mad God" and that film is incredible but not because of the supposed tale it tells - the very same narrative the filmmaker states doesn't exist, for the record - but simply because it was mesmerizing to look at and engage with on a visual level, and Hellblade is very much that way. The voices, the overall look, the sound design, yeah, I can admire that. What Hellblade ISN'T is fun to interact with, again, like "Skinamarink".

I hate to compare something that isn't actually bad to one of the worst movies ever made, but it's a comparison I can't stop from making. And for the record, I'm not saying immersion isn't real or isn't capable of boosting your opinion of something. Definitely it can. There's a reason why the Avatar films were made in 3D because despite it being an absolute gimmick, it really did kind of give you a depth to the world that would've been otherwise lost in general standard film. So yes, immersion can play a part in something, but immersion cannot be the sole defining aspect, and in far too many cases, people try to argue that it is.

And in those cases, those people are wrong. Point blank.

Anyway, Hellblade is a tech demo with very dumb puzzles that don't make sense and very minor instances of combat that are very fluid at least, and so yeah, for 3 bucks I'm not that disappointed, but had I paid more? I might be a little harsher. It's a walking simulator, essentially; a more high end visual novel, if you will. I'm not saying there isn't an audience for it, because there clearly is, even if I disagree with overwhelmingly positive reviews for something so aggressively mediocre, but it has its place despite all that. I respect that enough.

Don't watch "Skinamarink" though. Good god just gauge your eyes out instead, that will be more fun and worthwhile.

Beat on Hard from gamepass core. The very first thing I noticed about this game was the amazing presentation; the excellent mix of voice, audio and visual effects that created a very immersive, tense, psychological horror atmosphere. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and by the end I felt attached to Senua. However, the gameplay was not great. I felt it was wasting my time a lot and that the overly cinematic nature of the game lent more towards watching someone else play rather than playing yourself. The puzzles were creative though I did not like the ones that required me to view broken objects from a very specific location. It also took me longer than I want to admit to realize that hidden rune locations were marked by the floating rune symbols. All this combined with the plodding slow movement speed made the game take longer than it needed to. I missed several lore stones and I am dubious about how well those collectibles fit into the game. They were interesting and very well voice acted, but kind of detracted from the psychological horror.

Combat was engaging though not as good as DMC. Quick light attack, slow heavy attack that was only good if the enemy was slowed or staggered, kick, enemies with visible wounds and injured animations, a very quick lunging thrust, dodge, block stance with perfect parries, and later the time slowing ability. I liked how the voices helped in combat, warning when an attack was coming outside of view. Combat was mostly about avoiding getting flanked and knowing what to do against each enemy. Standard sword guys were block and fast attack combo followed by a strong attack when they were staggered. Sometimes they did strong attacks that should be dodged but blocking them would only knock me down. Mace guys were dodge instead of block, and shield guys were dodge twice then kick before the attack combo. Kick could also be used to break the guard of sword guys but I more often blocked. The big 2 handed axe guys required a lot of dodging and took a lot of hits to take down; mostly quick attacks but I could get some power attacks in when they slammed their axe into the ground. The dual wield guys were the most difficult; fast, dangerous and less predictable with a throwing attack. They were priority #1. I did Valravn first and died many times while learning his moveset and how to counter each. That was a long grueling fight, knowing which moves to block and which to dodge, knowing when to lunge, quick or power attack. I did not like the implied limited number of lives, so after my first death in a regular battle I force quit the game before it saved. I later read that there was not actually permanent death. I died several times at the first balancing sequence. Would have been nice if the game told me I had to input when every time before she did all movements on her own. I would have preferred not to have that stupid balancing mechanic at all. I beat the following bosses on my first try, and by then I figured out I could mash buttons to get up from death to fight in a slower injured state until health regened. Surt was very similar to a 2 handed axe guy, while the beast was about well timed dodges followed by strong attacks to his flank. The way blindness and audio locating were used in that fight was very creative. The entire blind level was done very well, with sounds showing up as ghostly images, and inanimate objects showing up at close distances when you stopped to listen. The Vale Shadow of the Crown should have played like this. I liked the intense combat and boss gauntlet at the end but was disappointed at the lack of a proper final boss. I was fighting the final battle for a long time, wondering if the enemies were infinite and if I had to do something gimmicky. Then I died and was annoyed. Then the ending played. Oh so that was an unwinnable fight? As a final boss fight? Lame.

So it had very high production quality with very immersive cinematic almost movie or walking simulator gameplay, interspersed with mediocre to creative puzzles and combat. It is a game that I would not play again and struggle to recommend that someone play it instead of watching a let's play. It could have been better with faster movement speed, puzzle assist mode, and alternate play modes to provide replayability. Something like an arcade combat only mode. I would have preferred more combat focus with larger arenas and greater variety of enemies and tools/weapons/magic to fight them.

6.7/10

2 hours in and....

HOLY CRAP!

I have a few minor squabbles about the game but overall I am IN IT!

Firstly, the way they are tackling this heavy subject matter... hats off to them. I can't speak in any intelligent way about psychosis; I am not a mental health expert by any means. But I am very impressed with the way they're handling it. And the FIRST person on their team that they list is the "Mental Health Advisor." That alone tells you how much love and work they're putting into getting this right.

Okay. The combat is simple but at the same time feels real. Your awareness of the surroundings is key, which I love. It may be simple, but it FEELS so damn good. Puzzles so far are engaging and just the right amount of challenging, with the challenge tiering.. the more of one type you do, the more difficult they get. Love that. Overall atmosphere is fantastic.

PSA: Play with headphones on. Just do it. And tell your significant other to go do something else for a while. Enjoy this game with no distractions. Ideally in the dark.