Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Review Roundup – A Master Class In Storytelling

So to put things into perspective we are doing a review round up for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice so you can know what critics think of the game.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has launched for PC and PlayStation 4 and it is safe to say that Hellblade is one of the most anticipated game launches of this year and reviews for the game have started to pour in.

So to put things into perspective we are doing a review round up for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice so you can know what critics think of the game.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Review Roundup

Gamesbeat – 95/100

It might have been madness for a small studio like Ninja Theory to take on such a herculean task, but I’m glad they made the trip.

PlayStation LifeStyle – 9/10

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a complete experience for a bargain price. Struggling through life as a psychosis sufferer is an alarming experience, and Hellblade provides an illuminating glimpse into the lives of those afflicted by such terror.

IGN – 9/10

A masterclass of atmosphere, storytelling, and the marriage of mechanical and conceptual design. While there are moments that feel shoehorned in to remind us we’re playing a videogame, the care and attention Ninja Theory has clearly poured into Senua and her story has created something amazing. This is a game everyone should play, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to have lived inside the mind of Senua, however briefly.

Gamespot – 8/10

Hellblade’s most notable achievement is the handling of an incredibly sensitive subject matter within an engaging and well-crafted action/adventure game. At its heart, the story is about Senua’s struggle to come to terms with her illness. In the process, she learns to find the strength within herself to endure, and to make peace with her past. And in a profound and physical way, we go through those same struggles with her, and come away with a better understanding of a piece of something that many people in the world struggle with.

Game Informer – 8

Psychosis in video games is often used to justify a villain’s world-destroying ambitions, or as a vehicle to present gameplay gimmicks. Hellblade goes beyond those conventions, using Senua’s mental illness as the core from which the entire tale radiates. That approach results in some phenomenal and unsettling narrative moments that knock you off-balance. However, in pursuit of that achievement, Hellblade weaponizes the real-world frustration it causes in exploration and combat. That’s where it falters as a game, even while it captivates as a piece of interactive art.

Push Square – 8/10

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is not going to appeal to all tastes, and nor does it try to. As a character action game, it has decent if underdeveloped combat and a mixture of some excellent and some overplayed puzzles. But it’s the way that the title utilises the unique attributes of the medium to raise awareness of mental health that elevate this release beyond the sum of its parts.

Destructoid – 7.5

Slowly but surely Ninja Theory has moved into film territory, but they can’t let go of their need to shove action mechanics into everything they do.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory for PC and PlayStation 4.

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