10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb
10 Yrs♥✓#
From the makers of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry, comes a warrior’s brutal journey into myth and madness. Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover.
3 Yrs♥✓#
domido
3 Yrs♥✓#
Yayy I'm looking forward to playing this one! I've started the download from Gamepass straightaway.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
right had my first session of hellblade:
Defeated Surtr and making my way through valkraven keep
So straight out of the bat the game disorientates you and quickly places you into senua's headspace with the voices really switching between helpful, mocking and fearful and it sets the tone for the game and still keeps it's cards close to it's chest by mentioning certain events and slowly building up to what each of these points in senaus have affected her. It also keeps the game rather claustrophobic by keeping the camera very close to the player so it limits what can and can't be seen.
The collectibles are also rather interesting as they build norse mythology into the collectibles. I was hoping for more celtic mythology but still I am learning alot more about norse mythology then I have before and makes me want to keep collecting them (they aren't too hard to find)
The combat though is rather lacklustre and doesn't have the umph which god of war combat has which is the closest comparison I can think of
Defeated Surtr and making my way through valkraven keep
So straight out of the bat the game disorientates you and quickly places you into senua's headspace with the voices really switching between helpful, mocking and fearful and it sets the tone for the game and still keeps it's cards close to it's chest by mentioning certain events and slowly building up to what each of these points in senaus have affected her. It also keeps the game rather claustrophobic by keeping the camera very close to the player so it limits what can and can't be seen.
The collectibles are also rather interesting as they build norse mythology into the collectibles. I was hoping for more celtic mythology but still I am learning alot more about norse mythology then I have before and makes me want to keep collecting them (they aren't too hard to find)
The combat though is rather lacklustre and doesn't have the umph which god of war combat has which is the closest comparison I can think of
4 Yrs♥$✓#
churros
4 Yrs♥$✓#
The graphics are beautiful, I'm interested in how the game will handle a protagonist suffering from psychosis and even the now overused Norse mythology I'm fond of. Despite all that, this game wants me to hate it.
The first time I did a matching puzzle it was alright. The second time I was already not too happy about it. The third time I couldn't believe this puzzle mechanic would be used throughout the game.
The first time the game threw an enemy at me it was OK, the movement while in the combat required some getting used to but the encounter ended soon enough. But then the game made me handle more than one enemy at once, not controlling which enemy I'm locked on drives me crazy (did I miss how to do it?). The longer fights with multiple enemies don't make any sense with such a shallow combat system.
But what killed any desire left to keep playing was dying not knowing why. At one time I fell from a ledge because I thought it was a cutscene and I wasn't controlling the character. Another time I got burnt to death, again, thinking I was on a cutscene and not really playing. The cherry on top of that is the mechanic of a limited number of deaths, your savefile is gone or something once you reach that unknown number if I understood correctly.
Retired.
The first time I did a matching puzzle it was alright. The second time I was already not too happy about it. The third time I couldn't believe this puzzle mechanic would be used throughout the game.
The first time the game threw an enemy at me it was OK, the movement while in the combat required some getting used to but the encounter ended soon enough. But then the game made me handle more than one enemy at once, not controlling which enemy I'm locked on drives me crazy (did I miss how to do it?). The longer fights with multiple enemies don't make any sense with such a shallow combat system.
But what killed any desire left to keep playing was dying not knowing why. At one time I fell from a ledge because I thought it was a cutscene and I wasn't controlling the character. Another time I got burnt to death, again, thinking I was on a cutscene and not really playing. The cherry on top of that is the mechanic of a limited number of deaths, your savefile is gone or something once you reach that unknown number if I understood correctly.
Retired.
3 Yrs♥✓#
Calbon
3 Yrs♥✓#
The mechanic that claims you have a limited amount of deaths is a load of shit made up to make the game look hardcore. I kind of wish this mechanic was a thing since I found the game somewhat easy, but I understand not fully committing to such a risk. Yeah, not being able to determine when you died or when a cutscene played is kind of annoying, but not really an issue I had with the game. What really sucks is how awful this game runs on PS5 sadly, since it is one of the few games that has issues on the console. The framerate was really inconsistent, and the lighting can get really awful and buggy for some reason. Idk I really enjoyed the game otherwise.
9 Yrs♥$✓#
The whole thing about limited lives has been debunked years ago. It's all a (somehwhat good) strategy by the devs to make you feel dread and anxiety which works well with the game in a way. Looks like their idea worked with you. 😁
13 Yrs♥F✓#
I've played through the game twice and really enjoyed my time with it.
It's a great piece of storytelling and audio design. I'm looking forward to the follow up and hope they make some major improvements to the combat.
It's a great piece of storytelling and audio design. I'm looking forward to the follow up and hope they make some major improvements to the combat.
4 Yrs♥$✓#
churros4 Yrs♥$✓#
Well... it didn't really work to be honest. When they stop the gameplay to write on the screen in all caps "ALL PROGRESS WILL BE LOST" it doesn't leave much room for wondering or interpretation:
I like when games try to be mischievous with their mechanics (Demon's Souls world tendency, a lot of what Tunic does, etc), but here there is nothing subtle or elegant about it. It would be really cool not having that message, and let me realize by myself that the rot is growing and make me wonder what happens if it takes over the entire body.
But anyway, that's a "not for me" game for sure.
9 Yrs✓#
erictbar
9 Yrs✓#
I am loving the aesthetic and playing with headphones on is a good audio experience.
Combat is hard for me, even on easy. Though I discovered that parrying is easy even when you are on one enemy pressing R1 will just parry the other opponent.
I also have trouble with the runes. The Y cross one had me walking around for 20 minutes. Even when I heard the screams and assumed that the rune meant that it was a dead person on one of the pikes. Lots of running around figuring what to do.
One time my character got stuck after looking in on a pile of dead bodies. I could hold R2 and turn around but not move. Had to restart the game to reset that.
I'm not sure what is going on with the back story, tbh.
It will either be me dying too many times from combat or the runes that will make me retire it, but the aesthetic and sounds are great and I hope to continue for now.
Combat is hard for me, even on easy. Though I discovered that parrying is easy even when you are on one enemy pressing R1 will just parry the other opponent.
I also have trouble with the runes. The Y cross one had me walking around for 20 minutes. Even when I heard the screams and assumed that the rune meant that it was a dead person on one of the pikes. Lots of running around figuring what to do.
One time my character got stuck after looking in on a pile of dead bodies. I could hold R2 and turn around but not move. Had to restart the game to reset that.
I'm not sure what is going on with the back story, tbh.
It will either be me dying too many times from combat or the runes that will make me retire it, but the aesthetic and sounds are great and I hope to continue for now.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Just finished Hellblade. Enjoyed alot of parts of it especially how it uses the camera to build a second person perspective and slowly builds up the backstory through senuas psychosis. It's combat is weak though and while I didn't mind the puzzles they weren't that varied as they were all spacial puzzles in nature.
10 Yrs♥✓#
knalb10 Yrs♥✓#
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Completionist 7h 44m 44s
Notes All lorestones. All achievements
Review
+Really puts you into the mindset on the main character and the mental illness they are facing
+Builds a story in fascinating fragments to give an overview of what Senua is going through
+Excellent camera work that really puts Senua into a second person perspective
-Combat is repetitive and rather weak
-Puzzles while effective are not varied and built purely around perspective
-Large sections where nothing really is happening
Overview:
Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice is great game that puts you into the mindset of the main character and them dealing with there mental health. It keeps you disorientated but not lost and does a great go in guiding the player along the path it sets. It uses this setup to slowly build the backstory of which Senua has been dealing with while giving an out of body feel by placing these flashbacks into using a second person perspective as you at Senua from the position of those she is dealing with. The story is the main pull of the game and makes the game worth a playthrough alas it’s gameplay is unfortunately lacking. The combat is lacking and is too simple and repetitive to be that interesting. Puzzles while dealt with better then combat lack enough variety as they are for most part all built and change perspectives and they should’ve been a few more styles of puzzles in the game.
8/10
Completionist 7h 44m 44s
Notes All lorestones. All achievements
Review
+Really puts you into the mindset on the main character and the mental illness they are facing
+Builds a story in fascinating fragments to give an overview of what Senua is going through
+Excellent camera work that really puts Senua into a second person perspective
-Combat is repetitive and rather weak
-Puzzles while effective are not varied and built purely around perspective
-Large sections where nothing really is happening
Overview:
Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice is great game that puts you into the mindset of the main character and them dealing with there mental health. It keeps you disorientated but not lost and does a great go in guiding the player along the path it sets. It uses this setup to slowly build the backstory of which Senua has been dealing with while giving an out of body feel by placing these flashbacks into using a second person perspective as you at Senua from the position of those she is dealing with. The story is the main pull of the game and makes the game worth a playthrough alas it’s gameplay is unfortunately lacking. The combat is lacking and is too simple and repetitive to be that interesting. Puzzles while dealt with better then combat lack enough variety as they are for most part all built and change perspectives and they should’ve been a few more styles of puzzles in the game.
8/10
6 Yrs✓#
nibilly
6 Yrs✓#
About 2 hours in so far. Seems like a mediocre title - not bad, not great. The graphics are definitely a standout, truly beautiful.
12 YrsF✓
GamerComedy
12 YrsF✓
Oh rad, this has been on my backlog for a while ever since my partner played it and loved it. Finally a good reason to go through it!
3 Yrs♥✓#
domido3 Yrs♥✓#
I finished Hellblade today!
Time: 8h 04mins
Normal Difficulty; 90% Xbox Achievements
Rating: 7/10
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I really like what the game tried to do; on the other hand it didn't end up completely clicking for me. A 7 out of 10 is still a really high rating though.
What I liked:
* The voices in my head. A combination of ASMR, stress-induction and tenseness all at the same time. Great concept.
* Senua's quest is really straightforward. She wants to rescue her boyfriend from death; of course to get there she has to fight foes and get powerful new weapons.
* I didn't like the combat, but I did like the focus feature where you can slow-down time during battles and feel super powerful.
* Some of the puzzles gave me 'The Medium' vibes. Of course, this game came out before, so it would've been the other way around but I played The Medium first and I enjoyed it more.
* I also liked the fact that some environments were completely different from each other. A dark area, one where you're chased by a beast, a grim forest, a castle. I thought that was a nice touch and it mixed things up a bit.
* The final battle was fun.
What I didn't like:
* Combat is messy. You can kind of follow one foe, but others can sneak behind you. Dodging doesn't feel great because you're slow and block and parry feels a bit finicky.
* Some of the puzzles are a bit nit-picky with where you aim the camera. Also trying to find a certain shape is not the most inspiring puzzle ever.
* The different elements of on the one had Norse Mythology as told through the lorestones and Senua's backstory was too much for me in a short time. You have the voices in your head, the narration of her story and generic mythology which was mostly all new to me. As such I had difficulty keeping up and the end game was a bit lost on me.
I'm looking forward to Hellblade 2, but I do hope the combat feels a bit better and there's more variety to the puzzles.
Time: 8h 04mins
Normal Difficulty; 90% Xbox Achievements
Rating: 7/10
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I really like what the game tried to do; on the other hand it didn't end up completely clicking for me. A 7 out of 10 is still a really high rating though.
What I liked:
* The voices in my head. A combination of ASMR, stress-induction and tenseness all at the same time. Great concept.
* Senua's quest is really straightforward. She wants to rescue her boyfriend from death; of course to get there she has to fight foes and get powerful new weapons.
* I didn't like the combat, but I did like the focus feature where you can slow-down time during battles and feel super powerful.
* Some of the puzzles gave me 'The Medium' vibes. Of course, this game came out before, so it would've been the other way around but I played The Medium first and I enjoyed it more.
* I also liked the fact that some environments were completely different from each other. A dark area, one where you're chased by a beast, a grim forest, a castle. I thought that was a nice touch and it mixed things up a bit.
* The final battle was fun.
What I didn't like:
* Combat is messy. You can kind of follow one foe, but others can sneak behind you. Dodging doesn't feel great because you're slow and block and parry feels a bit finicky.
* Some of the puzzles are a bit nit-picky with where you aim the camera. Also trying to find a certain shape is not the most inspiring puzzle ever.
* The different elements of on the one had Norse Mythology as told through the lorestones and Senua's backstory was too much for me in a short time. You have the voices in your head, the narration of her story and generic mythology which was mostly all new to me. As such I had difficulty keeping up and the end game was a bit lost on me.
I'm looking forward to Hellblade 2, but I do hope the combat feels a bit better and there's more variety to the puzzles.
6 Yrs✓#
nibilly6 Yrs✓#
Just completed. 7/10 very average. Game was too slow paced / sluggish for my liking. Combat was decent. Puzzles and graphics were the highlight for me.
12 Yrs♥F$✓#
I'm really enjoying this game so far - about 3 hours in and am up to the part where you have to face a bunch of "trials" to recover the fragments of the sword.
I can see why it might not be for everyone, but the pacing is really keeping my hooked at the moment. So much so that I find myself stopping here and there as I play, just to sock up the last story beat or lore dump that's be revealed. The story itself is intriguing, while the presentation is top of the class. There's no surprise that this is a master class in audio design, both with and without headphones. I've played about half of the time with headphones, and half with surround sound speakers, and my speaker set up is just as effective for the whole 3D sound thing. Although, I would advise turning the volume up a little more than the average, just to really let those subtle nuances have their moment.
For this kind of game, I'm not really looking for challenging combat, so I'm happy it's a bit of a cakewalk. I still find it fun and a nice way to break up the heavy story, but I kind of like its simplicity because I feel like anything too complex would shift the vibe way too much. The puzzles are fine as well and I like that they teach you something and then the mechanic follows through in future sections. While it is using the same "matching" system, I like how the levels are designed and laid out to facilitate a bit of exploration.
Of course, I'm still in what is probably the first half of the game, so my views may change, but right now I'm really loving the whole experience and how each element plays into another. That and Ninja Theory do be making the good looking games... even if I went into the .ini files and disabled motion blur...
I can see why it might not be for everyone, but the pacing is really keeping my hooked at the moment. So much so that I find myself stopping here and there as I play, just to sock up the last story beat or lore dump that's be revealed. The story itself is intriguing, while the presentation is top of the class. There's no surprise that this is a master class in audio design, both with and without headphones. I've played about half of the time with headphones, and half with surround sound speakers, and my speaker set up is just as effective for the whole 3D sound thing. Although, I would advise turning the volume up a little more than the average, just to really let those subtle nuances have their moment.
For this kind of game, I'm not really looking for challenging combat, so I'm happy it's a bit of a cakewalk. I still find it fun and a nice way to break up the heavy story, but I kind of like its simplicity because I feel like anything too complex would shift the vibe way too much. The puzzles are fine as well and I like that they teach you something and then the mechanic follows through in future sections. While it is using the same "matching" system, I like how the levels are designed and laid out to facilitate a bit of exploration.
Of course, I'm still in what is probably the first half of the game, so my views may change, but right now I'm really loving the whole experience and how each element plays into another. That and Ninja Theory do be making the good looking games... even if I went into the .ini files and disabled motion blur...
9 Yrs♥$✓#
For those who would like to play and don't own the game yet (and are PC gamers), it's 75% off at the Humble Bundle store at the moment...
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice
12 Yrs♥F$✓#
holy moly... those final few lines and final few seconds, followed by some corny ass credits music really killed what was otherwise a fantastic ending
finished now, and I really enjoyed this game from start to finish - didn't mind the puzzles either, they were easy and didn't get in the way any more than the combat sections, which were nicely tied into the story especially by the final act ultimately I think this is a great example of story telling in games and how it can be treated differently to other mediums and how it can be evocative and moving in its own way
plus the visuals are stunning and the design work that's been put in really elevates the game higher than it otherwise might have reached - I especially enjoyed the more surreal sequences that represented memories and recollections of the past in such a maniacally beautiful way
top game... glad I played it
finished now, and I really enjoyed this game from start to finish - didn't mind the puzzles either, they were easy and didn't get in the way any more than the combat sections, which were nicely tied into the story especially by the final act ultimately I think this is a great example of story telling in games and how it can be treated differently to other mediums and how it can be evocative and moving in its own way
plus the visuals are stunning and the design work that's been put in really elevates the game higher than it otherwise might have reached - I especially enjoyed the more surreal sequences that represented memories and recollections of the past in such a maniacally beautiful way
top game... glad I played it
9 Yrs♥$✓#
Finally got to play my first session and it was great. I played for ~1h40.
I went left first and fought Valravn ((The God of Illusion). I can understand why people don't like the combat much but I got the hang of it very quickly. Once you learn how to parry and attack with combos and also do melee attakcs and focus. Ironically, so far I've only died once and it was at the very, very beginning where you cross a narrow plank the first time, I lost my balance and fell to my death. But I guess it's how you learn the mecanics of this game. I was also impressed that this games gradually shows you how to play using the environment and battles. There is no tutorial within the game, no hand holding or anything like that, which was kinda neat.
So far so good ! :)
I went left first and fought Valravn ((The God of Illusion). I can understand why people don't like the combat much but I got the hang of it very quickly. Once you learn how to parry and attack with combos and also do melee attakcs and focus. Ironically, so far I've only died once and it was at the very, very beginning where you cross a narrow plank the first time, I lost my balance and fell to my death. But I guess it's how you learn the mecanics of this game. I was also impressed that this games gradually shows you how to play using the environment and battles. There is no tutorial within the game, no hand holding or anything like that, which was kinda neat.
So far so good ! :)
9 Yrs♥$✓#
I completed the game a few days ago. I highly recommend it. It's extremely polished. Some of the best visual and sound designs in video games of the past five years. The gameplay supports the narrative really well and the game has a perfect lenght (took me six hours to beat with is lower than the eight average). I only missed seven Lorestones which is not too bad considering there are 44 to find. It's a solid 9/10 as far as I'm concerned.