Perception is controlled hallucination.
From the makers of Devil May Cry (5), one of my favourite series comes the psychological thriller action - adventure Hellblade : Senua’s Sacrifice, etching their name in the pillars upholding the gaming industry. This game at its best delivers to us the complexities surrounding the inner self and its demons.
You are Senua, a Celtic warrior who has entered the wilds in an attempt to reach Helheim, the Norse underworld. Your sole purpose is to get back the soul of Dillion, her loved one from the darkness that took it. Her tribe was killed and immolated by Northmen (the Vikings) along with her beloved. Senua’s people including her father Zynbel blamed her for they thought the she was cursed and will bring darkness upon them. Dillion was the only one in her favour and convinced her otherwise. Tormented by the loss and anger she embarks on this personal and tragic journey. Fuelled by love she reaches the underworld to defeat Hela, the daughter of Loki and the Goddess of Helheim, even if she has to offer her soul in exchange. You are never alone as voices in her head start to speak giving you constant company for better or worse. As she progresses, she has to defeat a few sentinels to the gates of Helheim, which unlocks the door towards it. The darkness is a constant challenge she has to face with each step a different and a nuanced monster to defeat, leading to Hela. Druth, one of the Northmen and a former slave of the darkness guides her through this treacherous path occasionally informing us about Ragnarok through glyph bearing lore-stones. It is the end of several Norse Gods and their worlds. This acts like a secret tape found in other games to reveal more about the world we are in. Motivated and made hopeful by hallucinations of Dillion, discouraged by the voices speaking in her head and with dark forces encircling her, Senua is out to overcome the psychotic perception of her reality and mind. Hallucinations and delusions drives the protagonist to failure and success being the core element of this game. The narrative is engaging and immersive complementing the other facets of the game. It sucked me deep into the abyss of Senua’s mind; her fear, anger, loss, vengeance and confusion resonated within me. I remember being scared or revengeful when situations demanded. The plot kept me going and always remained intriguing. It definitely hits the sweet spot with its 8-10 hours of gameplay and I personally feel that is how long a game should be and not overstay its welcome. The game is an exquisite introspective amalgamation of the physical and mental world of Senua. Her victory lies in accepting it, as said – “The hardest battles are fought in the mind”.
The game mainly focuses on evocative puzzle solving and unpretentious combat. Certain doors and ways can only be unlocked if some particular glyphs are found and focused on in the environment. Discovering and connecting these runes are fascinating. For example, aligning yourself perfectly to see the shards of a broken staircase and then focusing on it will join them and incorporate it in the world. Finding paths can be a bit ambiguous at times. Things aren’t that obvious here and you will have to look under every nook and cranny to find your way. This was the only thing which made me quit and come back with a fresh mind to figure things out.
Combat is limited but adequate supporting the narrative well. We have a focus ability which lets you see the shadow-enemies and slows down time to aid in your battle. There is a sense of realism and plausibility to the confined set of moves which made me feel content. You will be outnumbered where the shortness of moves will itch you but they were next to none for me. The voices in Senua’s head often help her informing her of an incoming attack from behind or using focus when you’re weak and down. No matter how unpromising they are throughout the entire journey, they can’t survive without Senua and this basic instinct forces them to help her in dire times.
There isn’t a lot of variety in the regular enemies except the occasional bosses. Having said that, they all have varied move set, learning and anticipating which will lead to victory. I found the most important combat-mechanic to be evade. That in my opinion, is the key to survive in this game.
Early on the game, Senua is touched by darkness which spreads slowly from her hand to her head with each death on the premise of deleting the entire save data if it reaches your head. It is an exhilarating addition to the game and its story. This makes every combat a tense and panic-stricken experience.
Every new expanse has its own quirk, be it monster hunting shadows or going to a different time to get through an area. I remember the area where a step in any shadow invites a monster to devour Senua. There were very few lit areas to save you. One wrong move and you’re dead with the darkness in your hand increasing with each death. This prohibited exploration and pushed me to take a plunge towards something I assumed can work. This became unnerving and worked me up. It is an excellent way to spice things up big time as it constantly keeps you on the edge, toying with your mind.
The game looks hauntingly beautiful with dark and cold environments almost throughout the game. The characters as well as the surroundings have a great amount of detail in them. Textures are really bad in low graphic settings though. I felt some places are poorly optimized with frame drops and horrible stutters. The level design here is on point and even simple walking animation of enemies intimidated me. The eminent world which figuratively and literally downsizes Senua with the stellar and raw performance of the lead adds depth and life to the story. From rainstorms to incinerating houses to torch-lit areas to gloomy beaches all look and feel brilliant only reinforcing the theme of the game. The game incorporates clips of live-action footage with heavy distorted effects without seeming out of place, delivering significant and well-performed moments.
Hellblade asks you to use your headphones as soon you start the game in order to exploit the binaural sound design. This basically means that you will be able to differentiate between sounds based on their distance and location (3-D sound). And believe me, it was some experience to play this game using this technology. The voices in your head will feel almost real and the chant which plays when fighting enemies will give you the adrenaline rush to either do or die. The background score is daunting, continuously inspiring a sense of fear with imminent and omnipresent threat.
The idea behind this game was the traumatized character fighting her apparitions and perceptions of what is real and what is not. The game makes us aware about the effects of psychosis and shows us enough about it without being insensitive or offensive. The protagonist is inspired from the experience of real life patients and that knowledge is subtly welded in the game’s experience. I would urge you all to check out Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice : Dev’s Diary on YouTube, for the developer Ninja Theory have outdone themselves and made a substantial mark in today’s gaming industry. Perhaps, this game might not be liked by everyone but despite its paltry flaws, it stands out a hero.
Hellblade : Senua’s Sacrifice is a harrowing but excellent merger of subjective and objective reality in the hero’s mind and delivers to us her twisted and perilous path she takes on to find peace. It is a game you are not supposed to trust because what you see is not always real. It is a must play and definitely surpasses expectations in all of its aspects and did not fail to satisfy me. It gets a whopping 9 out of 10 for its sheer brilliance.
