Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

About

In "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice," players journey through a dark and twisted world as Senua, a Celtic warrior suffering from psychosis. Fighting against both external foes and internal demons, Senua battles to save her lover's soul and confront her own inner darkness. Using innovative binaural audio technology, the game immerses players in Senua's haunted mindscape and offers a powerful portrayal of mental illness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 32,631 reviews

story9.1k positive mentions

grinding620 negative mentions

The emotional depth and unique portrayal of mental illness in the story of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is widely praised, creating a compelling narrative that resonates with players.
The game's stunning visuals and immersive sound design contribute to a haunting atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience.
The absence of microtransactions and a straightforward pricing model is appreciated, providing a refreshing return to genuine gaming without profit-driven mechanics.

Gameplay mechanics, including combat and puzzles, are criticized for their simplicity and repetitiveness, leading to a monotonous experience.
The game suffers from performance issues and bugs, with many players reporting glitches that disrupt gameplay and hinder progress.
The linear gameplay and lack of significant content diminish replayability, making the game feel short and less engaging for multiple playthroughs.

story
19,630 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The story of *Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice* is widely praised for its emotional depth and unique portrayal of mental illness, particularly psychosis, as it follows the titular character, Senua, on her harrowing journey to rescue her deceased lover's soul from the Norse underworld. Players are drawn into a rich narrative interwoven with Norse mythology, enhanced by stunning visuals and immersive sound design, which together create a haunting atmosphere that resonates long after the game ends. While the gameplay mechanics, including combat and puzzles, receive mixed reviews for their simplicity and repetitiveness, the compelling storytelling remains the standout feature that captivates players throughout the experience.
- “Hellblade is such a beautiful game with a story that gut punches you the entire way through.”
- “The story is rich and its presentation just pulls you right in and engages the player.”
- “Senua’s sacrifice: a masterpiece of storytelling and immersion. Hellblade: Senua’s sacrifice is a mind-blowing journey that goes into the mind of a woman battling both the outside world and her own mental illness.”
- “The game has some potential, but the storyline is extremely boring and very badly executed.”
- “The story is sometimes blurry, maybe because the mind of Senua is also twisted.”
- “The story is confusing and is delivered in some shreds by voices in your head.”
gameplay
8,046 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
10%
The gameplay of "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its immersive storytelling and atmospheric design while criticizing its repetitive mechanics. The combat is generally described as simple and straightforward, lacking depth and variety, which can lead to a monotonous experience, especially during encounters with limited enemy types. Puzzles, primarily based on environmental exploration and perspective alignment, are seen as engaging initially but can become tedious over time, contributing to a gameplay loop that some players find lacking in challenge and innovation. Overall, while the game excels in narrative and audio-visual presentation, its gameplay is often viewed as a secondary element that may not satisfy those seeking a more traditional gaming experience.
- “The gameplay seamlessly blends puzzles, exploration, and visceral combat, serving as a metaphor for her inner battles.”
- “The unique thing here is how the game integrates Senua’s psychosis into gameplay—her auditory hallucinations aren’t just for show; they actively affect how you approach the challenges.”
- “The gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, with a strong focus on storytelling and atmosphere rather than traditional RPG mechanics.”
- “Sure, it looks pretty, but the gameplay is repetitive, and the story never really grabbed me.”
- “Gameplay is not that great; sometimes just plain bad. It gets boring and frustrating at times, and the level design is merely serviceable.”
- “The gameplay is quite monotonous, revolving around walking through 'corridors', exploring environments to solve repetitive puzzles to open doors (always the same ones), and engaging in combat with the same enemy (with beautiful animations but feeling more like QTEs than real fights).”
graphics
7,816 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The graphics of "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visual fidelity and atmospheric design, often described as breathtaking and cinematic. Players have praised the game's ability to create immersive environments that effectively convey the protagonist's psychological struggles, enhanced by exceptional sound design and motion capture performances. While some minor graphical issues and optimization concerns have been noted, the overall presentation is considered a significant highlight, making it a visually impressive experience even years after its release.
- “Incredible visuals & atmosphere – the game is visually breathtaking, with stunning environments, haunting imagery, and impressive motion capture.”
- “The game’s visuals are breathtaking, with lush environments that contrast with the desolate landscapes that accompany you throughout your journey.”
- “The graphics are stunning, with beautiful environments and incredible facial animations that make Senua feel real.”
- “I was personally more annoyed than anything by the constant voices and distorted visuals.”
- “The graphics are not that good; they used the color palettes well, and I didn't care about the graphics because of this event.”
- “The graphics is somewhat unoptimized.”
atmosphere
3,235 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
35%
1%
The atmosphere in "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively conveying the protagonist's psychological struggles through stunning visuals and exceptional sound design. Players note the game's ability to create a sense of dread and tension, enhanced by binaural audio that makes the experience feel intimate and personal. While some critiques mention repetitive gameplay, the overwhelming consensus is that the atmospheric storytelling and emotional depth make it a standout title in the gaming landscape.
- “Ninja Theory did a great job setting the atmosphere and making the player feel what Senua feels.”
- “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a visual and acoustic masterwork, delivering an almost photorealistic world with stunning environments and atmospheric lighting.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive and keeps you on edge the entire time.”
- “The game leans way too hard on the atmosphere and forgets to make the actual gameplay fun.”
- “Only thing good about this game is the atmosphere, gameplay is crap and the puzzles suck.”
- “The atmosphere is gripping and hearing the voices in Senua's head makes me feel like I am experiencing her in my own head.”
music
2,446 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
44%
2%
The music in "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" has been widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the game's emotional depth and immersive experience. Many reviewers highlighted the powerful soundtrack, particularly during combat and key narrative moments, which elevates the intensity of the gameplay. However, some criticized the choice of a modern pop song during the ending credits, feeling it detracted from the overall tone established throughout the game. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's storytelling and atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack completes the experience, using spooky, atmospheric music and Norse-inspired chants to boost tension.”
- “The music is so perfect and pretty, perfectly setting the tone and enhancing the dramatic atmosphere.”
- “The music during the fights is intense, tense, and very top-notch.”
- “This game has a soundtrack that is lacking in identity.”
- “Either way, the music itself is often tone deaf to the story and killed immersion more than occasionally.”
- “They build the whole game perfectly and at the end they throw a random pop song and a cringe catchphrase that ruins the whole atmosphere and immersion that you had while playing the story.”
emotional
1,689 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" is widely praised for its profound storytelling and immersive experience, effectively portraying the struggles of mental illness through the protagonist's journey. Players report feeling deeply connected to Senua, experiencing a range of emotions from fear and sadness to hope and resilience, often leading to tears by the game's conclusion. The combination of stunning visuals, exceptional voice acting, and innovative sound design enhances the emotional weight of the narrative, making it a standout title that resonates long after the gameplay ends.
- “Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a masterclass in storytelling, visual and auditory design, and emotional engagement.”
- “Senua's journey is deeply emotional, exploring themes of grief, trauma, and resilience.”
- “The game offers an emotional journey that pulls you in from the start.”
- “While the game has beautiful graphics, the boring story with the poor optimization and linear gameplay turned me off.”
- “This is a walking simulator with a boring story.”
- “I found them to be irritating, pointless and time wasting attempts to stretch out this boring story which is supposedly all about mental health.”
optimization
1,005 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
42%
13%
The optimization of "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and frame rate drops, particularly on high settings or with ray tracing enabled. While some users experienced smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others noted that even mid-range hardware struggled, indicating that the game is not consistently optimized across different configurations. Overall, while the visuals and performances are praised, the game's optimization remains a notable concern for many players.
- “The game is well optimized and runs on max settings at 60 fps without efforts (with oc sli gtx 660 & 16gb ram)”
- “The graphics are nice, but performance takes a hit occasionally.”
- “The game runs smoothly here on 2d surround (5760x1080) but only in window mode.”
- “The most noticeable problem is the constant stuttering, which happens frequently as the game loads new areas or effects.”
- “It's poorly optimized, like most newer games.”
- “The game is a stuttering mess and nothing I tried fixed it.”
grinding
699 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
10%
89%
The aspect of "grinding" in the game has been widely criticized, with many players finding the gameplay tedious and repetitive. The puzzles, often described as simplistic and monotonous, contribute to a sense of frustration, especially due to the slow movement speed and the need for backtracking. While some players appreciate the story and atmosphere, the overall experience is marred by the tedious nature of both combat and puzzle-solving, leading to a consensus that the game can feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “High grind can become tedious but manageable.”
- “You're mostly running from point A to B and doing arduous gate 'puzzles' to open them, which often just takes you out of the story itself and becomes tedious after the third time.”
- “The puzzles were a bit tedious at times, and the game doesn't really give you directions on what to do, so initially while trying to figure the game out it can be quite confusing.”
- “The puzzles are tedious, the combat is tedious, and the walking about at an incredibly slow pace on a mostly linear path is very tedious.”
replayability
367 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
62%
28%
The game has been widely criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it can be completed in a short time (around 6-10 hours) and lacks significant content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players appreciate the unique narrative experience and may revisit it for story elements or missed collectibles, the consensus is that the linear gameplay and repetitive mechanics diminish its overall replay value.
- “While it might not have the replay value of other games, it's an experience that will stay with you long after you finish.”
- “This design choice rewards players for their curiosity and enhances the game's replayability.”
- “The game is a great, short story, and is well worth a purchase despite the brevity (even better if you can get it on sale, however, as it boasts limited replayability).”
- “It only takes about 8 hours to 100%, is more cinematic than action, and has 0 replayability...so just be aware of that when deciding what price is right for you.”
- “An incredibly unique experience that unfortunately lacks replayability, due to a bit shallow gameplay between combat and story events.”
- “The only flaw that I could find is that there is no replayable value.”
stability
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
3%
86%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as getting stuck in terrain, unresponsive controls, and visual issues. While some users experienced no major problems and found the game to run smoothly, others faced significant game-breaking glitches that required restarts or hindered progress. Overall, the game is described as having a range of minor to severe stability issues, impacting the overall experience for many players.
- “The game is extremely well optimized, bug free, very polished and stable.”
- “The game ran at max settings with a consistent 60fps, no stuttering, no glitches, no crashes.”
- “It's polished, had no glitches or issues throughout the entire playthrough, it's absolutely beautiful.”
- “The game is a buggy mess.”
- “Game isn't terrible except for the fact that the last level is completely broken; I've tried 6 plus times to get past the bridge on chapter 12, go through the cutscene, and it glitches me back to chapter selection every time. I cannot complete the game; kinda sucks, wanted to see the ending, guess I'll watch it on YouTube.”
- “There are quite a few technical glitches - unresponsive controls (lack of response to block commands, for example, lead to deaths with you shouting at the screen; I actually broke my Xbox controller hitting it so hard after a particularly grueling sequence of unresponsive combat).”
character development
192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
Character development in the game is widely praised for its depth and emotional resonance, particularly through the protagonist Senua, whose journey reflects a nuanced portrayal of mental health struggles. Reviewers highlight the exceptional character design and voice acting, which enhance the immersive storytelling experience, although some note a lack of broader character development for supporting characters. Overall, the game's focus on narrative and character progression is seen as a standout feature, making it a compelling experience for players who appreciate strong storytelling.
- “Even though it was fairly short, I loved every second of it and there was so much plot and character development that it felt so much longer in the best way possible.”
- “The heart of Hellblade is its storytelling and character development.”
- “The character development, especially the handling of mental health problems, was brilliant.”
- “This game made it a bit cringe from time to time and overdid it at the cost of any character development.”
- “You get to lightly jog around and solve puzzles to progress an uninteresting story that you should care about when there's no character development beforehand.”
- “Ninja Theory's second poor man's God of War with a boring protagonist, who undergoes no character development, with the fun sucked out of it.”
humor
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
1%
2%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of dark, situational, and sometimes absurd elements, with players finding amusement in the quirky voiceovers and unexpected moments, such as the game's take on "limited lives" and the absurdity of certain graphics. While some players appreciated the comedic aspects of the voices in Senua's head, which oscillate between helpful and mocking, others found the humor to be overshadowed by the game's serious themes and repetitive gameplay. Overall, the humor is often seen as a contrasting element to the game's darker narrative, providing moments of levity amidst the intensity.
- “It's also pretty funny that they've used the standard UE4 font for the subtitles.”
- “It is so hilariously horrible, I'm still laughing to myself while writing this.”
- “Funny enough, I may call it a 'game' but it's truly testing the definition, being that it's more of a seven-hour exposition dump littered with riddles and other incoherent nonsense.”
- “It's also one of the few games that I've seen in modern times that actually legitimately tries to put you into the head of someone suffering from a mental psychosis. Think of Deadpool's mental condition, except not funny at all. We're literally treated as another spectator inside Senua's head right off the bat, both by the narrator and Senua herself.”
- “*haha* it's not funny. Why did he stop?”
monetization
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
47%
49%
The monetization aspect of the game is highly praised for its absence of microtransactions, loot boxes, and other common cash-grab tactics prevalent in the industry. Reviewers appreciate the straightforward pricing model and the focus on delivering a quality experience without the distractions of additional purchases or DLC, contrasting it with the current trend of monetizing games excessively. Overall, the game is seen as a refreshing return to a more genuine gaming experience, emphasizing narrative and gameplay over profit-driven mechanics.
- “A wonderful experience that, for once, is not bogged down and cheapened by petty attempts to extend play time and conjure illusions of value with fruitless treasure hunts, relentless grinding, and insulting microtransactions.”
- “This game is truly amazing for an indie project, and for an indie title with no publisher that means no day one DLC, no microtransactions, or tack-on multiplayer nonsense or pre-order garbage.”
- “In a world riddled with microtransactions, loot boxes, and other such nonsense meant only to take as much as possible from the gamer while offering as little as possible in return, this game is a shining example of how games should be.”
- “We live in an age where AAA gaming is turning into a more and more shameless cash grab with every new launch.”
- “Despite the terrible advertising, what Hellblade actually is a psychological horror game melded with a simple but pointed sword fighter and coated with a helping of Norse mythology, offered at a budget price to try and break free of the '$59.99 with loot boxes' mobius band that video games have been stuck in for the last half decade.”