Senua’s Sacrifice is a game about a Celtic warrior on a vision quest through Norse mythology to reclaim her lovers soul after he was sacrificed to the Norse god of death, Hela, during a Viking raid on her village. Within the first moments of the game, there are multiple voices speaking in your ears in carefully crafted binaural audio, and it is clear that Senua does not have as sound a mind as her peers. This depiction of psychosis has been carefully curated by experts in psychology as well as Ninja Theory, the game developers and it paid off – Hellblade: SS has achieved one of the most poignant and accurate representations of mental illness ever in a video game.
The game has stunning visuals throughout, across a variety of biomes. From the bleak, empty beaches filled with old shipwrecks, murky green swamps that have Senua wading up to her chest in sludge and areas rife with manifestations of Senua’s psychosis, every area has its own style without breaking the overall theme of the game and causing too much dissonance, breaking the game into true distinct levels. There is also a fully-fledged photo mode which can be used at almost any moment in the game, allowing any budding artists to create the screenshots of their dreams.
The audio design in the game is such high quality it is very easy to allow the “furies” from Senua’s mind to guide you around enemies out of your range of vision. The calls of “get out of the way!” and “Behind you!” quickly gives you additional information required to succeed in combat. The game is rarely silent, there is almost a constant stream of voices – be it the furies in Senua’s mind arguing amonst themselves as to what should be done, the narrator (another of Senua’s voices) musing about their pasts or an old manifestation of one of Senua’s friends sharing his knowledge of Norse Mythology and the gods Senua will encounter. The soundtrack in the game is often somewhat muted to allow these voices centre stage, but there are plenty of Nordic chants and other thematically fitting music to punctuate the epic fight scenes.
Unfortunately, the game is saddled with an overly stubborn camera lock-on, causing you to struggle to attack the correct target when surrounded by groups of enemies, and the early game puzzles can feel somewhat repetitive.
I have chosen to give the game 5 stars despite these issues, because I believe that these minor setbacks in game design have not detracted from the experience enough to justify giving the game 4 stars. Where others have seen the close camera as an annoying hindrance, I found it added to a claustrophobic atmosphere drawing you into Senua’s battles and making you feel as she does – trapped and confused. Where others found the shape puzzles repetitive, I found reasons to explore the world and take in the beauty as well as the threat of Senua’s mental illness manifest in my gameplay and allow me to identify with her more than just the cutscenes.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a game I would recommend to anyone, especially if you already enjoy strong narrative driven games. Although some of the game design choices may make it feel somewhat cumbersome from time to time, the overall package is an experience you won’t forget in a hurry after playing.
