TEST Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, a magnificent Arte documentary

Ninja Theory is finally back. Renowned for its action and adventure games (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, DmC: Devil May Cry), the studio shone in 2017 with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. A title taking us back to the 9th century with Senuaa Pictish warrior suffering from psychosis and who at the time wanted to venture into Helheim to save the soul of Dillion, her deceased lover. A game developed in total independence, which shone with its atmosphere, its staging, its original soundtrack, the performance of Melina Juergens and its very credible treatment of psychosis. Ninja Theory now belongs to Microsofthe got a little lost with Bleeding Edgebut he is back in 2024 with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade IIthe first Xbox Series X|S game announced in 2019. Suffice to say that expectations were high, but the adventure of Senua still suffers from many imperfections…

Just push the joystick forward without thinking.

The mourning of Dillion is now done, Senua now seeks revenge and intends to find the murderer of his companion, a slaver residing in Iceland. What better idea to reach him than to voluntarily be captured and taken by boat to him? This is the heroine’s initial plan in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which was going very well until a shipwreck. Washed up on the coast of Iceland, Senua is totally alone… at least physically. In his head, the Furies are still there, these voices which speak to her, advise her, comment on her actions, the young warrior obviously still suffers from psychosis, but this will not be the main theme of this sequel. Quickly, the claustrophobic, almost intimate side of the first opus is erased, Senua meeting real people to accompany him in his quest. The scenario of this sequel immediately becomes much more classic, with numerous dialogues between the characters, a clear objective and adventures sometimes telephoned, even if Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II retains a good dose of fantasy, with numerous references to Icelandic mythology.

A mythology that develops in the main story, but also through steles to discover in the environment, a sort of collectible for players who like to explore a little. To achieve them, however, it is appropriate to use the Concentrationa capacity of Senua which allows him to see things that other characters do not perceive. In addition to these steles, the Concentration is also used for the few puzzles that punctuate the adventure in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Good, Ninja Theory didn’t go very far, he takes up the mechanics of the shapes to align to form a symbol by placing himself in the right place, with the right angle of view, it’s very uninteresting and ultra simple, as all the environments are linear. The route to follow throughout the game is outlined ahead Senua, just push the joystick forward without thinking. Other types of puzzles appear, asking you to bring orbs back to a central pillar by modifying the environment, always thanks to the Concentrationit doesn’t go very far, but it’s at least basic enough not to break too much the pace of the game, which is particularly slow.

Because yes, during the majority of the time, players of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will walk, sometimes run, always straight ahead. A real walking simulator linear which offers almost no exploration, only a total change of scenery in 9th century Iceland. Is it boring? Yes. It’s beautiful ? Oh yeah !

The most beautiful game currently on the market.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II can be called the most beautiful game currently on the marketit’s madness Ninja Theory offers us photorealistic graphics that are truly eye-catching. The landscapes, first of all, are sublime, quite varied and are an invitation to leave everything behind and go raise sheep in the Reykjavik countryside. The developers made no mistake by adding a mode Photo (day onewithout post-launch updates, thank you!) accessible at the touch of a button High of the directional cross as much Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a game screenshot. The faces, then, are undoubtedly the most detailed and credible models ever offered in a video game, the staging uses and abuses close-ups without trembling, lingering on the pores of the skin, the eyes (especially those by Melina Juergens), the beards or even the cheeks on which the rain runs. It’s a real visual slap in the face, whether in terms of technique or artistic direction.

Ninja Theory manages to sublimate all of this thanks to its very careful and dynamic staging, with a real desire to leave no downtime in the adventure. Well, there are still quite a few phases of gameplay where you have to be content to walk straight ahead, but the camera sometimes speeds up to achieve the welcome ellipses, flies into the air to circle around the characters, etc. The developers let loose and it’s a real treat, especially accompanied by fantastic visual effects, depicting the psychosis of Senua or simply his anguish. The colors dare not be realistic, with in particular an enigmatic character appearing regularly in backlight behind a bright red halo, reminding us Alan Wake 2. Another (long) sequence is inspired by a completely different work, namely the film The Descent by Neil Marshall. Ninja Theory does not hide his love for cinema, the 2:39 format with its large black bands at the top and bottom of the screen reminds us that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is above all a narrative and cinematographic gamewhich is experienced like a film, without replayability and with a fairly short lifespan, the title ending in around seven to eight hours (Harry Roselmack not included).

Well, let’s not be bad-mouthed, the game still offers something other than boring puzzles and boring walking phases (but be careful, it’s beautiful!). The adventure is punctuated by battles that are, to say the least, original in their approach. Senua fights, armed with a sword, against a single enemy at a time.

The real feeling of being on a battlefield.

THE gameplay is simple, with a quick strike, a heavy attack, the possibility of parrying (with an advantage in parrying at the right time) and an evasion, there is no question of reinventing the wheel on this side. However, the staging is particularly successful and makes each confrontation dynamic, unique and ultra violent. When Senua eliminates an opponent, another appears nearby, often jumping on him, leaving no respite for the player who must brandish his sword again, until he has defeated everyone. All this without any interruption, in real time, with the real feeling of being on a battlefieldespecially when Senua is accompanied by other characters at his side. The game offers four difficulty modes, the essentials Easy, AVERAGE And Difficult, but also a mode that adapts according to the player’s level, making the fights easier if you struggle, or simpler if you are good. It is with this mode that we traveled the majority of the adventure, without dying too often and with the satisfaction of fighting against certain enemies. If the fights are ever too difficult, Senua has the ability to use his Concentration to slow down time and chain attacks, otherwise, well a bunch of accessibility options are present, and not just for battles.

Cinematic fights, like the rest of the adventure, which are intensified by the group’s overtone singing Heilung which resonate during the battle. Great art! And as in the first part, it is a song in a completely different atmosphere which closes this adventure, this time signed by the Norwegian Aurora. The other music throughout the game is discreet, which is a shame as it is captivating when it is heard. However, THE sound design standswith a mix designed for audio headsets to best transcribe the psychosis and voices of Furies. Finally, let’s talk about the dubbing, because the characters are more numerous in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II than in the first part, but absolutely everyone here is perfect in their role, with obviously Melina Juergens at the center, but she is surrounded by NPCs with pronounced Icelandic accents, the immersion is successful. It’s a shame all the same that the title is only offered with English voices, because it is particularly loquaciouseven during combat, Senua chatting with characters while hearing the voices of Furies in your head, you don’t have to squint to read the subtitles (in French, phew), a French version might have been nice.

Let’s be honest, the title of this test may make you smile, but it perfectly sums up what Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Ninja Theory took a long time to deliver this sequel, retaining everything that made the first opus a success, pushing the knobs all the way in certain areas, but forgetting to correct certain problems. The puzzles are really stupid, gameplay is reduced to walking or engaging in combat that does not evolve over the course of the game, exploration is non-existent and replayability is absent. However, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II offers magnificent artistic direction, sublime landscapes, crazy technical achievement and original fights in their staging. The game is often boring like a documentary Arte, but it still manages to capture our attention thanks to its qualities, to ultimately give us a time that is far from unpleasant. And to put this poor television channel which asked for nothing aside, let us conclude to say that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a game made for PC/Xbox Game Pass. Who will pay €49.99 for an exclusively digital narrative game, poor in gameplay, which ends in less than eight hours and with no replayability? Not many people. But if you have a subscription to Game Pass, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will keep you busy for a few evenings, a linear game to enjoy with the lights off and headphones on to make the most of it. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade IIit’s a video game bordering on being average, but an intense experience that it would be a shame to ignore.

You can subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for €14.99 for one month via Amazon, Cdiscount, Fnac And Micromaniaor buy Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II against €42.49 on Gamesplanet.

Clint008 Editor – Tester