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Disembodied voices shriek at the sight of it: a flayed corpse suspended between rough wooden branches.
As Senua steps closer, the voices shrink to a whisper.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
She’s seen this before, they taunt, and the scars it seared onto her soul are permanent.
This pattern of violence repeated the next village over.
A rickety bridge creaks towards a canyon illuminated by vibrant, flickering embers.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Towards a rite of blood and fire.
It would be more accurate to call it an astounding visual and auditory assault on the senses.
How this manifests throughout Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is stark.
You see it in the near-photorealistic environments and the disorienting visual distortions that haunt them.
And in the grounded approach to exploring psychosis, realized in-game by scintillating performances mired in miniature.
Matthews says Ninja Theory has always been driven to “craft life-changing art with game-changing tech.”
This is theGamesRadar+Big PreviewofSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
“We’re not walking back from that,” says principal production director Lara Derham.
“That’s where we start from in Hellblade 2.”
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Melina Juergens has spent an immeasurable amount of time grappling with it too.
“People who experience psychosis might never recover from it.
But I wanted Senua to come across as being more in control of those visions and voices.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
That’s what I tried to bring across in my performance.”
A powerful and propellent performance guides Senua on a journey to the heart of Iceland.
“She is now sharing the world with other people,” says Matthews.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
In one encounter, I stand with Senua as she grapples with a whirlwind of noise.
If we do our job well, then you’ll be right there on that journey with Senua.
It’s a surprisingly organic process, given that the pair are effectively working to construct audible chaos.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
The resulting effect is a disorientating, sensory overload and undoubtedly one of Hellblade 2’s greatest strengths.
“I still think of Ninja Theory as kind of a boutique studio,” Matthews laughs.
“Hellblade 2 isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster it’s a quality independent film.”
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
But Ninja Theory is steadfast in its decision to keep the core DNA of the Hellblade series intact.
What’s great about Hellblade 2 is that more players are going to be exposed to it."
A world reborn
Difficult to grasp, but not imperceptible.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
There’s this quality to the production of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 which is undeniable.
“It’s all contributing to this sense of immersion.
The new motion-capture studio is far more impressive.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
“Mo-cap is completely different.
And what’s stunning is how seamless it all feels.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
