Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Much has been sacrificed here, although it shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Created by a team of just 20 and self-published, Ninja Theory was always putting itself in a tricky position with Hellblade. Its intentions were noble: to make a game centered around the still-taboo subject of mental illness. Bolstered by the studio’s trademark graphical flair, smooth third-person hack-and-slash combat and a reduced price point, the aim was to revive the ‘double-A’ game in a meaningful way. Unfortunately Ninja Theory is so focused on its novel, in-game portrayal of psychosis that it has forgotten to build a decent game around it. 

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It is undoubtedly well-meaning. Novice actress Melina Juergens turns in an excellent performance as psychotic protagonist Senua, who has a truly harrowing time of it. Senua’s first death is a particularly awful experience. The combination of Ninja Theory’s mocap work and Juergens’ nerve-shredding shrieks makes Suena’s demise feel uncomfortably real, and more than justifies the pre-game warning screen. Startup disclaimers are nothing new, but here players are consenting to put themselves in a state of psychological distress, especially given one of the main mechanics is an approximation of what it’s like to suffer audiovisual hallucinations. Using 3D binaural sound, mocking whispers swirl back and forth inside the headset almost constantly while you are controlling Senua.

Ninja Theory has worked with neuroscience and psychology experts to recreate what it feels like to hear voices, and its implementation, even without a frame of reference, is deeply affecting. The voices are not always talking to Senua, sometimes merely about her: hissing spitefully about her inadequacies as a warrior, a daughter, a lover. If you’re struggling to finish a puzzle, there’s a sting as they chuckle at your slowness; sometimes they deign to give you helpful clues. In combat, they recommend you block a blow, dodge, or back away, and when we catch ourselves wishing aloud that they would pipe down, it’s clear that Ninja Theory has achieved the desired effect.