Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Xbox One review: Stunning art meets evocative storytelling

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a third-person action game along the lines of Ryse: Son of Rome. While both titles share a familiar style when information technology comes to photorealistic visuals and sword-based combat, the similarities end there. Instead of an overblown tale of betrayal and other anachronisms, Hellblade: Senua's Cede focuses on mental disease. The border between actual events and hallucinations is blurred in this fascinating game which explores a haunting vision quest into Viking hell.

Background and story

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is set in a warring era and follows a cleaved Celtic warrior named Senua every bit she embarks on a dangerous mission into Helheim. She wants to save the soul of her expressionless lover who was sacrificed to the goddess Hela by the invading Vikings. While that's the premise behind the adventure, the existent battle occurs inside her mind as she tries to overcome psychosis and its symptoms.

Ninja Theory treats the discipline matter of mental affliction with the proper care.

Psychosis is a status which results in difficulty distinguishing betwixt what is real and what isn't. Symptoms can include false behavior too as auditory and visual hallucinations. Other symptoms may include lack of motivation and difficulty conveying out tasks.

Throughout the eight-hour campaign, information technology'due south unclear if what Senua experiences is existent or part of an elaborate hallucination. This is washed on purpose because it allows the warrior to fight her inner demons rather than some external malevolent force. Developer Ninja Theory treats the bailiwick matter of mental illness with the proper care by giving players a sense of the what the main graphic symbol is going through. This is a unique approach to storytelling and gameplay, i that hasn't been successfully achieved in the past.

There are as well runic pillars scattered throughout the levels which requite players a improve look into the warrior'southward journey. They provide more information most the game'due south myths, give an overview of how the world came to be, and reveal who the major gods are. While information technology isn't necessary to seek them out because the disembodied voices do an excellent job of explaining what happened in Senua's past, they're even so a great way to larn more about Viking beliefs.

Gameplay and mechanics

The game is quite linear as you get from 1 area to the next either solving visual puzzles or taking out various foes. However, the truthful highlight of the feel has to be the voices which not merely provide narration, simply also a glimpse into the mind of someone suffering from psychosis. Hellblade: Senua'south Sacrifice was created in collaboration with neuroscientists and people who experience mental illness. This is why the game pulls you deep into the protagonist's mind like that.

Gameplay revolves around finding visual patterns to open doors or slashing waves of foes.

Gameplay revolves around finding visual patterns to open up doors or slashing waves of foes to open other passageways. The puzzles generally crave players to position Senua in a way which creates the desired shape on the locked door by using their perspective. Unfortunately, it seems like many of the puzzles are repeated through the course of the entrada.

Combat is basic — until the very end — and requires gamers to either cake or set on opponents. You can hit someone with a light slash or a heavy strike. There is also the choice to evade only blocking attacks is much easier, at to the lowest degree to begin with. Enemies aren't challenging, just that might exist preferable considering the title features a permanent expiry mechanic. If you lot continue on falling in boxing, a dark mark keeps on growing on your hand until it consumes y'all. Gainsay difficulty can be adjusted at any time, but by default the game automatically tweaks information technology depending on your skill level.

Operation and visuals

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a treat to play on Xbox One X. The game features 3 modes on the console which favor resolution, frame charge per unit, or advanced effects. If you're playing on a 4K brandish and desire the sharpest prototype at all times, then you should go for the resolution choice as it achieves native 4K but dynamically adjusts it to maintain performance. Many gamers will adopt this considering of the noticeably crisp image quality.

Enriched visuals offers the best upgrade if you lot own an Xbox One Ten.

Setting the game to focus on functioning significantly downgrades the visuals and resolution, but the championship runs at 60 FPS most of the time. The increase in frame charge per unit reduces the input lag and gainsay is a care for. Slicing through grotesque enemies feels smooth and blocking their attacks is too much easier due to the added responsiveness.

I of the main reasons why Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice appeals to many people is the fact that information technology features immersive visuals. While many gamers will consider the downgrade acceptable to achieve sixty FPS, a blurry presentation is notwithstanding rather jarring to witness. Those on 1080p displays may not observe, simply it'southward notwithstanding a significant tradeoff.

Role player option

Enriched visuals offers the best upgrade if you ain an Xbox Ane X. It seems like it keeps the resolution relatively loftier but increases foliage and other details. The world feels much more alive as a result of this. Hellblade: Senua'south Sacrifice might be the best looking game on Xbox Ane, even surpassing Ryse: Son of Rome later all these years.

The game represents one of the best implementations of Xbox One X support.

The game represents one of the best implementations of Xbox One X support due to the choices it offers. Y'all can make Hellblade: Senua's Cede look the way you want information technology to. Ninja Theory could've easily offered but a 4K mode just the studio went above and beyond. This is a testament non only to its technical prowess, but also to the team's dedication to providing the most choices to consumers. This is how every Xbox I X game should exist if it tin can't achieve 4K 60 FPS like Forza Motorsport seven, Path of Exile, or Nine Parchments.

Technical issues

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice isn't a perfect feel when information technology comes to its performance through. At times in that location are noticeable slowdowns and stutters. The issues are so minor that they're inappreciably problematic, just they stand out in a nearly technically perfect feel nonetheless. There is also some texture pop-in one time in a while, only that seems to simply occur if you repeatedly change the Xbox One Ten visual settings without restarting the game.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for Xbox I review conclusion

Overall, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a keen game which lives up to Ninja Theory's stiff history of producing excellent action titles similar DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and Heavenly Sword. Its arroyo to presenting mental affliction in a way many people tin can empathise is also remarkable. The use of stellar voice acting enhances the experience and gives it a "AAA" feel despite the fact that it costs a fraction of that.

Aside from the linearity and slight operation issues, at that place isn't much to fault in Hellblade: Senua'southward Sacrifice. It'due south a unique title which succeeds in its mission of giving gamers a glimpse into how people bargain with psychosis and loss. It too delivers a realistic yet uplifting conclusion in the end.

Pros:

Gorgeous visuals.
Piece of cake to learn.
Cracking setting and story.
Excellent Xbox One X support.

Cons:

Slight operation issues.
Simple visual puzzles.
Elementary gainsay.
Linear environments.

Hellblade: Senua'due south Cede is only bachelor digitally for Xbox Ane, PC, and PlayStation 4. The game should launch on Xbox Ane on April xi, starting at $29.99. Those who preorder can acquire it for $26.99 before release.

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