Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Last updated: 2025-05-10
- Stunning, photorealistic graphics and visuals
- Significant improvements over the first game
- Exploration of mental health themes
- Brutal, cinematic, engaging combat
- Repetitive, simplistic combat system
- Tedious, uninspired puzzle design
- Reviews
(sample size) - 2000
- Helpful reviews
- 79%
- Unhelpful reviews
- 21%
- Protest reviews
- 0%
- 77%Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
- 23%Helpful reviews with negative sentiment
- Positive points
- 4384
- Negative points
- 2899
- Gameplay points
- 648
- Perf. points
- 309
- Rec. points
- 1470
- Misc points
- 276
| Point | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Stunning, photorealistic graphics and visuals | The game boasts exceptional graphics, setting a new benchmark for visual fidelity and realism. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the game features photorealistic environments, detailed character models, and advanced lighting effects, creating a cinematic and immersive experience. Many reviewers claim the graphics are among the best, if not the best, ever seen in a game. | 97% |
| Significant improvements over first game | Many reviewers feel the sequel improves upon the original in various aspects. These include a more engaging story, refined gameplay mechanics, and enhanced graphics. The game builds upon the foundation of the first, offering a richer and more immersive experience for returning players. | 50% |
| Exploration of mental health themes | The game delves into Senua's psyche, exploring themes of mental health, trauma, and personal growth. The narrative portrays her internal struggles and vulnerabilities, creating a relatable and inspiring character. The game uses binaural audio and visual cues to immerse the player in Senua's fractured mind, blurring the line between reality and delusion. | 31% |
| Brutal, cinematic, engaging combat | The game features a cinematic combat system that is both brutal and engaging. Combat encounters are well-choreographed, with fluid animations and impactful hits. The game emphasizes strategic parrying and dodging, creating intense and memorable duels. The transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are seamless, enhancing the overall immersive experience. | 23% |
| Immersive, high-quality audio design | The game features outstanding audio design, including a haunting soundtrack and immersive sound effects. Binaural audio enhances the sense of presence, with voices and environmental sounds creating a chilling and realistic soundscape. The music, often featuring Nordic folk influences, complements the game's atmosphere and intensifies emotional moments. | 20% |
| Intense, gripping, emotional story | The game features an intense and gripping story that explores complex themes and evokes strong emotions. The narrative is well-written and emotionally moving, with deep character development and a thought-provoking plot. The game's immersive atmosphere and compelling storytelling create a unique and unforgettable journey for the player. | 18% |
| Enjoyable, unique, immersive experience | The game is praised for its overall quality and unique experience. Reviewers highlight its engaging gameplay, compelling story, and immersive atmosphere. The game's shorter length is seen as a positive, providing a focused and impactful experience without overstaying its welcome. | 15% |
| Top-notch facial and character animation | The game features top-notch facial animations that convey a wide range of emotions. The voice acting is of high quality, and the animations of the main character are perfect, making the experience immersive, deep, and emotional. The acting and face captioning are great, and the performance capture and facial animations are phenomenal and photorealistic. | 11% |
| Good balance of puzzles and combat | The game offers a good mix of puzzles and combat sections. The puzzles, while plentiful, offer a good level of difficulty. The reviewer found the combat difficulty suitable for enjoyment, though acknowledges that experienced players might find it easy. The game's length is around 11 hours, which is considered a good length without overstaying its welcome. | 9% |
| High-quality voice acting and localization | The English voice acting is excellent, and the German subtitles are easy to follow. The storytelling is very successful, with a high level of presentation quality. The game is in Turkish, and the translation is well-done. The sound design is very well done. | 7% |
| Authentic, immersive Norse setting | The game effectively creates a dark, uncomfortable, brutal, and psychologically heavy atmosphere of pagan Iceland. The game incorporates Norse mythology effectively. The landscapes of 9th century Iceland are rendered with stunning realism using Unreal Engine 5, capturing the ethereal glow of the aurora borealis and intricate details of rugged terrains. | 7% |
| Exceptional performance by Melina Juergens | Melina Juergens' performance as Senua is widely praised as exceptional and award-worthy. Her portrayal captures the character's fear, strength, and internal struggles, creating a compelling and emotionally resonant experience for the player. Reviewers highlight her detailed facial expressions, realistic animations, and powerful voice acting. | 5% |
| Positive emotional impact on reviewers | The reviewer expressed gratitude to the developers for providing this experience. The programmers did a great job. The reviewer cried upon completing the game, indicating a strong emotional connection. The reviewer enjoyed the game so much that they purchased it after playing a pirated version. | 4% |
| Excellent direction and cinematography | The game features excellent direction and cinematography, with carefully designed camera angles and movements. The set pieces are amazing, with impressive action and visuals. The cinematic presentation enhances the overall experience, creating a visually stunning and emotionally resonant journey for the player. | 4% |