Hellblade 2 Review: An Outstanding Game Without Gameplay

Hellblade 2 can’t be described as any other game. Ninja Theory’s creation can hardly even be called a game – rather, it’s an arthouse, an interactive film or a meaningful statement on the topic of madness, love, revenge. Is it bad? Everyone will give their own answer.

The easiest way to compare Hellblade 2 is with the films of Robert Eggers, the creator of Varyag and Mayak. These strange and leisurely films do not even try to entertain in the usual ways. Such creativity will make someone wince and quickly finish watching. But someone will be imbued with the atmosphere and the author’s idea and by the end will exclaim: “This is the film of the year!” And it is unlikely that anyone will clearly explain why the reactions are so different.

It’s a similar story with Hellblade 2. Some gamers will call the new product a stupid walking simulator or a cute benchmark that has no gameplay attached to it. Others will groan enthusiastically from the first to the last frames. Personally, I’ll be among the latter!

Hellblade 2: Game Information

Hellblade 2: How to play?

The game is not officially sold in Russia, but it can be purchased, for example, from a Turkish account. Since its release, the game has been available in Xbox Game Pass.

Our video about Hellblade 2

The most unusual walking simulator

For some unknown reason, many gamers believed that Hellblade 2 would be strikingly different from the first part. Allegedly, Microsoft, which bought the Ninja Theory studio in 2018, would shower the developers with money, and they would turn the arthouse adventure into an action RPG like The Witcher. Fantasies remained fantasies, because Ninja Theory did the same thing, only more beautifully and epically.

With Hellblade 2, everything is clear already in the introduction, where the wounded heroine wanders along an inhospitable shore. Occasionally, enemies are encountered along the way, and even more rarely, riddles. The main part of the gameplay is occupied by walking – leisurely, heavy, drawn-out. The nuance is that even this mechanic is charming and annoying at the same time.

Let’s take the climbing sequence from the beginning of the game. The heroine has survived a shipwreck, got injured, lost her way – and then an almost vertical cliff appears before her. How to climb it? In terms of gameplay, the answer is trivial: pull the left stick up and wait a long time while Senua climbs. So long that you have time to make tea.

However, such primitive gameplay is imbued with an unimaginable poignancy. You see that every move is made by Senua with great pain, and her faith in herself and her goals is tested. You hear how the voices, which have retained the iconic binaurality, sometimes support the heroine, sometimes bury her. “She is weak”, “She will fall now”, “She can do it”.

At this point, you’ll either catch the vibe and let yourself get lost in the game, or you’ll feel bored until the final frames. Still, Hellblade 2 may entertain with battles, puzzles, and staged cutscenes, but at its core it remains a walking and climbing simulator.

Legendary production

There’s little entertainment in Hellblade 2. Did you stray from the story path? You’ll probably find a pillar with an audio diary. Set off to your goal? You’ll encounter rune puzzles, which were criticized back in 2017. Look at the rune again and try to find it in the environment. What if those branches form a K rune from the right angle? No? Then keep looking. Fortunately, there are more visual and audio clues in the sequel, so the puzzles are completed quickly.

In terms of gameplay, all this is not very fun, but the emotions again outweigh the minuses. In search of those very runes, you will walk through a destroyed village and hear, for example, the voice of a mother calming a child doomed to death. Or for a moment immerse yourself in Senua’s difficult childhood. In the end, you will once again enjoy the mad whispers of the furies. Such details fill the game with meaning and drama.

The staging only enhances the effect. Almost all of Hellblade 2 is filmed in one take: the camera beautifully circles around the characters, searches for ideal angles, flies through space and time, soars into the sky and falls back to the ground – all this happens with a minimum of cuts. Considering that there is simply no interface, longshots coolly immerse you in the game.

The one-shot effect works especially well in battles, when Senua flies into a crowd and hacks down one draugr after another. Everyone is pushing each other chaotically, hysterical screams are heard from all sides, epic music is playing in the headphones, enemies replace each other, blows and blocks are accompanied by a noticeable heaviness – thanks to longshots and staging, such an action cannot be described in words.

The effect of the very first skirmish with draugrs is so powerful that the desire to criticize the combat system evaporates. Yes, there are few enemy types, the battles unfold according to one principle, there was not enough imagination for the bosses. But the battles are so juicy that they do not tire you out at all – at least during one seven-hour playthrough.

Finally, the sequel deserves praise for its visuals. The first Hellblade was a beautiful game, but with an increased budget, Ninja Theory created something incredible. The heroine’s facial expressions, the mesmerizing views, the effects like explosions and fire – all this turns Hellblade 2 into one of the most spectacular games of the generation.

Hellblade 2: Is It Worth Playing?

Only you can answer that question. Are you ready to look past the questionable gameplay and dive head-on into the madness, the poignancy, and the stunningly beautiful world? If so, at least give Hellblade 2 a try — it’s on Game Pass for a reason.

Hellblade 2 Rating: 8 out of 10

Liked

• Impressive visuals
• Outstanding production
• Every frame is full of sensuality.

Didn’t like it

• Controversial gameplay
• Few enemies and bosses.