PlayStation Just Got The Most Impressive Console Game Of The Generation
Hell of a cinematic ride.
Years from now, this console generation will be remembered for two things. The first likely being generational releases like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, which recentered the idea that big-budget games can be feature-complete masterpieces worth recommending years after release. The other being just how disappointing these machines have been for those who wanted a significant leap in graphical spectacle. While great-looking games have been released, they’ve rarely lived up to the hype of the fully raytraced tech demos and the total extermination of load times that was promised to players leading up to the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5’s 2020 launch.
One of the few exceptions to this general disappointment is Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. This highly cinematic follow-up to Ninja Theory’s 2017 Nordic narrative adventure game may not have delivered the deepest gameplay experience when it released exclusively on Xbox and PC in 2024. But as a technical marvel and showcase of what is possible on current-generation hardware, it is an unmatched experience worth playing through at least once. And as of today, that experience is playable on PlayStation 5 with some added enhancements to boot.
Hellblade 2 is a six-hour, story-driven game that follows Senua, a woman afflicted with an undiagnosed psychosis at a time when such a thing was attributed to being cursed. Taking place seemingly moments after the first game’s conclusion (not to worry, prior knowledge isn’t a necessity, though we do recommend the original Hellblade in general), Senua and her people are attacked by slavers while at sea. Washing up on shore in the middle of the assault, Senua narrowly escapes and begins her journey to slay the fearsome leader of this barbaric faction.
Combat is violent and visceral, the highlight of Hellblade 2’s six-hour campaign.
No game release this generation matches the brilliance of Hellblade 2’s presentation. Environments and character models are lifelike, but it's the facial capture that properly conveys the subtleties in these performances. There’s a reason lead actress Melina Juergens took home The Game Award for best performance; it’s a damn good one, one that managed to push me through the entire story in a single sitting. Unlike the first game, she gets to bounce off a supporting cast who brings as much gravitas as Juergens does.
The story itself is also worth praising. It’s a much less dour affair compared to the first game. Senua is less tortured here, as the trauma she’s experiencing here is less personal. But her path forward is still shrouded in mystery. There’s something dreamlike to the Icelandic landscapes you’re navigating here, and the various threats you confront along the way feel like they’re ripped straight from a dark fantasy flick like The Green Knight.
From a gameplay standpoint, Hellblade 2 is fairly simple. There are puzzles, some of which require basic platforming, logic, or aligning a new perspective on the environment to form specific shapes. These are nothing to write home about, but serve the game’s pacing well enough.
Meanwhile, Hellblade 2’s combat is a great old time. It’s bloody and intense, as the camera pulls in close to these one-on-one battles. It requires players to read opponents' swings, parrying and dodging when needed, while answering with swings of their own. It’s not the deepest combat Ninja Theory’s worked on (that honor still goes to 2012’s DmC), but it’s undeniably immersive. It’s the kind of thing you’ll want to show the parents as an example of just how far games have come.
This Enhanced PlayStation port features some new enhancements. This release adds a newly optimized performance mode, which allows the game to run at 60 frames per second for the first time. Four hours of additional developer commentary have been added for players who want to know how Ninja Theory put this game together. Photo Mode has expanded on with new features and settings.
The best new feature, however, is Dark Rot mode. It brings back the first game's most interesting mechanic, the possibility of permadeath for players who fail in their quest enough times. As someone who criticized the game when it first came out for lacking single-player depth and replay value, Dark Rot mode seems like the cure to the game’s most glaring flaw. If you’re someone who played Hellblade 2 on Xbox the first time around, you don’t have to worry about missing out on these features. They are being added to the original game via a free update.
For PlayStation fans, Hellblade 2 is a fantastic and engaging showcase for what current-gen hardware and Unreal Engine are capable of. It provides a gritty, imaginative story unlike anything else in gaming at the moment. And at the discounted price of $50 (or the price of an Xbox Game Pass subscription), it’s definitely worth checking out.
