Tag: Hellblade
News Xbox Feels It Made a Mistake Skipping PS5 with Hellblade 2, It's Claimed
Senu-oh no
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 picked up a couple of richly deserved trophies at The Game Awards this year, but it launched with barely a whimper. While it’s not a perfect metric by any stretch, the Ninja Theory sequel debuted with less than 4,000 players on Steam, and its inclusion in Game Pass likely kneecapped its full-price sales. To...
Soapbox Once a PS4 Console Exclusive, PS5 Players Are Missing a Visual Stunner in Hellblade 2
Senua's saga continues elsewhere
Back when it was released on PS4 and PC back in 2017, we gave Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice an 8/10 in our review and highlighted that the way it uses the "unique attributes of the medium to raise awareness of mental health" is what "elevates this release beyond the sum of its parts". Since then, Microsoft has bought...
News Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Dev Ninja Theory's Next Game Has Reportedly Been Greenlit
It's too soon to say goodbye
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 releases exclusively on Xbox Series X|S today, 21st May. With a PS5 port reportedly being pondered, anticipation is high to see how the sequel to the previously PS4 console exclusive Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is received. While some feared that developer Ninja Theory's celebratory
News Xbox Pondering PS5 Port of Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
Sequel could come to Sony's system
The original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was billed as a big indie for PS4, launching as a console exclusive on Sony’s system all the way back in 2017. It was later ported to various other platforms, and Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory was eventually scooped up as part of Microsoft’s acquisition...
News Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Next-Gen Upgrade Skipping PS5
"No plans" to bring update to other platforms
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice has today received a free next-gen upgrade that adds ray tracing, higher frame rates, and a resolution boost. However, you needn't bother powering up your PlayStation 5 and looking for the update because it's exclusive to Xbox Series X|S for now, with a PC specific patch...
News Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Whispers to Retail This December
No excuses not to play now
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was one of the most emotionally challenging titles of 2017, and it’s finally getting a retail release on 4th December. Published by 505 Games on the PlayStation 4, the title will compile the full Celtic adventure on Blu-ray for the first time. Here’s what we said about the release when...
News Ninja Theory Explains Hellblade's PSVR Snub
There's a reasonable explanation
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was announced for virtual reality headsets earlier today, but it won’t support PlayStation VR, prompting a bit of a backlash. Some felt that developer Ninja Theory – now a Microsoft subsidiary – was skipping Sony’s headset for corporate reasons, an assumption not exactly...
News Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Updated on PS4 Despite Microsoft Acquisition
HDR support added
The thought-provoking Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has received one more update on the PlayStation 4, despite Microsoft recently acquiring Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory. Version 1.03 adds HDR support to both the PS4 and PS4 Pro versions of the game, and it also cleans up some very minor bugs. We really liked the Celtic...
Game of the Year 2017 #7 - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The voices
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is dark, poignant, and utterly essential. It’s the only game in our 2017 countdown capable of having long-lasting effects on real lives, and for that alone it deserves its position in our list. But the Celtic adventure is so much more than an exploration into the symptoms of psychosis – it’s also an...
News Hellblade Raised a Helluva Lot of Money on World Mental Health Day
Senua's sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a great game that’s done a lot of good for people who played it and its developer, too. Even better: it’s about to do a helluva lot of good for people with mental illnesses, as Ninja Theory has raised a whopping £60,798 (about $80,000) for the Rethink Mental Illness charity. Bravo all around...
News Ninja Theory's Hellblade Has Exceeded Sales Expectations
But hasn't broken even yet
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice may not be the best game of the year, but it’s certainly one of the most memorable. Ninja Theory’s tale of mental illness was harrowing and hard to parse – but it was effective in using the medium to convey a very specific state of mind. So it’s refreshing to hear that it’s...
News Hellblade's Accolades Trailer Favours Players Over Pithy Press Clichés
Buy the game tomorrow and support a good cause
How many times does the press need to tell you the latest game is the best you’ve ever played? Even as reviewers, we appreciate you’ve probably got the memo by now. It’s so refreshing to see Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice take a different direction for its accolades trailer, then. This clip is...
Soapbox Hellblade's Permadeath Threat Is What Makes Games Special
Sammy's as worried as you are – and that's the point
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice erases your progress if you let the rot scaling the protagonist’s arm reach her mind. Or does it? I’m not going to get into the specifics of this system because Ninja Theory kindly asked me not to spoil it at all, but it does raise a wider question about games...
News Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Includes a 25 Minute Documentary on Psychosis
Added extra
One of the key themes in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is mental health, and developer Ninja Theory’s worked with neuroscientists and patients in order to get that aspect right. So it’s pretty neat that the studio will be including a 25 minute documentary alongside the game itself to detail a little more about psychosis, and how...
News Pick Framerate or Resolution in Hellblade on PS4 Pro
Stunning launch trailer also released
Planning to play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on the PlayStation 4 Pro? You’ll have a couple of options to choose from. According to developer Ninja Theory, the game will support either an enhanced resolution on Sony’s supercharged system (no word on what that will be) or a higher framerate of 60...
News Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Fights Its Demons in 10 Minute Demo
Mind master
Blimey, there’s some ridiculously cool stuff in this Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice demo. We love the way the voices in the protagonist's head are incorporated into the gameplay, alerting you to the arrival of new enemies and impending attacks. And we also enjoy the way the health of enemies is reflected by the wounds on their bodies...
News Hellblade to Host First Ever Q&A with Video Game Character
Innovative new MoCap makes it possible
Ninja Theory’s created some ridiculous motion capture technology which basically allows it to render in real-time. And it’s going to use that Unreal Engine 4-based equipment to host a live Hellblade question and answer session today – with, er, Senua from the game. Seriously! You’ll be able to send your...
News Hellblade Goes to War with Its Inner-Demons in New Trailer
The voices
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a game primarily about mental health, and this trailer shows how it aims to depict the struggles of its lead character. In it, we see the heroine plagued by voices, and about to do battle with the demon in her mind. It’s really well done, actually – enhanced, of course, by some good acting and amazing...
News Hellblade Gets Seriously Stressed from 8th August
Senua's sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – the exciting independently developed adventure from Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory – will battle its demons starting 8th August on the PlayStation 4, with pre-orders open now. The title promises to pit the titular Celtic warrior against the Viking underworld Hel, and will tackle taboo...
News Hellblade's Two Year Journey Nears An End As Ninja Theory Hits Alpha
Senua's sacrifice
It feels like we've been writing about Hellblade for a lot longer than two years, as the title's been re-tooled a couple of times since it was first announced. Still, developer Ninja Theory's been steadily making progress with the intriguing project, and it's announced on the PlayStation Blog today that it's finally hit alpha. This...
News Obviously Hellblade Ain't Coming Out on PS4 This Year
No need to stress, though
Ninja Theory's fantastical take on mental health issues Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice will now release in 2017, in case you hadn't figured that out already. The ambitious indie experiment, which is being developed without publisher intrusion, has gone through multiple changes since its inception – but despite finding its...
News Ninja Theory's Really Innovating with Hellblade on PS4
Real-time cinematography will blow your mind
Ninja Theory, much like Naughty Dog and Quantic Dream, has always been at the forefront of motion capture – but some of the stuff that it's doing with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is frankly insane. In this video detailing its Siggraph 2016 award-winning real-time cinematography technique, it...
News Eviscerate the Voices in New Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice PS4 Footage
Heavenly sword
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice has changed a lot over the past couple of years, but it's really starting to come together now. After going back to the drawing board, Ninja Theory's now published a new development diary which showcases the title's upgraded combat. And it's looking good, with Sen
News The Voices Teach Us How to Say Senua in Hellblade Trailer
Attractive outing's looking lovely
Bloody hell – this is intense, isn't it? Hellblade's not only gained a subtitle since last we saw it (Senua's Sacrifice, in case you're curious), but its lead character's also got a new look. And in this trailer designed to show off the indie title's outrageous production values, we also get a glimpse into the...
News Don't Expect to Be Playing Ninja Theory's Hellblade For a While Yet
Studio scraps a bunch of ideas
Hellblade's story has been more than a bit up and down so far hasn't it? The PlayStation 4 title was originally shown at Sony's Gamescom conference back in 2014, and since then, we haven't really seen all that much of the game. It's always sounded intriguing - an action title that deals with the topic of mental health...
Gamescom 2015 Hellblade Unsheathes Its Sword in PS4 Gameplay Clip
Battles in the brain
Ninja Theory's probably one of the most divisive names in gaming, but we're rather fond of the Cambridge-based studio's portfolio. Hellblade, however, definitely looks like it could do with a lot more time in the oven. Some very early footage from the forthcoming Celtic escapade has battled its way out of Gamescom 2015, and...
News Hellblade Is As Much About the Mind As It Is Murder
Imagine demons
Hellblade may look like your average character action game, but developer Ninja Theory has greater ambitions for the forthcoming PlayStation 4 release. The trailer embedded below – which includes a quick glimpse at several gameplay sequences – offers us a proper introduction to protagonist Senua, who suffers from a mental illness...
News You'll See More of Ninja Theory's Hellblade Very Soon
Senua soon
Hellblade is being shown at pre-E3 event Judge's Week right now, but you'll get your very first look at Ninja Theory's hack-'n'-slash title on 10th June. As part of a new behind-the-scenes video, the Cambridge-based developer has outlined how it went about building the title's first vertical slice – and the many challenges that it faced...
News Heavenly Sword's Art Director Has Returned to Ninja Theory to Work on Hellblade
The circle of life
Ninja Theory's forthcoming PlayStation 4 foray Hellblade is clearly a spiritual successor to Heavenly Sword – that name's a dead giveaway, after all – but the Cambridge-based developer has recruited the PlayStation 3 exclusive's art director, Hugues Giboire, just to make the link complete. The veteran has rejoined the team...
News Here's a Quick Glimpse at PS4 Hack-'n'-Slash Hellblade
Celtic chaos
Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory wants to prove to you that indie games don't have to be cheap and cheerful. In this brand new behind-the-scenes video, the developer explains some of the ways that it's saving time and money with its forthcoming PlayStation 4 title Hellblade – without necessarily sacrificing overall quality...
News Whatever You May Think, Hellblade Is Not Heavenly Sword 2
Heaven and hell
Ninja Theory is pleading innocence, but Hellblade’s name has got to be some kind of hint, right? While the British developer made Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry, it’ll probably be best known by readers of this website for Heavenly Sword – a PlayStation 3 exclusive that shares a name so similar to its lates
Gamescom 2014 Hellblade Is Ninja Theory's First AAA Indie for PS4
Adapt or die
When the trailer for Hellblade started during Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference, it was hard to shrug the resemblance to the PlayStation 3 title Heavenly Sword. That's for good reason, too, as it's being created by Ninja Theory, the same studio behind Enslaved and DmC: Devil May
