Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice's release in 2017 was warmly received in large part due to the deeper themes behind the visually impressive gameplay. That positive reception, as well as Microsoft's acquisition of Ninja Theory in 2018, has driven expectations for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 much higher than for its predecessor. For the time being, Ninja Theory has kept back from revealing too much for the game, but today it let slip a piece of concept art if only to help maintain Hellblade 2's anticipation.
The piece of concept art is described as an image of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2's "shore settlement" and was created by Ninja Theory artist Marco Teixeira. It depicts Senua standing on a dark, humongous object staring out upon a shoreline village. There's fire, though it's unclear if the village is burning, and what appears to be a river of lava leading into the village. Over the shoreline, birds are circling. Waves crash against boulders along the coastline. It's a very dark and seemingly hopeless piece of art.
While there's no additional context provided by Ninja Theory for the image, it's possibly related to the official Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 trailer debuted during The Game Awards 2021. During that trailer, Senua's village hunts a giant they find in a cave along the shoreline. The giant retaliates and a fight ensues as Senua retreats and the giant follows, devouring villagers and shouting Senua's name.
It's unclear if the concept art shared today is meant to represent the conclusion of that trailer from The Game Awards 2021 or not, but the two are clearly related. The shoreline location of both the trailer and the piece of art ties them together. It's possible that the concept are is supposed to show Senua's village, the home of all those shown in the trailer. Perhaps there's more to it than meets the eye, though.
Both the trailer for Hellblade 2 and the new piece of concept art hint at conflict for Senua. Obviously, she's trying to kill the giant in the trailer, but in the concept art she's also shown with spear and knife in hand. Perhaps she's trying to protect the village, or perhaps she's leaving it.
What Ninja Theory has shown of Hellblade 2 so far is certainly nothing more than a glimpse of what the studio has put together for the game. With no current release window announced, that leaves a lot of time left for Ninja Theory to share more. As the concept art implies, little more than the shoreline has likely been shared of the world that is to be found in Hellblade 2.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.