Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to continue the story of Senua, a female warrior of the Scottish Pict tribe who suffers from profound psychosis. Players were first introduced to the character in 2017's Hellblade: Sensua's Sacrifice, a game that told the story of Senua's pilgrimage to save the soul of her dead lover, Dillon. With Senua accepting the loss of her lover by Hellblade's end, Senua's Saga could be a bonafide revenge story, with early trailers for the game showing a horrific and brutal atmosphere. To reflect Senua's shift in psychosis after accepting the loss of Dillon, Hellblade 2 should rely less on the original's visual puzzle-solving and more on narrative-altering mind games.
Senua's world is completely experienced by the player through the character's psychosis. Ninja Theory, the developer of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, created a title in which the story of the Pict warrior was told with careful consideration of and advocacy for real people suffering from mental health illness and the prejudice that often results. Senua's story was filled with tragedy long before the loss of Dillon, as her mother suffered from the same psychosis and was burnt at the stake by her tribe because of it. The cultural ramifications of her mental health led Senua to experience auditory and visual hallucinations that posed a significant threat to her life and the player's progression. With Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 continuing Senua's story, following the relinquishing of her past, those psychotic manifestations should be less obstacle-based and take on the form of mind games that warp her recovery and decision-making.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Featured Perspective Puzzle-Solving
One of the primary gameplay mechanics in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was visual puzzle solving. Once players reached a locked gate or wall, often the result of Senua's perception, they had to focus on completing a set of runes for Senua to progress. Players were tasked with finding matching runes in the environment by shifting Senua's perspective or vantage point. Once all the runes from the locked passage were found, the path would become "unlocked" and players could progress forward. Hellblade's rune puzzles offered players little explanation as to how they should be solved and functioned more as filler content than a challenging narrative element.
Hellblade's perspective puzzles didn't quite match the intensity of its narrative and combat's connections to mental health. Hellblade's combat system threatened players with permadeath, as damage or failure impacted Senua's mental health directly, with repeated deaths leading to the deletion of the player's save file. Though the rune puzzles felt naturally connected to Senua's mental health at first, they did not do a proper job of escalating or declining along with the game's narrative. If Hellblade 2 wants to present gameplay that mirrors the shifting psychosis of its protagonist, it should approach its depiction of visual processing differently.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Could Feature Game-Altering Mind Games
Hellblade 2 continues the tale of Senua in a Norse setting and is set to feature a narrative in which the character sets out on her own violent path. Having overcome the guilt and darkness of her past, Senua is pictured in early footage as a more determined and powerful figure, forging her own destiny. Gameplay should echo this evolution and avoid mechanics that lock Senua's progression behind repetitious puzzles that halt the action. The character's psychosis is sure to play a major role in how she processes and understands her new environment. This time, however, it could act as an unreliable source of motivation for Senua, rather than a direct deterrent.
Senua's mental health could alter how players' decisions impact the events of Hellblade 2, rather than how Senua's past distorts her present. Senua has completed her initial journey and is making her own path in Hellblade 2. By seeing and hearing things that are not reflective of reality in real-time, Senua, and players, could be led to make decisions that imperil both herself and her overcoming the source of her present psychosis. The greatest risk to progression could be how players process the events of Hellblade 2 and choose to move forward, with the narrative playing mind games as it presents information. Hellblade's primary focus was on exploring the human mind, and the sequel could double down by exploring how a shift toward acceptance and independence alters the way Senua's psychosis manifests itself.
The way in which psychosis will manifest in Senua's Saga has yet to be confirmed. Despite the fact that Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was the first title confirmed for the Xbox Series X, Ninja Theory has kept details on the title to a minimum. Hellblade 2 is expected to release in late 2023 or early 2024, with fans hoping to get a release date confirmation soon. With last week's Xbox Developer Showcase laying out the company's plans for the first half of 2023, with no mention of Hellblade 2, it seems fans have awhile to wait.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.