Thanks to the global pandemic leading to worldwide current-gen console shortages since their launch, exclusives for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are relatively hard to come by.Senua’s Saga:Hellblade 2,the follow-up to 2017’sHellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, is confirmed to be an Xbox exclusive, which immediately makes it a rather rare commodity. The game is set to continue the journey of the protagonist Senua, as she navigates a mythological Norse setting not too dissimilar toGod of War Ragnarok’s.This similarity, along with the fact that both are exclusives on their respective platforms, will likely see comparisons drawn between the two, something whichSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2’s developers will probably not want.
God of War Ragnarok’s release last month took the industry by storm, and a raft of near-perfect review scores was swiftly followed by record-breaking sales for Sony, leading to the game garnering 10 separate nominations at theGame Awards 2022. With its incredibly high production values and levels of polish, it is a formidable title for any game to be compared to. Norse setting aside,Hellblade 2will likely be a very different game in everything from the mechanics to the narrative, which makes inevitable comparisons even harder to swallow.
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Hellblade 2 Will Draw Comparisons With God of War Ragnarok’s Norse Setting
At its core,Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificetells a powerful story dealing with real issues such as mental illness and psychosis. The protagonist is a young warrior called Senua, who journeys to the realm of Helheim, to rescue her dead lover’s soul from Hela. Standing in her way are a variety of demons and environmental puzzles. The biggest demons, though, are perhaps the ones in Senua’s own head. Her psychological issues are apparent from the outset, and they grow in scale as the player ventures further into the world of Helheim.
As one of the first Xbox exclusivesusing Unreal Engine 5, released footage ofHellblade 2has already showcased incredible amounts of detail both in character models and the game’s world. Developer Ninja Theory is clearly working hard to ensureHellblade 2surpasses its predecessor in terms of how it looks as well as how it plays. With no real details revealed regarding the plot yet, it’s not clear yet on where Senua’s journey will take her next, but the gameplay trailer revealed last year suggested that there will be more of an emphasis on combat than in the first game, which is a good sign for the franchise’s growth.
Recent times have seen a rise in the amount of video games using a mythological Norse setting. Aside from theGod of Warsaga,Assassin’s Creed Valhallaalso explored this at some length, with both franchises sharing many of the same themes and exploring the roles of mythological beings such as Odin and Fenrir. Judging by its predecessor,Hellblade 2is likely to be much darker than these others, with the game walking a fine line between action-adventure and psychological horror.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Ninja Theory has ensured that PlayStation owners won’t get to playHellblade 2, at least not for the foreseeable future. While this may frustrate some PS5 fans, Xbox loyalists will just be happy that the shoe is on the other foot for a change. With bigMicrosoft exclusives likeStarfieldandRedfallboth delayed this year, Xbox Series X/S owners have had to be extremely patient up to this point, while PlayStation have been enjoying the likes ofRagnarok,Ratchet and Clank: Rift ApartandThe Last of Us Part 1Remake. 2023 could well be the year that Xbox’s exclusives are able to rival Sony’s, andSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2has a big part to play in this. Hopefully it can be judged on its own merits and avoid unnecessary comparisons.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
