Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 – A Visually Stunning Journey with Room for Growth

A Stunning Visual Journey with a Story of Madness, but Falls Short in Gameplay Depth

It’s Astro Bot’s day, but let’s not forget about Xbox and their exclusives! Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is one of the most graphically stunning games I’ve ever played. It pushes the boundaries of the Xbox Series X, delivering a visual experience that’s hard to match. However, I found myself wanting more compared to the first game. Senua might not descend into hell this time, but her mind and everything she imagines around her still spiral into chaos. I’m conflicted because while she seemed to come to terms with her inner struggles, she’s dragged back into madness—this time on a God of War-style adventure to free her people, slay giants, and rid them of pain and control.

Atmosphere and Sound Design: Immersive and Unmatched

If there’s one thing Hellblade 2 nails, it’s the atmosphere. The game takes you through eerie dark caves, misty woods, and battlegrounds filled with death and sorrow. The world shifts around Senua as her emotions change—whether it’s fear, anger, or a brief moment of peace. You can feel the weight of her journey as the environment mirrors her inner turmoil, which adds to the game’s immersive quality.

The sound design is equally phenomenal. The 3D audio is a huge step up from the first game, and the voices in Senua’s head are more dynamic than ever. They guide, encourage, or even trick you as you progress through the story. Hearing her mind battle with itself—offering advice during combat or confusing you during puzzles—pulls you deeper into the experience. It’s one of the game’s biggest strengths and creates an intense, personal connection with Senua’s mental state.

The audio can feel like it is coming from all directions, which is a design choice to help you understand what Senua is going through. It was like that in the first game as well, but this time around, it feels much more intense. They even have the subtitles appear in different locations to indicate where the voice is coming from, which is cool. You have to experience the audio, especially with headphones on, because it'll have you looking around your entire room as if someone is behind you.

Gameplay, Combat, and Puzzles: Satisfying but Underdeveloped

While the game shines in its atmosphere and audio, the gameplay is where Hellblade 2 falls short. The combat remains largely unchanged from the first game—simple but satisfying when you land hits on enemies. However, the lack of innovation is noticeable. In the first game, we had the focus mechanic for light attacks, but this time around, nothing new is introduced. I would’ve loved to see more variety, like wielding an axe, spear, or shield beyond the brief moments in executions or escapes.

Enemy variety is also limited, and some encounters feel clunky. The fire-breathing enemies, for example, are frustrating because dodging their attacks is difficult due to the restrictive camera angles. Then there are creatures that remind me of monsters from The Descent with clicker-like noises from The Last of Us. Their fast attacks clash with Senua’s sometimes slow movements, making combat feel like a repetitive game of rock-paper-scissors. Once you get into the rhythm, combat becomes easy, but it lacks real challenge and can feel more annoying than fun at times.

It’s not all bad, though. I did appreciate how cinematic the combat can be, and at times, I felt like, “How is Senua going to get out of this?” You always were on your guard, which is an exciting and intentional touch. The combat was 1 v 1, and it felt intense. You had to focus because only a couple of hits could change the trajectory of the battle.

The puzzles, unfortunately, don’t add much to the game. They often feel like filler content, and the torch level, in particular, was unnecessarily long. I wanted to see more creativity here, like deeper dives into Senua’s psychosis or the morphing of the world around her. Instead, I spent too much time backtracking through puzzles that felt like they were there just to pad the game.

One major issue was the lack of a proper tutorial. You start the game with a control scheme, but there’s no real practice for timing blocks or learning how to parry. I didn’t even realize I could parry until halfway through the game, which was a game-changer for combat. It would’ve been nice to have a bit more guidance early on, as this would have improved the flow of combat significantly.

Final Thoughts: Beautiful, but Falls Short

In the end, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a solid game, but I wished it had more to offer. Senua’s journey was compelling, but the world felt empty at times. I would’ve loved to see more interactions with people, maybe even a town or city to explore, to expand on the lore and story. The game’s combat could use refinement, and the story felt like it moved forward just a little bit.

However, Senua’s personal growth by the end was rewarding, and I’m happy with how her journey concluded. I just hope if they make another game, it’s bigger and bolder. The motion capture work is stunning, but I want them to expand the world and give us more to explore, interact with, and experience.

Score: 6 Blades out of 10

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is too beautiful to give a lower score. Plus, it’s on Game Pass, so if you have it, there’s no extra cost. But I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for it. At $49.99 for about six hours of gameplay (and that’s only because I found the sprint button near the end), I’d say wait for a sale. Or, if you really want to play it, try it on Game Pass and use a free trial if possible.