Let it be known that Hellblade: Senua?s Sacrifice isn?t your average mainstream title. It?s a ?AAA indie,? according to developer Ninja Theory, one that?s largely set against a Nordic netherworld seething with myth and nightmarish monsters.
As the creative minds behind Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the somewhat contentious DmC reboot, players have come to expect a great deal from each new Ninja Theory release, and the studio has long been vocal about crafting its gaming experiences upon three crucial foundations: story, aesthetic, and combat.
That same DNA courses through the veins of its latest creative venture, but where Hellblade really sets itself apart is in its handling of mental health and, specifically, how it tells its fantastical, yet deeply intimate story through the wounded eyes of Senua. Shackled by a potent case of psychosis, in Hellblade, Ninja Theory?s Celtic warrior journeys through the fire and flames to rescue her wayward lover from the clutches of death itself, only in this instance the hell Senua experiences is actually a manifestation of her crippling mental illness. And therein lies Hellblade?s raison d?être. Myth and Madness
Because make no mistake, as its first self-published and independently developed title, Senua?s Sacrifice is Ninja Theory?s passion project. In the three years since it was first conceived, the Cambridge-based studio has consulted world-leading neuroscientists and non-profit organizations like Wellcome Trust to properly cap...