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Hellblade 2 | Review Thread

What Scores do you think Hellblade 2 will get?

  • 50-59%

    Votes: 2 0.9%
  • 60-69%

    Votes: 6 2.6%
  • 70-75%

    Votes: 23 9.9%
  • 76-79%

    Votes: 44 19.0%
  • 80-85%

    Votes: 90 38.8%
  • 86-90%

    Votes: 47 20.3%
  • 90-94%

    Votes: 10 4.3%
  • 95-100%

    Votes: 10 4.3%

  • Total voters
    232
  • Poll closed .

Von Hugh

Member
Spreading misinformation as usual I see, pathetic but expected.

"It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews.

Full production started in 2020, its more like 4yrs. I really wish you'd at least check before posting nonsense 😉
Heisenberg has been on a roll of ridiculous opinions and comments for a few months now on various topics, so expect no less.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Spreading misinformation as usual I see, pathetic but expected.

"It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews.

Full production started in 2020, its more like 4yrs. I really wish you'd at least check before posting nonsense 😉
You're free to eat their bullshit, as always. Don't expect us to do the same though.

What were they doing between 2017 and 2020 then? Of course, they were working on Hellblade 2. Don't forget that they showed Hellblade 2 in 2019.

And there is always a period of multiple years before full production begins. That's how game development works. You still count that period as part of the full development cycle.

You should take your advice of checking before posting nonsense :)
 

Dazraell

Gold Member
Spreading misinformation as usual I see, pathetic but expected.

"It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews.

Full production started in 2020, its more like 4yrs. I really wish you'd at least check before posting nonsense 😉
The game was announced in 2019 so it'll be at least 5 years. I know they claimed they haven't done anything beside that announcement trailer at that time, but the fact that trailer was developed and assets for it were created (as announcement trailer to this day has "In-Engine" label) implies that some of the work on the project had to be made earlier. Someone made a decision to greenlight that sequel and announcing it, someone had conversations and most likely did some preliminary work on figuring out what the game will be about, someone was figuring out what the trailer will be about and most importantly - someone was working on creating assets for that trailer. This stuff most likely took months to happen. Also, full production is usually preceded by concept phase and pre-production, which also counts to development time. You say bold words about misinformation, but you kinda spread one too by conveniently ignoring this matter
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
This sort of trolling is utterly pathetic really, childish even...
I never remember people saying the same of games that are held up as all-time classics like Silent Hill 2, SOC or ICO being knocked for short games.


I couldn't careless if a game is only 7 to 10 hours as long as the experience is enjoyable. IMO Banishers Ghost Of Eden is so much better than either God Of War Ragnarok or Hellblade 2 and also features a better narrative IMO
But to knock Hellblade 2 for 7 to 10 hours of gameplay is so bloody childish, but that sums up modern gaming.

It's like Spurs fans mocking Arsenal for not winning the league this year, never mind Spurs haven't won anything for decades...
Not really. The cost-to-value always translates into review scores. There's a reason why people liked Helldivers 2 so much, because it doesn't cost $70. And why games like Returnal did not as well as they should (based on the quality of that game), because of its high price tag.

These things matter.
 

Gudji

Member
Nothing like the smell of a good review thread in the morning.

Smell Good Korean Drama GIF by The Swoon
 
It's mindblowing how a game can make people so upset specially to those that never had any interest in it, and yet we see these people arguing about the amount of time it took the developers to get it done when they also know the game has been developed by a small studio and they made clear from day 1 what type of game to expect.

Genuinely asking, was anyone expecting a drastic change in HB2 and suddenly becoming a God of War or Horizon clone? I'm just asking because I can't recall NT stating it would be a major turn around from its predecessor.

Also, the fact that this game is currently the best-looking game out there seems to be something to ignore. If this was done by Guerrilla, ND or Insomniac, well..
 

Dazraell

Gold Member
People were warned that this would happen.
Yeah, this game had several big red flags before the release. I find it hilarious it's yet another one this year where prior to release I listed some of these red flags and got called disingenuous for daring to voice them. I would love to be nothing but positive about games that are released, but unfortunately it is what it is and there are some releases on the horizon that doesn't look better either (I'm talking about you Vampire the Masquarade: Bloodlines 2)

It's mindblowing how a game can make people so upset specially to those that never had any interest in it, and yet we see these people arguing about the amount of time it took the developers to get it done when they also know the game has been developed by a small studio and they made clear from day 1 what type of game to expect.

Genuinely asking, was anyone expecting a drastic change in HB2 and suddenly becoming a God of War or Horizon clone? I'm just asking because I can't recall NT stating it would be a major turn around from its predecessor.

Also, the fact that this game is currently the best-looking game out there seems to be something to ignore. If this was done by Guerrilla, ND or Insomniac, well..
If you're trying to point a finger at me, I actually had an interest in it. I played the first game and was looking forward to see what they will do in a sequel. Wasn't planning to play it at launch, but I would pick it up somewhere later this year. I mean, this is a first ever sequel from the company who made some of my favorite games. That's what makes it more upsetting to realize this game is just more of the same thing and doesn't introduce anything new and what's worse, it's even shorter. The first one was labelled as low budget AAA indie game. I could get behind the shorter length there, but come on, this time it's backed by Microsoft. It should have been deeper and more complex

Stop spreading bs.

Or am I too stupid to get the joke?
He tries to say that DLC released for free is similar length to a 50$ game
 
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AgatonSax

Member
Spreading misinformation as usual I see, pathetic but expected.

"It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews.

Full production started in 2020, its more like 4yrs. I really wish you'd at least check before posting nonsense 😉
So they all worked for free between 2017 and 2020? Decent of them.
 
Not really. The cost-to-value always translates into review scores. There's a reason why people liked Helldivers 2 so much, because it doesn't cost $70. And why games like Returnal did not as well as they should (based on the quality of that game), because of its high price tag.

These things matter.
Haven't played Helldivers 2 so won't comment on that game and IMO games like Returnal didn't do that well because it was too hard and was nothing 'that' special. Given HellBlade 2 is on Gamepass the £70 price tag sort of goes out the window too.
Don't tell us people can't afford a month's Gamepass ...

At the end of the day, it's pathetic to try and knock a game for just 7 to 10 hours, when some of my fav games of all time offer that.
What's far more important is if those 10 hours are engaging gameplay and get's you hooked
 

FireFly

Member
What were they doing between 2017 and 2020 then? Of course, they were working on Hellblade 2. Don't forget that they showed Hellblade 2 in 2019.
"In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, Matthews clarified that while the announcement trailer existed in 2019, the studio hadn't begun full development on Hellblade 2 until 2020. The studio's primary focus remained on completing Bleeding Edge, a multiplayer arena brawler it released in 2020. Only after finalizing Bleeding Edge did the team fully shift its attention to developing Hellblade 2. "It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews."

 
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FunkMiller

Member
"In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, Matthews clarified that while the announcement trailer existed in 2019, the studio hadn't begun full development on Hellblade 2 until 2020. The studio's primary focus remained on completing Bleeding Edge, a multiplayer arena brawler it released in 2020. Only after finalizing Bleeding Edge did the team fully shift its attention to developing Hellblade 2. "It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews."


As others have said, it feels a little hard to believe that they only started on this game in 2020, when a year earlier they had a long, in engine trailer to reveal at a major games show, which include a sequence that is in the final game.

Sounds to me like he knows he'd get shit for a 5 hour game taking so long, and is trying to retcon things a little so it sounds less bad. Perfectly reasonable for him to do that. Also perfectly reasonable to be deeply suspicious of that narrative, given what they put out a full year earlier.
 
Have played a little.

Definitely not a game for everyone, me included.

But it does have a strong identity, direction. Doesn’t feel half baked. Its like MS gave developers a good chunk of budget and time. And then left them to make whatever the hell they want to make.

Might not be a game for everyone, but devs wanted to make this, and felt strongly about it. No aspect of it feels like result of corporate meddling.

I can respect that.

Over time I am seeing gamepass is building a solid library of varied content. We are getting online titles like Sea of Thieves, Grounded along with good SP titles like HiFi Rush, Psychonauts 2, along with some slow paced, acquired taste type games like this and Pentiment. This is on top of their usual staple franchises Halo-Gears-Forza.

Sadly, I have to admit, xbox is only creative force left in industry rife with safe sequals due to bloated game budgets.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Have played a little.

Definitely not a game for everyone, me included.

But it does have a strong identity, direction. Doesn’t feel half baked. Its like MS gave developers a good chunk of budget and time. And then left them to make whatever the hell they want to make.

Might not be a game for everyone, but devs wanted to make this, and felt strongly about it. No aspect of it feels like result of corporate meddling.

I can respect that.

Over time I am seeing gamepass is building a solid library of varied content. We are getting online titles like Sea of Thieves, Grounded along with good SP titles like HiFi Rush, Psychonauts 2, along with some slow paced, acquired taste type games like this and Pentiment. This is on top of their usual staple franchises Halo-Gears-Forza.

Sadly, I have to admit, xbox is only creative force left in industry rife with safe sequals due to bloated game budgets.
I guess tango studio wasn't creative enough.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
"In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, Matthews clarified that while the announcement trailer existed in 2019, the studio hadn't begun full development on Hellblade 2 until 2020. The studio's primary focus remained on completing Bleeding Edge, a multiplayer arena brawler it released in 2020. Only after finalizing Bleeding Edge did the team fully shift its attention to developing Hellblade 2. "It’s been seven years since the last [Hellblade] game, but we’ve been working on it [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2] for less time than that," remarked Matthews."

Bleeding Edge was developed by a "tiny team" within Ninja Theory. It wasn't made by the entire studio.

Here is the quote directly from Ninja Theory.

qEC1ktM.jpeg


An average of 15 people.

Even at Bleeding Edge's peak development period, 3/4th of the studio was working on Hellblade 2.

So, yes, it has been 7 years of production for Hellblade 2.
 
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Bleeding Edge was developed by a "tiny team" within Ninja Theory. It wasn't made by the entire studio.

Here is the quote directly from Ninja Theory.

qEC1ktM.jpeg


An average of 15 people.

Even at Bleeding Edge's peak development period, 3/4th of the studio was working on Hellblade 2.

So, yes, it has been 7 years of production for Hellblade 2.
Look the developer has given the facts, got no reason to lie. Game is out has scored very well and is the first real next-gen showcase for these consoles.

Just quit before you dig that hole you're in even deeper.
 
Look the developer has given the facts, got no reason to lie. Game is out has scored very well and is the first real next-gen showcase for these consoles.

Just quit before you dig that hole you're in even deeper.
He is literally stating facts from Ninja Theory, same as you. Seems like Ninja Theory have learnt the fine art of spreading white lies from Phil.
 
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Embearded

Member
Game length has nothing to do with it's quality.
If they want to make a 5 hours long game, sell it for 40-50$ and be open about it, I don't see the problem.
If that is the story they want to tell it's fine.

I don't get why people mock the lack of gameplay and the length of the game. If the genre isn't for you then it's fine, move on.

Also, saying that this is the first new gen example of graphics is not true. It surely is a very nice looking game, maybe even the best one out there, but its obvious they reduced the number of objects on screen so they could increase the polygons on those we see, like character models.
 

FireFly

Member
Bleeding Edge was developed by a "tiny team" within Ninja Theory. It wasn't made by the entire studio.

Here is the quote directly from Ninja Theory.

qEC1ktM.jpeg


An average of 15 people.

Even at Bleeding Edge's peak development period, 3/4th of the studio was working on Hellblade 2.

So, yes, it has been 7 years of production for Hellblade 2.
I never said Bleeding Edge was made by the entire studio. They were also working on Project Mara and The Insight Project and possibly other experimental projects. And it's perfectly compatible with what I quoted that they had some people on the project before 2020. (We also know the project was announced with 40 people, so it wasn't 75% of the studio).

My point is that they directly state they were not working on the game for 7 years.

I don't see how you can contradict the direct word of the developer. You also have to remember that they were only acquired in mid-2018. So it's perfectly possible that before the acquisition they didn't have the resources to work on Bleeding Edge and Hellblade 2 at the same time.
 

Spank_Magnet

The Male Lewinsky
Game length has nothing to do with it's quality.
If they want to make a 5 hours long game, sell it for 40-50$ and be open about it, I don't see the problem.
If that is the story they want to tell it's fine.

I don't get why people mock the lack of gameplay and the length of the game. If the genre isn't for you then it's fine, move on.

Also, saying that this is the first new gen example of graphics is not true. It surely is a very nice looking game, maybe even the best one out there, but its obvious they reduced the number of objects on screen so they could increase the polygons on those we see, like character models.
And there’s little to no actual interaction between the characters and the environment As well as a very minimal (if any) physics system at play. It’s a very impressive looking title with ridiculously good production values. I sat through a 9 hour play through (on PC) last night and enjoyed it immensely.
Would I have enjoyed it as much if I’d been playing it? I doubt it. There was too much wandering about and while I watched I did other things. I think actually playing it would have frustrated me too much.
Would I play it now If I had the chance? I doubt it.
 
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Dazraell

Gold Member
Game length has nothing to do with it's quality.
If they want to make a 5 hours long game, sell it for 40-50$ and be open about it, I don't see the problem.
If that is the story they want to tell it's fine.

I don't get why people mock the lack of gameplay and the length of the game. If the genre isn't for you then it's fine, move on.

Also, saying that this is the first new gen example of graphics is not true. It surely is a very nice looking game, maybe even the best one out there, but its obvious they reduced the number of objects on screen so they could increase the polygons on those we see, like character models.
You're basically describing Ryse: Son of Rome and The Order 1886. These were also technical showcases, but they are not remembered fondly as titles that were successful in terms of their gameplay, story and length

Also, saying "if genre isn't for you, move on" is kinda misleading as when you see Hellblade's gameplay and you haven't played the first game, your first impressions will be that it's something closer to games like God of War reboot or A Plague's Tale, which are much longer and more complex in terms of their gameplay. Not to even mention that you assume that people who have issues with this game doesn't even like that genre
 
If this is a 10/10 then it’s concerning the kind of standards people are pushing here.

It reeks of a coordinated effort in response to recent bad feelings to them closing studios . It doesn’t feel sincere at all.

This is a great looking game, and I use the use the term game generously here. It has no sense of pacing , it certainly doesn’t respect the players time and for a IP that had less than 30 people on the team for the original and double that with this, it feels like barely or if it all, any progress has been made with it in the gameplay department.

The whole circus surrounding Phil and the Xbox teams looks set to go on and on. Efforts like this and publicly lauding it is basically telling all concerned that this is acceptable and to keep going.

If people genuinely love this, it’s not my intention to criticise you, each is own taste. I do suspect there are individuals who are praising this because of their relationship with Microsoft, it was always going to be the case after the negativity in recent weeks.
 

HeWhoWalks

Gold Member
Bit of a stretch there, buddy.
Definitely. It’s an excellent looking game no doubt, but first true “current” gen example? Hardly. And it lacks some of stuff on top of that. Alan Wake 2’s lighting and reflections easily top its, Forbidden West’s landscapes are bigger in scope and more detailed, and some of Last of Us Part I’s character models nearly match Senua (particularly Tess). There is also much less going on than any of those games (though I live by a code of what I see, not why, but context remains key).

Where it exceeds most games (as mentioned) are character models and geometric assets (the rocks are incredibly rounded off and detailed). As a total package, it’s likely at the top, but it doesn’t top every game in every way and certainly isn’t the first true current gen display of anything. It deserves accolades for what it achieved without any additional hyperbole to encourage mud slinging at it.
 
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Xion_Stellar

People should stop referencing data that makes me feel uncomfortable because games get ported to platforms I don't like
I'm missing something here? What has Ninja Theory been doing this whole time? 4 years of development for a 5 hour game doesn't seem like a good trade off for anyone involved.
 
"the only thing that would be fair in my mind is to make this a tech demo akin to astrobot, and include it in consoles by default to showcase the power of Xbox"

Frustrated World Cup GIF



I don't know about HB2 but Astrobot has great gameplay and is so fun to play. But the most overlooked stuff of the "demo" is actually the technical side of the game. The game looks and runs like a dream with cartridges-like loadings. It's as if Mario was running on a decent hardware for once.
 
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