Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a single-player action-adventure game set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture. Players control Senua, a Pict warrior who journeys into the Norse underworld to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. The game blends melee combat, puzzle solving, and psychological horror, with Senua's psychosis shaping how the world is perceived, including voices that provide guidance or attempt to mislead the player. The game was developed by a team of around twenty people and features no heads-up display or tutorials. Instead, audio cues from voices in Senua's head guide the player through combat and environmental challenges. The portrayal of psychosis was developed in collaboration with neuroscientists and people who experience the condition.
About the story
Set in the late 8th century, Senua is a Pict warrior from Orkney who embarks on a journey into Helheim, the Norse underworld, to rescue the soul of her dead lover Dillion from the goddess Hela. Carrying his severed head as a vessel for his soul, she must overcome trials, defeat mythological beings, and survive the influence of the Darkness, a malevolent entity that haunts her. Senua suffers from psychosis, hearing voices she calls "Furies" and experiencing hallucinations that blur the line between reality and delusion. Guided by memories of her friend Druth, a former slave of the Norsemen who taught her their legends, Senua pushes deeper into a hostile world shaped as much by her fractured mind as by the myths she believes in.
Platforms
Switch PC PS4 PS5 XONE Series X|SGenres
Adventure Hack and slash/Beat 'em up Indie SimulatorThemes
Action Fantasy Historical
Languages: English and 21 more
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| Norwegian | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | |||
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| Portuguese (Portugal) | |||
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| Italian | |||
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| Spanish (Mexico) |
Media
Critic Reviews
XboxEra
By Austin "Proven"Hellblade is simply a great experience, and after finishing it for the very first time recently, I am even more excited for Hellblade II. The game is available on Game Pass, so if you haven’t taken the journey to Hellheim yet or want a quick refresher before the sequel releases on May 21st, it’s a game I fully recommend.
Squared Potato
By Bruno VieiraHellblade: Senua's Sacrifice brings with it an eventful journey, not only marked by Senua's struggle, but by the question and unease it raises for the player regarding psychosis. This constant struggle, both in game and in real life has produced incredible results for Ninja Theory, including special thanks from players with the same condition. A beautiful game, leaving mouths watering for its successor.
Gaming Professors
By Petra SvobodováHellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is definitely not just a story about retrieving a dead lover from the underworld, nor is it an epic tale of revenge. Rather, it's about experience, upbringing, and contextualizing psychological difference in the age of the Vikings and Celts. Almost every aspect of the game, be it combat, puzzling, exploration, is deliberate and points to the theme of what people at the time called "the curse". The game very successfully weaves metaphors of grief and loss into the core gameplay mechanics and rich folklore. And is there a happy ending at the end? Will Senua save her beloved Dilion? Well, you'll have to find out for yourself.
SwitchRPG
By Nestor KHellblade is a gritty, poignant, atmospheric adventure that tackles head-on what oft-times remains a taboo to discuss: mental health. Does it succeed?
Kritiqal
By Nate KiernanHellblade enters not at the point of trauma but everything that comes after. The anguish, the self doubt, the violent attempts to feel anything at all, and finally, the recognition that this trauma is permanent.
