© Xbox
At the end of 2019, Microsoft made its brand new Xbox Series X official at the Game Awards. Alongside its new console, the American giant also presented Hellblade 2, which many saw as the ideal launch game to accompany the new generation of Xbox a few months later. In reality, we had to wait more than three and a half to finally discover this sequel to Hellblade.
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Hellblade 2, the test is finally here!
In this second opus, we of course find Senua is back on a new violent survival journey, through the myths and torments of Viking Iceland. It is obviously advisable to have read the first opus before embarking on this Hellblade 2, which takes up many of its qualities… but also some faults. To fully enjoy this Hellblade 2, you will absolutely need headphones. This allows us to feel 100% the different voices passing through Senua's head, with very carefully crafted spatialization, so much so that we sometimes (often) have the impression of having someone leaning on our shoulder, who whispers in our ears. It's amazing, really.
© Xbox
Added to this if possible is an OLED screen, to fully enjoy the darkest passages. Note that (unlike the first opus) the game is designed for a “widescreen” type display (in 2.39:1), and therefore imposes black bands at the top and bottom of a 16:9 screen. This is intended by the developers, this aims to reinforce the “cinematic” side of this narrative experience.
Special mention also to this same narration, particularly careful. The game is a little slower than the first opus, but with a much more marked cinematic dimension. We knew it, Hellblade 2 is a technical marvel, with incredible motion capture, just like the modeling of faces, and the first minutes of play immediately confirm it.
© Xbox
Added to this are simply grandiose panoramas, enhanced with a ton of stunning visual effects. The technical blemish is undeniable, and Hellblade 2 is one of the most beautiful titles you will see (and hear). It’s said.
As was the case for the first episode, Hellblade 2 is a very (very) narrative title, and we must admit that the gameplay will often be limited to… pushing the left analog stick forward. No open world here, the path is clear, and even if certain areas turn out to be a tad larger, don't expect the slightest exploration. Everything is designed for a strict narrative purpose, and too bad for all those areas blocked by invisible walls.
Gameplay and lifespan
As we have said, Hellblade 2 is an extremely solid experience from a visual and sound point of view. A bit like Ryse: Son of Rome at the launch of the Xbox One (the real ones know), Ninja Theory's game is sure to fill your eyes and ears… and would have been the perfect launch game for the Xbox Series even sit the “next-gen” from the outset. An undeniable technological showcase, an avalanche of visual effects and other technical feats, to the detriment of a “game” which is not really one, since the ;we are more in a very immersive narrative experience here, the gameplay being very (very) limited.
Because yes, if you were hoping for new gameplay, that's not the case. The combat system has been revised, for ever more visceral, more realistic struggles, but these are reduced to one-on-one, in small circular arenas. The fights are more authentic yes, but structured like a series of consecutive duels. Hellblade was already a niche game, this sequel is too.
© Xbox
Of course, the staging sometimes modifies the progress of certain fights, but they remain very basic, with the same strategy to adopt from the beginning to the end of the adventure. As was the case for the first opus, some are (much) too long, and we undeniably feel a “filling” side at times, with fights that quickly become sluggish, and which multiply a little too much…
You were hoping for an XP system ? Nope. An inventory to manage ? No more. The ability to have multiple weapons? No, no. Renewed puzzles ? Apart from runes to find to open doors (yes, the very painful puzzles already present in the first opus…), it's also no. So of course, we will be able to get our hands on “hidden” places by observing certain rocks, without forgetting the totems of knowledge, but this remains anecdotal. As mentioned above, the gameplay will very often boil down to pushing the left stick (and incidentally pressing LB to run), to follow the predefined path, the objective here being to immerse yourself and take full advantage of the narration put in place by the developers.
© Xbox
Another small complaint about this Hellblade 2 is its tendency to… overplay and perhaps look at itself a little too much. Indeed, if the title is an absolute visual and sound slap, (too) many passages aim to highlight the modeling of faces and/or lip synchronization, and too bad if it involves faces (especially Senua) often very grimacing, with this tendency to “overplay” certain emotions.
Finally, in terms of lifespan, no miracle for this Hellblade 2, with an adventure completed on our side in a little over 5 hours. Five hours, often very intense (apart from a terribly long passage…), and a general experience from which we emerge dazzled by the breathtaking scenery, always with this very fascinating lore… but also a bit of this impression of having been “spectator”, rather than “player”. Without spoiling it, once the game is finished, you have the possibility to start it again, taking advantage of a small, but nevertheless very interesting, modification.
Our opinion on Hellblade 2
“Technology showcase”, “technical demo”, call it what you want… Hellblade 2 is an indisputable visual and sound demonstration. The mythological setting is fascinating, the staging is incredible and the general production allows for a series of contemplative sequences, without forgetting this simply fabulous sound design. However, Hellblade 2 also suffers from very poor gameplay, combat that is as violent as it is repetitive/sluggish, runic puzzles that quickly tend to give up, and a lifespan of around 5 hours. That being said, Hellblade 2 remains, in our opinion, an experience worth living, mainly for the pleasure of the eyes and ears.
Test carried out using a version provided by the publisher.
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