March Assassination #3

My Steam Review - Consider leaving a thumbs up, it means a lot to me :)

Hellblade was … physical. It was brutal. It was truly a horror experience, done beautifully in a captivating way that I can't recall experiencing before.

As a videogame, I can see the flaws that other people have pointed before. The combat can be repetitive, although it never ceases to be graceful and tense, as it should be. I thought the game had 3 or 4 combos, and was shocked to learn later at a Youtube video that there are almost 30 combos that can be performed in fight. The puzzles are usually slow, requiring a lot of walking around and observation. I wouldn't say that on average they are pretty straightforward, but combined with the unsettling setting, they work wonders to create the atmosphere the game is going for.

And if we step away a little bit from the videogame-y parts and lean more into the atmosphere and the intentions of the game, that's where it truly shines. Voice acting is superb, visual and sound effects combine (with the absence of a HUD) to create a truly immersive experience. Art direction is unparalled, and benefits immensely from the high fidelity of the game's models, textures and environments. The devs have a knack for scripting powerful scenes, and it got me every time.

I hardly play horror games, much less psychological games, so going through Hellblade was difficult. I was frequently out of breath and physically uncomfortable as I played, and I could hardly sustain a play session longer than one or two hours. But by the time you beat it and connect with the trials and tribulations Senua has encountered throughout her life, it's simply cathartic.

All in all, this is more than a game. It's the closest to what the Germans call a gesamtkunstwerk - a total work of art. Every discipline works to amplify and enhance the others, and the experience is so unique that you're left speechless, simply feeling the reverberation of the work on your body, long after you've finished it. Play it, play it now in a dark place with headphones on, and be prepared.