Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Release date, platforms, gameplay, trailers, more
Ninja TheorySenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is coming out later in May, and players can expect a different – yet brutal – experience. Here is everything you need to know about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is the sequel to the award-winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice took us on a difficult journey through the eyes of someone suffering from psychosis.
The game was praised for being a work of art, but also for its unique take on psychosis and the struggles of mental health. Senua is returning in Hellblade 2, and this time, she is a little more comfortable with the voices that follow her. Here is everything you need to know about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 release date
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be released on May 21, 2024, in digital-only form only.
The game was originally announced in 2019 at The Game Awards, and we have seen many gameplay teasers since. At the Xbox Direct showcase, Ninja Theory announced that the game will officially be released on May 21.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 platforms & price
Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga will be available on Xbox and PC for $49.99/£39.99.
Players who have Xbox Game Pass will have access to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 on release, and the game will otherwise be available on Xbox Series X.
It has also been revealed that the game will be locked in at 30 FPS on Xbox Series X and S, with no Performance Mode available. Increased frames and Performance Mode will be available on PC, however.
Be sure to check out our full guide on the system requirements to see what you need for high-end performance and how much space to save up for the file size.
Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga gameplay changes
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will see an almost complete graphical overhaul, with extra touches to the audio experience.
Since joining Xbox Studios, Ninja Theory have explained that they have more ability to focus on production value. “In this new chapter of Senua’s life we have been able to push our production values way beyond what we were able to achieve previously,” Dom Matthews, Studio Head of Ninja Theory, explained.
Beyond the beautiful new look players can expect, Ninja Theory will also introduce new mechanics that allow the player to truly experience the struggle Senua goes through in the story.
“Players will find themselves traversing beautiful and hostile environments,” said Mark Slater-Tunstill, VFX Director at Ninja Theory. “Battling through encounters with enemies that will push Senua to her limits.”
Combat will largely be one-on-one encounters. According to combat director Benoit Macon, the combat in Senua’s Saga was largely drawn from the Battle of the Bastards episode from Game of Thrones.
“[Jon Snow is] in the middle of this battle and just reacting to everything that is thrown at him. When we started development, our ambition was to recreate that in-game with full control from the player,” Macon said in an interview with Games Radar.
Puzzles will also be part of Senua’s Saga, just like they were in the original Hellblade. From early impressions, it seems that they will not be too complicated to work through and just need you to find runes to unlock new areas.
As they did previously, Ninja Theory have worked with professionals and people with lived experiences of psychosis to try and make Senua’s story as authentic as possible. Players can also expect the binaural feature to not only apply to the voices Senua hears but everything in the environment too.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be a similar length to the first game, which took around seven to nine hours to beat.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 story
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will focus on Senua’s journey to stop the Vikings who have been enslaving her people.
“Senua herself has grown since the first Hellblade,” Melina Juergens, Character Performer for Senua, explained. “She has made peace with her past and is no longer in such fear of her visions and voices.”
Hellblade 2 will bring new characters and places into play. As explained in the Developer Direct 2024 showcase, some of them will be friends to Senua, while others will make her journey more difficult to navigate.
“We’re trying to be as faithful to history as we can, up to a point,” Lara Derham, Scriptwriter and Performance Capture Director at Ninja Theory, said. “Establishing a solid framework and building more surreal elements on top.”
Players will get to fight Giants and Duergar, new enemies that could prove to be formidable foes. As explained by Slater-Tunstill, Senua is not a superhero – she is a person trying to survive. The game aims to immerse the player in that experience as much as possible.
“Our hope is not only to create a game that is great to play, but to craft an experience that leaves you thinking and feeling,” Matthews said in his closing remarks.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 trailers
You can check out all the trailers for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 below:
The reveal trailer for Hellblade 2 originally came out on December 13, 2019 at The Game Awards:
The official gameplay reveal trailer released on December 10, 2021:
We got a better look at Senua herself in Hellblade 2 on June 11, 2023:
The official trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 was revealed on December 8, 2023, also at The Game Awards of that year:
That is all we have on Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 at this moment. Keep an eye out for more updates closer to release day, and be sure to check out our list of games coming soon in the meantime below.
Grand Theft Auto 6 | The Division Heartland | Marathon | Wolverine | Elder Scrolls 6 | Call of Duty 2024