I love the first game. Sure it has flaws of its own but I would call that one of my best gaming expierences ever made. Everything from Senua´s struggle with herself, the flawed perception of the world and the twist at the end. Its been a remarkable journey. As you might imagine having a second game coming up was met by a curtain anticipation. Back in 2019 when the first trailer hit the screen at the Game Awards it was really hard to avoid the typical hype trap. I didnt wanted to dive deep into speculations and endless cycles of discussion, predictions and news videos or articles. So i grew patience only ever getting a glimpse at the second game via new trailers at the usual big events I most definiatly watched regardless of the risk getting hyped. Closing in onto the final release date I tempted with breaking the most important modern video game rule of never ever preordering. After all what do I had to fear?
Some voice of criticism before and some other side notes made me hesitate again. So I went and bought in the christmas sale

I wanna praise the art and graphics of the game. Ive never then anything more authentic interms of animations, facial expression and the natural state of the world. Clearly a new hight of a graphical standard for the future glimpsed here in Hellblade 2. Even on the lowest setting it looks far better then most stuff from 2020 and downwards. Except for those stupid black movie borders at the top and the bottom of the game. At first I thought fine its a cutscene and once I got control they are gone. But no the stayed and the would have stayed until the very end if not for some eager players to find a "fix" by adjusting the config.ini within the game folders. The fix included to remove some other unwanted graphic settings that are still a part of the game industry. Lets be honest who has met anyone who likes stuff like film grain. Without those I could enjoy the game way better and I regret not doing so earlier. I dont have high hopes that Ninja Theory is ever bringing out an update allowing to disable those option including the black borders.

The game is reduced to a movie with occasional breaks where you need to fight or solve some really easy and intuitive riddles. The rest is only pressing forward and interact to climb over obstacles. As mention puzzles are way to easy. Mostly you end up in a small area and you need either find the right angle to aline objects for a sign or you need to activate/deactive curtain triggers while moving through obstructions. It felt impossible to fail those tasks. Fighting on the other side is a mixture of rock-paper-scissors and quick time events. Each fight is the same. You stand in the middle of an arena, autolocking on the enemy you wanna fight and block, evade for as long as it needed to go into your time-freeze-the-enemy-wont-fight-back-until-dead mode. Practically you try to deliver some minor hits and block till the ultimate bar is filled and it happens pretty fast. Each arena has more and more enemys to fight and there is only a small varation of enemies. It become really obvious they went the show route. Visually the fights are stunning. Like for a movie.

Having a movie as an interactable game automatically creates the demand for an engaging never to be forgotten story to follow. The plot was my biggest concern before the release. The first game was praised for its character design and perception. The blend of narration and perspective created and amazing eye opening experience. Big footsteps to fill for the second game. Senua accept her furries at the end of the first game. The couldnt go this route a second time. So the put the focus of her interaction with the world and her surroundings. How would she live among her people. While still telling an deep meaningfull message about the view on oneself. The story is good, not good enough to top the first game and the gap is rather big.
Its starts with being thrown into action. Capture and enslaved on the way to iceland. Senau wants to free her people. The game never explores if she is in a position of power inbetween both games. Early parts of the game told that people openly depended on her, while later on the burden of her cruel father and the position of being a leader is avoided by her contradict each other.
The story from here on is straight. She want to go someplace and end somewhere else helping. You meet other people and the motivation but outside there contribution to the plot they remain rather shallow side notes. One of the biggest struggle the human to human interaction falls short. Which is sad. As much as I love to listen to Senuas Story I had this moment where I wanted to punch her for turning back into this first game version of hers. While at the end what ever she does works there is a moment of disbelieve. The blames herself and the "curse" to bring darkness to the world. Yet again bringing herself close to the edge of "exiling" herself from the rest of the world. If not been for the other characters to just not care. One of the biggest story flaws is that Senua is generally in this depressed state. Whatever happens is her fault and she is unworthy of love. In the short and really straight forward story she manages to achieve one victory after another. Sure she cant feel the joy and celebration as she doesnt know it. But except for the first game there are other people, even if shallow as they are, the care about her. They would celebrate after being freed from this deathshroud of darkness and illbearing. Its most unlikekly that no one would have hugged her while being overjoyed to finally be free once again. Whenn ever she wins the game skips forward a huge amount of time and Senua is kept in this depressed: "I am bad, the world turns bad where ever I go, therefore its my fault everyone suffers." The game even ends right after winning the final fight. Leaving no room for emotional grow or some comfort by others.

As the viewer of the movie getting there at the end felt more tedious then entertained or lectured. The game lacks concequence wherever you go. I felt bound to the way the developer wanted the game to be played. No second look, no room for others and no trying to act on your own. Some moments at the beginning where people suffer and the furries in her head command you to act. The game doesnt allow you and then scolds you for not helping. All for a linear immersable story to follow. It became frustrating at times. Sure its stunning, even horrorfying at times. The cave level is one of the creepiest Ive played in recent times. The immersion is there and helping other with pain like yours is amazing. But the game could have been so much more and I am not talking about being more open world or going full on God of War. Its a walking sim with repetitive, simple and plain gameplay. An easy way to avoid some of my troubles would have been to add just mere two hours of gameplay. Explore her time before the game a bit more. Her return to her people. That alone must have been a conflict worth starting with and setting up the end of the game that it has right now. And then give other characters some moments more than just at the end. Let her a few minute to breath and regain her strength. Let the other celebrate her and she has no idea whats going on. Let me experience the struggle of not understanding the other while doubting herself at the very moment of happyness.

Its not a bad game. Its just not good enough after having this banger of first game and tried to be realistic the whole time prior the the release. Givin myself this feeling of the game is going to be ok atmost and mostlikely fail and for that it turned out better then my expectations. I just have two wishes for the future.
First please Hollyood dont turn this movie into a movie and second Microsoft let them do a third one and dont close the studio.

If you liked Senua's Sacrifice you will love this!

Atmosphere, voices.... Pure nightmare fuel.