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[Arsic]

Let me start of by saying I was wrong. I called this "not a game", and more of a tech demo. On launch it ran like hot shit on my rig and I abandoned it after the first hour.

On a whim after Callisto Protocol I was in the mood for another shorter game that pushes visuals and decided maybe it runs better now on my PC so let's do it.

I ran it at 4K dlss quality max settings with it looking incredible and playing buttery smooth except a few parts briefly.

I was fully immersed. The visuals, the use of audio, the story, the soundtrack, the combat, etc all hooked its claws in me. The only things coming away from it I didn't like is the puzzles are too basic and just a waste of time. You're never stuck on these and know what to do but they just eat up time. And I felt the ending really didn't land. I loved that final image you see but it didn't feel conclusive in anyway or even teasing of another game. It just.. was.

I'm still a big believer that if this studio could take these kinds of visuals or even close to it, and create a full blown action game or a RPG with more fleshed out combat holy moly… watch out. GOTY locked and loaded.

As it stands it's an 8/10 for me but an experience you need to be ready for and wanting to have. I recommend lights off, head phones on, and maybe only play 2 hours at a time. Fully immerse yourself and don't look at a second screen and let the audio and visuals transport you away.

TLDR: Eating crow, I was wrong. Game, yes game, is fire. Unique experience worth going through if your mood is right. May play it again when PS5 version hits if they add anything extra worth experiencing.

 

[adamsapple]

Yeah we're probably gonna see a lot of revisited opinions on this one soon

Still the best looking retail game out this gen, imo.

 

[Rush2112]

No were right in the first place. If this game had mediocre or even subpar graphics, no one would touch it.

It's a pretty tech demo of Alyssa Mercante in viking suit.

 

[kevboard]

dogshit game. an insult to the concept of game design as a whole.
pretentious, awful combat, awful game design, presentation over substance.

it should be taught in schools on how to not make a video game

 

[RedC]

Keep your expectations in check and enjoy it for what it is, and that's a great experience.

 

[Killer8]

"Movie game" has to be one of the dumbest criticisms levelled at certain games. As if a) more passive entertainment like movies haven't produced some of the greatest artistic experiences of all time, and b) transmedia experiences that bridge the gap between movie and game can't exist.

 

[kevboard]

"Movie game" has to be one of the dumbest criticisms levelled at certain games. As if a) more passive entertainment like movies haven't produced some of the greatest artistic experiences of all time, and b) transmedia experiences that bridge the gap between movie and game can't exist.

using an interactive medium to make something that has no meaningful interaction, is a waste of the potential of the medium.

imagine a movie that is comprised of 80% text on screen, and 10% still images and 10% moving images. that would be a bad movie. doesn't matter that there are great books, and great photography out there.

and aside from that, the "gameplay" that is existent in this dreadful game is also shit. the combat is abysmal and purposefully designed to make you miss parries even tho you timed it correctly and shit in order to be "cinematic".
such an insanely dogshit game

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Yeah we're probably gonna see a lot of revisited opinions on this one soon

Still the best looking retail game out this gen, imo.

My man Adam with that jab...lmao

 

[Topher]

It is a game. It just isn't a particularly good one. Still best character animations I've ever seen. Gameplay is horrible. Story is ok. Not bad, not special either.

 

[JTCx]

What a fucking flop. Good riddance.

 

[Danjin44]

I can't get in to games that only selling point is graphics and nothing else, I already made same mistake with Order 1886 and I'm not gonna do it again.

 

[Topher]

Yeah we're probably gonna see a lot of revisited opinions on this one soon

I keep reading that about Xbox games on PS and it never turns out the way folks says it will. People who liked the game, still like it on PS. Those who didn't, still don't.

Why are we recreating this narrative over and over again?

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

This made The Order look like Resident Evil 4. I dropped it after 2.5 hours. It certainly looks fucking amazing but I just don't play games for this and just stopped caring. I actually played Metroid Prime after this and within two minutes was more "immersed" because to me immersion is player agency.

 

[Killer8]

imagine a movie that is comprised of 80% text on screen, and 10% still images and 10% moving images. that would be a bad movie. doesn't matter that there are great books, and great photography out there.

But there are games that are comprised of 80% text on screen - visual novels - and nobody bats an eye at those delivering a great storytelling experience. The interaction in those is often literally just pressing a button to advance text and occasionally selecting something from a menu.

There was also a whole silent film era in early cinema which used still images and text cards on screen to tell their stories because dialogue could not do it yet.

The whole argument about at what point you can call something a game because it needs to have X% of this or that, or a certain threshold of interactivity, seems extremely arbitrary.

 

[adamsapple]

I keep reading that about Xbox games on PS and it never turns out the way folks says it will. People who liked the game, still like it on PS. Those who didn't, still don't.

Why are we recreating this narrative over and over again?

Sir I said nothing about any platforms. Maybe it'll add a 60fps mode with the big promised update and that'll change the 30fps haters opinions.

 

[Topher]

"Movie game" has to be one of the dumbest criticisms levelled at certain games. As if a) more passive entertainment like movies haven't produced some of the greatest artistic experiences of all time, and b) transmedia experiences that bridge the gap between movie and game can't exist.

A lot of folks use that "movie game" criticism against PlayStation games as console war rhetoric. Others just don't like that much effort put into story and production value as they want more in the gameplay. The truly great "movie games" are able to excel in both, but that isn't always easy. Hellblade 2 is an example of that, imo. It is a visual showcase, but just falls about in the gameplay.

Sir I said nothing about any platforms. Maybe it'll add a 60fps mode with the big promised update and that'll change the 30fps haters opinions.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I played an hour or so on release and dropped it. I was just not in the mood for a story-heavy cinematic game. But some day I'll go back to it and probably enjoy it. I did the same thing with Watch Dogs: Legion and now I'm playing and really, really enjoying it.

I think people discount the impact mood can have on...everything. I know I do.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I'm playing Callisto Protocol now. Already beat Hellblade 2. It's much more of an actual game. Has real boss battles. Etc. Hellblade 2 was a walking QTE movie.

 

[demigod]

Let's not.

 

[Arsic]

I'm playing Callisto Protocol now. Already beat Hellblade 2. It's much more of an actual game. Has real boss battles. Etc. Hellblade 2 was a walking QTE movie.

I don't recall doing QTEs but Callisto rocks.

 

[Thief1987]

Imagine revisiting hellblade2

 

[Humdinger]

nm

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I don't recall doing QTEs but Callisto rocks.

Well I meant the combat is pretty much all scripted in HB2. Not actual button prompts but might as well. CP definitely does the same crap as finishers and when you die but at least the rest of it feels like real gameplay. They do have similarities though. I think HB2 went even farther in the out of your control combat which was a bad move. HB1 was much better combat wise and boss battle wise. Wish they just expanded on that combat.

 

[Fafalada]

Still the 1866 of this gen for me, right down to personal expectations I had and how they were (not) met.
It's not the worst way to spend a couple of hours, but compared to original, it was a step down in every way except for visuals.

 

[baphomet]

Shit was awful.

Still is.

 

[Haint]

Still completely uncontested as the greatest technical achievement in videogame history, generations ahead of everyone else.

 

[Topher]

Still completely uncontested as the greatest technical achievement in videogame history, generations ahead of everyone else.

 

[DannyDanger]

Still Trash ...

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I think their swordplay is quiet good.

They made it very casual-ised in the sense its hard to fail. Once you learn the intricacies of it, parrying, dodging etc, its extremely precise and satisfying.

Since it has limited encounters and are one on one, I think they could have made battles high stakes.

 

[ZehDon]

But there are games that are comprised of 80% text on screen - visual novels - and nobody bats an eye at those delivering a great storytelling experience...

You're contradicting yourself. Visual novels aren't games, but you can experience them on devices that also play games. Games require interaction by definition. There's nothing wrong with making visual novels, or cinematic games, or anything else. But people are free to not like them. Personally, I don't enjoy visual novels, but I don't really care if other people do.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Well I meant the combat is pretty much all scripted in HB2. Not actual button prompts but might as well. CP definitely does the same crap as finishers and when you die but at least the rest of it feels like real gameplay. They do have similarities though. I think HB2 went even farther in the out of your control combat which was a bad move. HB1 was much better combat wise and boss battle wise. Wish they just expanded on that combat.

There is not a single moment in Hellblade 2 when you are not in control.

Absolutely nothing is scripted. Not sure if you understand what that means.

 

[Macattk15]

Your initial thought was correct.

It's a tech demo.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

There is not a single moment in Hellblade 2 when you are not in control.

Absolutely nothing is scripted. Not sure if you understand what that means.

Uh huh. It was basically press X to start choreographed sequence. But yea, that was totally you dude.

 

[yamaci17]

i find its graphics overrated tbh aside from senua's super highly detailed model. it looks nice and all but not to a point that made me go "woah" overall

gameplay wise, i have no trouble with games with limited interactivity. but when they take things even further than the first game (worse) now that's too much. i also really didn't like the story that much and how less abstract things were felt like a step in the wrong direction for the narrative. with all that said I'd still give it a 7/10. sword gameplay isn't that bad and physics that went into it actually is immersive. and overall experience was still fun

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

I loved it. I played it for more hours than Elden Ring, I played it longer than Ass Creed Shadows, I played it longer than SW: Outlaws. I dont read the same harsh comments about other walking Sims. Some people have Hellblade 2 Derangement Syndrome and it's hilarious.

 

[Black_Stride]

I always replay the intro just to get to the first boss fight.
Its such an experience.

 

[AZRoboto]

As a game I think it's worse than Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. It's a sequel but because it's named Senua's Saga: Hellblade II so it doesn't even sort next to its better predecessor...

The technology is absolutely incredible and it's exactly the experience I'm sure they intended. The audio is perfect, the animations are the best I've seen. I'm even excited for whatever this Enhanced thing is going to be.

Calling it a tech demo is dismissive to what it more appropriately is - an immersive audio-visual experience. But it's got sooo limited gameplay, it's hard to even call it a game.

 

[Killer8]

You're contradicting yourself. Visual novels aren't games, but you can experience them on devices that also play games. Games require interaction by definition. There's nothing wrong with making visual novels, or cinematic games, or anything else. But people are free to not like them. Personally, I don't enjoy visual novels, but I don't really care if other people do.

They are games.

Many VNs allow player agency, letting them change the narrative via choices which can lead to fail states and multiple endings - ie. there is interactive storytelling.

The closest printed analog is a gamebook (aka choose your own adventure books), which quite literally has game in the title due to their interactive nature, and which indirectly influenced VN development.

 

[Dazraell]

It is a game. It just isn't a particularly good one. Still best character animations I've ever seen. Gameplay is horrible. Story is ok. Not bad, not special either.

It's also a very unnecessary sequel with a rushed ending

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

I had a similar experience walking down one of the long corridors visiting my grandad in hospital.

 

[Shockwave_Fox]

I wanted to play through this but the 30pfs on Xbox put me off sadly.

Did make me laugh that they tried playing that "30fps for cinematic reasons" card but it was much higher on PC of course lol

Would definitely give it a go again if it gets a 60fps patch.

 

[Ozzie666]

This thread is longer than the game.

I sitll think the game was made smaller due to Gamepass. The game had a lot to live up too as the poster child at the Seriex X reveal. it didn't even come close. Terrible follow up to the original.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I'm the kind of guy who actually likes walking sims and other games with limited interactions, but my opinion on both Hellblade games is negative. The atmosphere in those games is great, but the actual gameplay sections can be annoying, especially when you're doing the same kind of puzzle for the 10th time or when the next fight is based on the same basic rules and you know it will drag on. The sequel also made some things worse, like for instance I don't like how the voices in Senua's head crossed that line from being unique 'companions' to being an annoyance (especially when you're told how to solve a puzzle 5 seconds in).

I still think The Order: 1886 is a better example of a 'tech demo game'. Most of the budget in that game was also spent on visuals, but the gameplay was better.

 

[Fess]

One of the cave fights were among the most viseral and intense gaming experiences ever for me. Hit me like the Moria cave troll scene in Lord of the Rings movie. The visuals, sound, screams and roars, animations - just pure awesomeness. Glad I stuck with it to experience that.

Visuals were amazing. Cutscene quality.

Walking and running was too slow.

Puzzles were sleeping pills.

Impossible to replay.

 

[Loboxxx]

 

[Senua]

I couldn't finish it and I loved the first game. The visuals were mind blowing but yea the pacing was wank

 

[Mr Moose]

Sounds and graphics are good (though the voices are annoying), everything else is bad. Boring game.

 

[drganon]

Let's not and say we did.

 

[DenchDeckard]

It still blows my mind how much I enjoyed the combat for what it was. The whole cinematography and impact felt great.

 

[winjer]

It's a mere tech demo. And as such, it should be placed along side things like 3Dmark, not along side proper videogames.