The original Hellblade arguably cemented Ninja Theory as a world-class indie dev, fine tuning their ability to create stunning worlds and characters with cutting edge tech and interesting themes throughout, and coming off of the back of well-received titles such as Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Heavenly Sword. Anticipation for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has been high, with the few times we’ve seen the game absolutely blowing us away tech-wise – but now, the full result is in our hands; can it do both the studio and the wider Xbox family justice?
In a word: absolutely. Senua’s Saga follows on from the aforementioned lineage, and improves on Ninja Theory’s output in every way possible. That’s not to say it’s perfect, but it’s easily the best title they’ve put out to date in every respect.

Let’s start with the clear and obvious fact – the technology powering Senua’s Saga is like nothing else we’ve ever seen. Those pre-release trailers prepared us, but seeing in action, on our Xbox, and with the ability to control it directly is something else. Ninja Theory have espoused their ambition to be a “triple A Indie” studio, and Senua’s Saga makes that case for them effortlessly. Senua has seen a massive increase in fidelity thanks to MetaHuman and Unreal Engine 5, and it was all too common as I was playing to feel sucked into believing the on-screen action was real at times, such is the high-fidelity of both the characters and environments. The performances and capture are astonishing, and Ninja Theory know it; they spend a lot of time up close and personal with Senua and co., really flexing their technical mastery for all to see.
The environments are just as incredibly detailed too, with vast and tiny details alike. A low hanging sun glimmers and lights up the world, while indoor areas are awash with tiny flecks of light from torches and all manner of otherworldly effects. I’m not one for photo modes in general but even I couldn’t help stopping occasionally and whipping the camera around to explore the world, and not once was I disappointed. I also very much appreciated the complete lack of UI in game; bar the small mirror that Senua has on her hip during a fight to indicate her special ability, there are no button prompts, markers, or literally anything other than the games gorgeous visuals to look at.
But that much should be obvious from the plethora of videos out there (as well my screenshots on the page here). Thankfully, the gameplay has seen some hefty improvement too across the board. There are three main components; exploration, combat, and puzzle solving. The original Hellblade got some flak for the line of sight puzzles (I agree that they weren’t all that well implemented then) and while they return for the sequel, they have been made far easier to align, with just the right amount of a helping hand once we’re basically there. There are other puzzle elements in Senua’s Saga this time round that involve flipping certain areas in between physical states. These are fairly simple affairs but are used well (and sparsely) throughout. And while we won’t go into details, there are other segments still that offer more action packed puzzle solving to partake in that are highlights of the game.
Combat has seen the biggest improvement I feel. The original’s one on one battles return, but they feel far more impactful, tense, and simply more fun to play. In the recent Xbox On inaugural episode these were described as evoking the feeling of Senua “surviving a fight, not winning” and they have absolutely nailed that aspect. Boiled down, we’re looking at a game of rock/paper/scissors but with far more brutal outcomes on both sides.

Senua can dodge, block, parry, and attack, and depending on the enemies actions will need to quickly perform the correct counter action. Sounds easy enough, but in the heat of battle it is a tense, frankly frightening affair. This feeling is only compounded by the fact that most of the fight scenes have us fighting multiple enemies in a row, and barely surviving one foe only for another to fall, crash, run, or slam into frame can be an exasperating but thrilling feeling. Again, the cinematography of the fights has been ramped up, and Ninja Theory aren’t going to just have the camera swing around to a new foe every time. One mid-game fight scene was especially excellent at this, with each new combatant introduced in fun, brutal, and often shocking new ways.
Landing a successful blow feels powerful, and when Senua gets knocked down I couldn’t help but mash the buttons that bit harder, willing her to get up before the axe (or sword or spear) was dropped on her. Even the shorter fights are tense affairs, although there is very little penalty for death (checkpoints are fairly generous). There’s certainly a bit of a learning curve in terms of feeling the flow and timing of Senua and the enemy’s moves, but I never found the combat anything less than enthralling.
Exploration is where we get to a slightly more mixed bag. The aforementioned puzzles are enjoyable parts of this, and the world is so stunning to look at that it’s rarely a chore to move through the world. There are hidden collectible totems to find that expand the lore of the game too (and may have another, extra effect upon completing the game).
But for as stunning as it looks, the world of Senua’s Saga is a strictly linear one. Invisible walls abound here, even as much as restricting where we can hop off of a ledge even though it all looks to be the same height and will land us in the same location. I don’t mind not being able to wander a huge open world (in fact, I applaud Ninja Theory for keeping it much more focussed) but a little more smaller scale freedom of movement wouldn’t be unwelcome. As it is, we’re funnelled down some very fancy corridors that only seldom let us off the beaten path for the aforementioned totems.

Obviously the story is a massive focus for Senua’s Saga, and rightly so – no spoilers here of course, but I was fully engaged almost the entire time. The performances of the cast are excellent, and paired with the stunning technical work really sold the experience. And Ninja Theory must also be applauded for their work in representing, and destigmatising, mental health issues and representation. Played with headphones (it really is the best way) the voices that inhabit Senua’s head transport to ours, her fears and doubts played out incredibly effectively. It’s hard not to look a little introspectively at times, as Senua’s struggles really do become our own. And that they’re not only used effectively as an atmospheric tool but also a gameplay one only goes to spotlight Ninja Theory’s talent and mastery of their craft.
The only time I found my attention wander really was in some of the slow walking sections that occur every so often. Either alone or with one of a handful of other characters in tow, I found a few of these sections tried to cram too much exposition in, and had us simply walking forward for minutes at a time. Is that preferable to a longer cutscene? I’m not entirely sure, although again while I did start to wander I was still keen to see what new aspect of the tale was being told all the same.
Thankfully, the surround aspects of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II are so strong that even with these few weaker moments I still have come away from my time with the game absolutely stunned. When Xbox began building up their library of studios, I can’t help but feel that Ninja Theory’s output with Senua’s Saga is exactly the kind of ideal they were looking for; a stunning technical showcase with strong gameplay elements and a truly captivating story. I hope they see the potential for Ninja Theory to grow and expand on what they’ve achieved with this game.
Conclusion
It’s been a longer time coming than we’d hoped, but Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II manages to live up to expectations rather nicely. Vastly improved (and brutally presented) combat, a captivating story and incredible technical work mean that even the few slower moments can’t bring down what will surely be a jewel in Xbox’s crown for some time to come.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
Rob Turnbull
Great review! Thanks ????
Jamie Collyer
Thanks Rob 🙂
Rob Turnbull
Great review! Thanks ????