Hellblade has been in development for a long time, but it has us curious because of it's
unique approach to the action genre.
It's heavy on combat, but it's also heavy on drama.
It comes from a studio known for flashy and stylistic action games, but this game is super
serious dealing with heavy themes of personal struggle.
So let's take a look at 5 things that make Hellblade look unique.
Female Lead Senua is a Celtic Warrior who journeys into
Viking heartland.
When you think of Vikings and Celtic history you often think of big burly bearded guys,
but in this case it's different.
You have a female lead who shows signs of strength, but also vulnerability.
She looks and acts like a lone warrior.
And it looks like she'll be going on this journey alone.
The game is all about the main character, even the subtitle says �Senua's Sacrifice�.
Senua has been mocapped which is a first for Ninja Theory's development and it's almost
essential for a game that wants you to get emotionally invested in the main character.
Ninja Theory's Combat Ninja Theory is known for fast and flashy
combat in their previous games like DmC and Heavenly Sword.
But Hellblade looks more like realism and brutality.
The camera is brought in closer, the enemies are more menacing, and the combat looks like
it brings a bigger focus on big strikes rather than relentless combos.
And the enemies look like someone you wouldn't want to encounter in a dark alley.
Creepy heads on fire, sword weilding tough guys.
AAA Independent Ninja Theory is claiming that this is a AAA
independent title.
Meaning it has the production value of a triple AAA game, but it's self published and it's
from a small team of only 16 people.
They chose this route because they wanted to make a unique game that most big publishers
wouldn't give the green light on.
In their own words they say they've built three key strengths as a developer: ninja
class combat, strong character stories, and a unique art vision.
This is what they want to take to the next level in this game.
Graphics The game runs on Unreal Engine 4 and it's
a showcase for this game that is console exclusive on the PS4, but also coming to PC.
The level of detail on the main character is crucial because we want to see how she
reacts to her journey and her personal problems.
The game world is very dark, both metaphorically and physically.
It's almost scary like a horror game because the area looks so desolate and gloomy.
Mental Illness It's unusual to say that mental illness would
be an interesting feature of the game, but it's actually what gives weight to the struggle.
From what we've seen in the trailers, much of the struggle is internal compared to most
games that have you focusing on a big bad guy as the villain.
Senua has these psychotic manifestations of her own reality and mind.
This is part of the story as she'll struggle through these things, but it's also going
to be part of the gameplay.
Senua experiences hallucinations and delusions which will be part of the game's experience.
Outro Hellblade has a lot of potential to break
action game conventions, but let's see the gameplay walkthroughs.
Let's see what kind of horrors the game world and the hallucinations has in store for us.
Are you interested in Hellblade?
Let us know in the comments and subscribe to the skilled channel for more game previews.