Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - A True Work of Art

[Glasgow]

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is something remarkable from a developer known for taking risks. Ninja Theory has not always chosen the easy route with its projects, as seen with imaginative cult classic Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the divisive character choices in its 2013 Devil May Cry entry. However, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is the boldest release of the lot, launching independently of an external publisher and delving deep into themes rarely discussed in video games.

Although God of War has been picking up the Norse myth kudos with its 2018 Game of the Year win, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice does a tremendous job of portraying a similar mythology in a very different way. Indeed, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice covered this subject matter earlier, as it first released in 2017. However, the game proved so successful that it was able to move away from digital-only availability, with the title launching in a physical format for both PS4 and Xbox One.

Where Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice differs from its big-budget peer is how it portrays the Norse mythology itself, coming at the culture through a different gaze altogether. Senua is a Pict, having witnessed the Viking gods through the violence of raiding parties that have destroyed her home and those dear to her. The Vikings are therefore a terrifying, dangerous other, and so the legends that have been told through whispers by the scholar Druth take on a dark, horrific turn; the gods are abominations that live just out of view.