The complex narrative of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice drew players in through beautiful environments and emotional performances. Its story was gut-wrenching, a trait that's likely to continue with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Promotional materials and concept art released for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 have shown off even more stunning visuals to continue Senua’s narrative, which are noticeable improvements on the already beautiful cinematic graphics used in the first game. The meticulous attention to detail shows the dedication that the Hellblade series has, not only when it comes to telling well-developed stories regarding mental health, but also to providing an impressive visual medium to explore these topics.In the first Hellblade game, the environment was key to the story and its gameplay. Traveling through the world and into the depths of Hel, Senua was on a perilous journey to recover something that could not be returned. Each section of the game amplified her story through the environments players had to traverse, tying the depth of the world to its equally important narrative. The darkness of Senua's surroundings became powerful reminders of the solitude that she found herself in, and the alien nature of the experience that players have during the story of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. While Hellblade 2 is an Xbox exclusive, Senua's next chapter looks to be benefiting from new hardware, with an even more delicate world for her character to grow in.
Hellblade 2's Trailers and Art
Trailers for Hellblade 2 have continued to touch on these motifs, both as they relate to Senua’s character, as well as the player. The gameplay trailer from The Game Awards in December 2021 uses many of the familiar audio cues that fans will recognize from the tensest and most anxiety-ridden portions of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice; in a way that reinforces not only what fans feel, but Senua’s character as well. This is coupled with gameplay that looks even more fluid than its predecessor, while still grounded in the frigid and weathered environment of the North Atlantic, this time along the carved volcanic shores of Iceland.
While the newest gameplay trailer tackles a giant in the heat of battle, older visuals lay the foundations for the atmosphere that fans can expect in Hellblade 2. The announcement trailer for Hellblade 2 from The Game Awards in 2019 is a cinematic experience that pulls on the religious aspects of Senua’s story, and her conflict with the gods. Even though the first game chronicles the futility of her mission, the second looks like it will put her up against foes that are just as difficult to defeat.
At the same time, the lack of solitude that comes into play when looking over the trailers that have been released for Hellblade 2 begins to frame a story that, while similar, may be fundamentally different. In the first Hellblade, aside from visions of the past, Senua’s journey is one she struggles with by herself. There are no allies for the player to rely on, and the story that’s being told is about Senua, her life, and her struggle.
For Hellblade 2, however, it looks like players will have more support from other characters that are present. Whether this will directly translate into NPC allies for the player to call upon, or they’re just the preface for more loss and hardship in Senua’s life, remains to be seen.
Alongside its trailers, Hellblade 2 has also released a handful of images relating to concept art and modeling for its characters. It’s here that fans of the series can see how much Hellblade has grown both in its scope and its visual design. Graphics have become higher fidelity overall, but the coup de grace is in the effects and art on characters. Face paint and dirt from the surrounding environment looks like it sticks to Senua’s face in stills from studio references aided by Hellblade 2's use of Unreal Engine 5.
Environment art has a similar effect, taking the misty and beautiful shores of Iceland that can be seen today, and dropping them into a frigid storm where they're scarred by both natural and supernatural forces. As more about Hellblade 2 comes out, it looks like what players see now will only be a part of another definitive experience that once again forces players to work through a difficult story full of emotion.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.