Fans around the globe have been captivated by the breathtaking world of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Yet, there's one aspect that’s causing frustration for many players: the presence of black bars, also known as letterboxing.

Hellblade 2 exhibits a strong confidence in its artistic direction, which may explain the intentional use of black bars. The game employs a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, meaning that on standard 16:9 monitors, letterboxing is inevitable. This choice by the developers could be intended to evoke a cinematic experience or to enhance immersion. Either way, many fans aren’t too pleased and would prefer to enjoy their short adventure without these intrusive black bars.

hellblade 2 senua viewing the second lorestangir
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 - All Lorestangir Locations

Interact with Lorestangirs to uncover secrets in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Collect all 18 to unlock the Tales of Midgard achievement.

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Can You Remove Black Bars in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Unfortunately, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 doesn’t provide a built-in option to remove the letterboxing. Players can't simply toggle it off through conventional means within the game settings, meaning they have to experience all chapters of the game with part of the screen covered by black bars. While there's a possibility that the developer could add the much-desired feature through a future patch, as of now, players have to resort to unconventional methods to remove the letterboxing.

How To Remove Black Bars in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

To remove the letterboxing in Hellblade 2, you'll need to tinker with some configuration files rather than using an in-game menu. Here's a step-by-step guide:

  • Ensure you've opened and closed the game at least once to generate the necessary files.
  • Locate the Engine.ini file, which should be found in one of the following directories:
    • For Steam players: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Hellblade2\Saved\Config\Windows
    • For PC Game Pass players: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Hellblade2\Saved\Config\WinGDK

  • If you can't see the AppData folder, you may need to enable the display of hidden folders.
  • Open the Engine.ini file using notepad or any other text editor.
  • Add the following commands at the very bottom of the file:
    • [SystemSettings]
    • r.NT.EnableConstrainAspectRatio=0

  • Be cautious not to alter or delete anything else in the file.
  • Save the changes to the file.
  • Launch the game once more, and voila! The letterboxing should be gone, allowing the game to utilize your entire monitor.

It's important to note that this method doesn't actually eliminate the black bars; rather, the game zooms in until the entire screen is filled. As a consequence, the field of view decreases, and you'll see less of the game world.

Additionally, removing the letterboxing can lead to a decrease in framerate because more pixels are being rendered. Whether you're comfortable with these trade-offs in exchange for getting rid of the black bars is entirely up to you. Who knows? Maybe the next game by Ninja Theory will follow the traditional aspect ratio.

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Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Tag Page Cover Art
8 /10

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
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Action-Adventure
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Systems
PC-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 79%
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Released
May 21, 2024
ESRB
m
Developer(s)
Ninja Theory
Publisher(s)
Xbox Game Studios
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
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SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Action-Adventure