Edited 06/10/21 for code fix
The quickest answer is no. The game-play is also an integral part of the game. Gaming history shows such combination isn`t new and to name a few, HellBlade is a new addition to the golden hall of fame.

- The Last of Us
- Resident Evil 2
- Heavy Rain
- Mass Effect 2
- Add many others here

-You do a long game such as Alien Isolation, people complain.
-You cut extra content to avoid complains, people complain.

But a relatively short game can feel much more satisfying, if the content/action is abundant and well delivered. But the price is just the product of basic logistics. If you sell less expensive digital products, you'll have more hard earned paper. Maybe Bethesda can learn a thing or two with it. Like giving you a free HellBlade PDF comic in your game's folder.

Blood covering everywhere, dirt, mud, scratches, everything combined with her voice and always expressing watery emotions coming from her hazel blue schizophrenic eyes... My type of girl. I wish we could date in the next Verbeia shrine, she gets my neo-paganism a hard-on all for the unconventional reasons. No ʙᴏᴏʙs windows, no bubble ᴀss baiting, no skin exposure. Just an strong Celtic warrior with X chromosomes, a likable character for you. Lovable for me.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107152327

𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐒

This isn't the first time I play a game in which I'm feeling sad or worried for a character, gamey-games like Alice ''madness'' also did that to me, but it is the first time I actually care. As a psychologist student I feel safe to say Senua's mind is really broken inside, in subtle undertones not always exposed as you have heard. The only way to explain myself better without spoiling this game, and I promise I won't, is to diverge and go crazy.

I have this theory that the TES series is trying to fool you into believing you're using magical items when they're just otherworldly. Like the Eye of Magnus. The main character's POV perceives it as magic and naming outcast beings as gods and sky-lifters as their main pantheon deity. Giorgio A. Tsoukalos would agree with me.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107210568

HellBlade integrates a psychological condition though, into the first wall of the running plot, instead of the unbreakable others like the 4th. I say this is a great first step for a game, about how the player perceive the main character - and how he perceives the world around him. Q: Should it stops there? Also, a female warrior looking for her lost love isn't a very common script in this awful misogynist world neither. Lots of disgusting threads are lurking around the hub. This reflects how some time wasters are ᴘɪssᴇᴅ by that game and how effective it is, for that matter.

Finally something new. No classic ''man after his girl'' here. Most publishers hates that. They claim it isn't sellable. But don't be mislead, despiste such realistic outcome, this still a fantasy game in essence. Be advised that there is a chance for you to see one of the most courageous move ever done to a AAA game, intelligently serving immersion.

The safest way to tease the hell out of it is to leave a warning: be careful with the darkness, if you wish to continue.

For obvious reasons, Arkham Series, Mad Max and The Lord of The Rings Shadow of Mordor has become comparative for high quality standards. The Arkham Knight doesn't feel human, more like Superman when fighting. Well, HellBlade pushes it more close to realism and less gamey. Ninja Theory, the guys behind DMC had two known qualities, level design and combat. But I qualify HellBlade as a hybrid with the best of both forms.

Gameplay is immersive, I'll sort it in 4 sections:

• Fast pace brutality for a quick definition. You tend to predict the parrying mechanic, but that doesn't make things easy. Unfortunately, beheading and flying body parts aren't present in the final version... it still brutal in many ways. It is actually heartbreaking to see Senua dying animation, if you fail.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107210104

• Environmental Hazards are really chilling, so jumping around like a caped super monkey won't do the trick. You're often forced to focus attention when other games never bother, like climbing or traversing a gap.
  
  
• Where other games includes ''special ability'', this game does it but with a deep reach in madness and density. I'm not talking about the weapons. Her source of power isn't that mystical or fantastical, epic is to bypass psychosis. This is a real depiction of hero, overcoming darkness to overcome even more darkness. Surviving to survive.
  
  
• As far puzzles are interesting, they tend to get saturated over time. But this game is so overwhelmingly enjoyable for me and so creative, that even in the poorest sections, the game manages to fill my joy - like when Senua is blinded and must solve a puzzle.

To explain that I had to connect sound design with gameplay down bellow.

Make sense if you think, such game needs a combat and gameplay that proper fits that dense reality, hence the need for the camera to be so close to the character. Of course you should expect residues of ''gamey'' mechanics, such timed dodges, blockings and intersected combos - and brutal finishing.



If you enjoyed this review, please check my curator's page by clicking right here.

When you can feel the rain due its sound effects, when you can feel the cold of a pushing wind, when you can still hear the clash of metal, feel the heat over flames, despair over damnation or shouts of agony, then you give the game a ғᴜᴄᴋ*ɴɢ 10 for the team behind it. For the first time I want my main character to be happy and the damn universe tells me ''maybe''. If you will. This game was a love at first sight case, and I don't plan to leave it.

Can Senua Smile?

[b]Edited 06/10/21 for code fix[/b] [h1]You have heard about the narrative, but was the fighting ditched?[/h1] The quickest answer is no. The game-play is also an integral part of the game. Gaming history shows such combination isn`t new and to name a few, HellBlade is a new addition to the golden hall of fame. - The Last of Us - Resident Evil 2 - [strike]Heavy Rain[/strike] - Mass Effect 2 - [i]Add many others here[/i] [h1]Is the low price related to short-length game?[/h1] -You do a long game such as Alien Isolation, people complain. -You cut extra content to avoid complains, people complain. But a relatively short game can feel much more satisfying, if the content/action is abundant and well delivered. But the price is just the product of basic logistics. If you sell less expensive digital products, you'll have more hard earned paper. Maybe Bethesda can learn a thing or two with it. Like giving you a free HellBlade PDF comic in your game's folder. [h1]Finally a female hero that isn't a Victoria's Secret model[/h1] Blood covering everywhere, dirt, mud, scratches, everything combined with her voice and always expressing watery emotions coming from her hazel blue schizophrenic eyes... My type of girl. I wish we could date in the next Verbeia shrine, she gets my neo-paganism a hard-on all for the unconventional reasons. No ʙᴏᴏʙs windows, no bubble ᴀss baiting, no skin exposure. Just an strong Celtic warrior with X chromosomes, a likable character for you. Lovable for me. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107152327 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐒 [h1]Story:[/h1] This isn't the first time I play a game in which I'm feeling sad or worried for a character, gamey-games like Alice ''madness'' also did that to me, but it is the first time I actually care. As a psychologist student I feel safe to say Senua's mind is really broken inside, in subtle undertones not always exposed as you have heard. The only way to explain myself better without spoiling this game, and I promise I won't, is to diverge and go crazy. I have this theory that the TES series is trying to fool you into believing you're using magical items when they're just otherworldly. Like the Eye of Magnus. The main character's POV perceives it as magic and naming outcast beings as gods and sky-lifters as their main pantheon deity. Giorgio A. Tsoukalos would agree with me. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107210568 HellBlade integrates a psychological condition though, into the first wall of the running plot, instead of the unbreakable others like the 4th. I say this is a great first step for a game, about how the player perceive the main character - and how he perceives the world around him. [b]Q:[/b] Should it stops there? Also, a female warrior looking for her lost love isn't a very common script in this awful misogynist world neither. Lots of disgusting threads are lurking around the hub. This reflects how some time wasters are ᴘɪssᴇᴅ by that game and how effective it is, for that matter. Finally something new. No classic ''man after his girl'' here. Most publishers hates that. They claim it isn't sellable. But don't be mislead, despiste such realistic outcome, this still a fantasy game in essence. [b]Be advised[/b] that there is a chance for you to see one of the most courageous move ever done to a AAA game, intelligently serving immersion. The safest way to tease the hell out of it is to leave a warning: [u]be careful with the darkness, if you wish to continue.[/u] [h1]Gameplay:[/h1] For obvious reasons, Arkham Series, Mad Max and [strike]The Lord of The Rings[/strike] Shadow of Mordor has become comparative for high quality standards. The Arkham Knight doesn't feel human, more like Superman when fighting. Well, HellBlade pushes it more close to realism and less gamey. Ninja Theory, the guys behind DMC had two known qualities, level design and combat. But I qualify HellBlade as a hybrid with the best of both forms. [b]Gameplay is immersive, I'll sort it in 4 sections:[/b] [list] [*]Fast pace brutality for a quick definition. You tend to predict the parrying mechanic, but that doesn't make things easy. Unfortunately, beheading and flying body parts aren't present in the final version... it still brutal in many ways. It is actually heartbreaking to see Senua dying animation, if you fail. [/list] http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107210104 [list] [*]Environmental Hazards are really chilling, so jumping around like a caped super monkey won't do the trick. You're often forced to focus attention when other games never bother, like climbing or traversing a gap. [*]Where other games includes ''special ability'', this game does it but with a deep reach in madness and density. I'm not talking about the weapons. Her source of power isn't that mystical or fantastical, epic is to bypass psychosis. This is a real depiction of hero, overcoming darkness to overcome even more darkness. Surviving to survive. [*]As far puzzles are interesting, they tend to get saturated over time. But this game is so overwhelmingly enjoyable for me and so creative, that even in the poorest sections, the game manages to fill my joy - [spoiler] like when Senua is blinded and must solve a puzzle.[/spoiler] [/list] [b]To explain that I had to connect sound design with gameplay down bellow.[/b] Make sense if you think, such game needs a combat and gameplay that proper fits that dense reality, hence the need for the camera to be so close to the character. Of course you should expect residues of ''gamey'' mechanics, such timed dodges, blockings and intersected combos - and brutal finishing. [h1]Gameplay integration[/h1] [code] [b]Level Design:[/b] Another state-of-the-art work was expected from the devs, and this is exactly what you will find in about every single corner of the game. Remember, gamey mechanics are needed, and you have 2 ways of engineering that: the right creative way or the wrong boring way. [b]Graphics:[/b] The Sky-box is the first thing that mesmerizes me in games but If both are resonating with each other, then its a master piece. But I also love details, and for such dense reality, sharpened deep textures and good animations are pretty much in everywhere. [i]Surface lighting and god-rays is really stealing the scene in that game for me.[/i] The face rendering is another state-of-the-art product, I never have seen anything like it plus all the good acting. You'll probably say ''Yeah, L.A. Noire." but the rendering there wasn't all that natural and limitations followed to some extent. Not seeing that here. [b]Sound design:[/b] level design, graphics and sounds are intimately dependable of each other in HellBlade due some of its playable narrative. They're alone incredible, perfected in combo. Specially when multiple voices are separated in outstanding binaural, with graphical disturbances while you're walking and that can range from disorienting to bizarre, dangerous to helpful, all in the right way, mixing with gameplay. Scripted, they don't overstay your amusement, but that's fine. [/code] [h1][b]Final Score: 8.9[/b][/h1] If you enjoyed this review, please check my curator's page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27184480/][b]by clicking right here.[/b][/url] When you can feel the rain due its sound effects, when you can feel the cold of a pushing wind, when you can still hear the clash of metal, feel the heat over flames, despair over damnation or shouts of agony, then you give the game a ғᴜᴄᴋ*ɴɢ 10 for the team behind it. For the first time I want my main character to be happy [spoiler]and the damn universe tells me ''maybe''. [/spoiler] If you will. This game was a love at first sight case, and I don't plan to leave it. [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1107210837]Can Senua Smile?[/url]