The first voice told me “What kind of game is this at a discount, hmm looks interesting”. The second voice answered, “Don’t buy.”!“, the third voice supported me and confidently said, “Come on, it’s already in the cart, confirm the purchase.”. You can’t hide from yourself anywhere, your inner voice cannot be drowned out or turned off, just like I couldn’t turn off my old PS4 while playing the original Hellblade. It was something, an adventure with a palette of emotions and the depth of the ocean, which immersed you from the first seconds and did not let go with its dense atmosphere.
How many emotions! My voices exulted "mmm Wonderful"!", "Go again!", "Are you afraid!?". There was no turning back and all that remained was to accept yourself and try to find the light again, in this impenetrable and so attractive darkness Senua’s sacrifice. "Look what this is!", the first voice was exciting, the second answered angrily, as always, "Nothing like that, it’s just an announcement, they won’t surpass the first part!"… and you know what, I realized with bitterness that the second voice was right..
Chapter 1 – Visual Journey
"Pre-order", "Fool"! Don’t do this!", "He https://megaspielhalle-casino.co.uk has already made a choice…". And again the voice in my head was right, I already knew from the first announcement that I would pre-order the game. The anticipation of immersing myself in Senua’s story again was like withdrawal. The right, strong female character set an example for other games. At the same time, Senua, so fragile but never giving up, became my favorite female game character. The problem that Ninja Theory decided to cover in the first game was relevant and required attention. For me, as a former psychology student, the game was a real treat.
And now I see the main menu of Hellblade 2 in front of me. The first shots are simply amazing! "Look!", "That blue distance, go there and don’t come back", "Keep going". At this moment, I’m no longer sure whether the voices in the headphones are telling me this or in my head… And I walk along the banks washed away by heavy rains, through sun-drenched meadows and through forests and villages covered with viscous fog. My eyes savor the moment and greedily take in every detail and texture. "They did it!", "No no! Everything is wrong!", "Keep going!", as the contradictions passed, which were only voices, dug deeper into my consciousness and when the effect of the first hours released me, and there are not many of them, only 6-8 depending on your pace. Then the voices in my head completely prevailed over me and I succumbed to them. I wanted this, they saved me from the cruel reality – Hellblade 2 is my complete and biggest gaming disappointment in recent years..
Chapter 2 – Voices of disappointment..
And now, when I have already made a request to Steam for a refund, I can continue. "Here they are!", the sarcastic second voice just said, “Well, finally,” “Senua, we let you down” – the third voice lost its former confidence and sounded sad. The voices in my head began to fade, they went away… Finally, for the first time in many years of waiting and development, my consciousness became clear. I don’t know why the game turned out like this. Perhaps due to the fact that the first story was self-contained and complete, Ninja Theory did not plan a second part, and XboX influenced, as is usually the case. Perhaps years of development and problems led them astray and they were no longer sure what they wanted to show. The departure of the main game designer of the first part probably contributed to the creative vision of the studio.
Chapter after chapter, riddle after riddle, battle after battle, there was only one thought in my head – this is what? This is not Hellblade! In the sequel, literally everything is worse except the visuals, even the music has become worse! The game is an adventure game (like the first part), but without the depth, originality and clear author’s thought, as was the case in the first part. Yes, duels feel very realistic and intense! But even in terms of combat, they removed all the bosses and left only one, and then the weakest one and not at all different from ordinary opponents. Everything bad and boring from the first part was left almost the same. Lengthy and stuffy puzzles, sometimes slightly modified, but still the same. Fortunately, the game is short and there are not many of them in total. No improvements were noticed in the game
The plot is absolutely not interesting, the idea is banal, and the presentation and ending are simply terrible! Voices have also become just a replacement for the interface and they stupidly begin to irritate closer to the middle, there is a wild desire to shut them up! They also added kringe phrases like: Senua walks with a torch in a cave, passes through a waterfall, the torch goes out and the voices are like: “Sometimes she needs light, and sometimes darkness.”. Seriously?! There was no such crap in the first game! What’s next, she’ll step into a puddle, and they’ll say, "Sometimes she needs water, and sometimes she needs dirt." . In general, I won’t drag it out, I expressed my opinion briefly, like the game itself. I personally am completely upset and will not play the third part, which most likely will not be played, it’s a shame for the studio, as well as for my money, but thank you for your attention and so that we know only the joy of games!
