Senua’s Saga Hellblade II Enhanced PS5 Review
Summary: The title works perfectly on PS5.
4.3
Still excellent
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II hit PC and Xbox Series X/S on May 21, 2024. The game received favourable reviews. More than one year later, the PlayStation 5 version was released, alongside with the “Enhanced” update for all the platforms. Is it worth picking up?
The aforementioned update features Performance Mode (60 FPS), Dark Rot (a permadeath challenge that returns from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice) and Photo Mode upgrades. The PS5 version includes all this – and a bit more.
The story of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II continues after the events of the first game. Senua lets herself be captured by Norse slavers to seek out and liberate her comrades. The protagonist survives a shipwreck and washes ashore in Iceland, where she is to face both brutal enemies and her inner nightmares.
If you played Senua’s Sacrifice, you already know that this title puts atmosphere and narrative first, with gameplay taking a back seat. It feels more like a cinematic experience than a traditional game. The same goes for the sequel: if you expect complex mechanics here, you’ll find yourself utterly disappointed.
As spectacular as it may look, combat is limited to two types of attacks, a dodge, and a parry. Be aware that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is grimly and hauntingly brutal. One-on-one bouts feel more like desperate struggles for survival than fair fights. Also, the player solves environmental puzzles. The rest is a journey – across the land and deep into the self.
The title runs smoothly on PS5. Performance hardly ever dips under 60 FPS; if there are any frame drops, they’re barely noticeable. In addition, if you have PS5 Pro (I don’t), expect further graphical enhancements, such as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and Variable Rate Shading. Sadly enough, the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are still there. And you know what? – I don’t like them.
Still, the fact remains that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II looks fantastic on PS5. Some locations are as dark as a nightmare, others are slightly less so – but all of them captivate with their painterly beauty and atmospheric depth. Facial expressions and animations shine just as brightly.
All of this would not be what it is without Melina Juergens’ acting, which is simply phenomenal. No wonder that she won Best Performance at The Game Awards twice, for both parts of the series. Hopefully she will continue acting (and who knows, maybe she will win another award, playing Senua again in the future).
The graphics matter, but the real magic of the title lies elsewhere. Audio design draws the player deep into Senua’s fractured mind. Discordant voices mirror the protagonist’s mental struggles. It’s advisable to play the game with headphones, as it genuinely enhances immersion.
The PS5 version of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has awesome haptics. The player experiences combat-related sensations, as well as environmental effects, such as rainfall or waves crashing against the shore. Pure poetry. I daresay that DualSense is a game-changer of this generation. Unfortunately, only a handful of titles make full use of the controller’s features.
Final thoughts?
If you haven’t played Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II before, you have a great opportunity to catch up right now – even if you don’t know the first part. The PS5 version runs nice and steady in Performance Mode, and the haptics level things up.
However, keep in mind that this series has already let down many players – just because the stress is put more on the introspective narrative and artistic presentation than on the actual gameplay. But probably all of this is what makes Senua’s Saga so memorable and exceptional.
About the Author
Dagmara Sorceress from The Witcher's homeland and Yennefer's classmate (got better grades than Janka). Addicted to the mechanical keyboard clack; always looking for an opportunity to make this lovely sound.
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