A new trailer for mental illness representation to gaming, as Senua suffers from psychosis and Ninja Theory worked closely with health professionals and people with mental illnesses during the development of the first Hellblade.
Ninja Theory, which Xbox Game Studios acquired in 2018, is also a founder of The Initiative Project. In collaboration with psychiatrist and Cambridge professor Dr. Paul Fletcher, the project aims to study and present methods of alleviating acute symptoms using video games. It is unknown how Senua’s mental state will affect gameplay in the sequel, but it is fair to believe that similar elements from the first will be present, such as various voices the that speak to Senua, whispering, yelling, and judging her every action.
During the Hellblade 2's Iceland setting inspirations and abstract 3D models flash. Senua’s words hint at what path the heroine will go down, with allusions to potential battles taking place outside and inside her mind. While the developer gave no specifics beyond these teases, the story is set in 9th century Iceland. Visuals of large valleys, snowy mountaintops, and open water indicate that Hellblade 2 will be going on a bigger journey than the first game could allow.
The trailer also gives a few glimpses of behind-the-scenes footage of motion capture and animating. Fighting, which was a core component of the first game, looks to be further fleshed out. Hellblade’s combat wasn’t the worst, but improvements could be made. This time, the tone of the game seems to be that of revenge. It could be that Senua is gearing up to take down the raiders who killed her partner Dylan and desecrated his remains. However, it seems possible that Senua could also be looking to take on more Norse gods in a tale of retribution. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice tasked players with confronting Surtr, Fenrir, and other Norse deities, so the sequel could see Senua face off against the likes of Odin and his better-known kin.
Whatever Ninja Theory has planned for Senua’s Sacrifice: Hellblade II, the amount of work the developer could push Xbox Series X/S's boundaries graphically and narratively. Ninja Theory says that the game is still not in full production, however. Although it may be a while before the next look at the game is given, everything the developer has shown so far is promising.
Source: Xbox/YouTube
