Senua's Saga: Hellblade II GameSpot Review

Hellblade 2 is perhaps the most visually remarkable Xbox title to date, but is ultimately undermined by its emphasis on fidelity over story and gameplay.
Rather than expanding its systems and scope, or weaving a story equal parts intimate and mystical, Senua's Sage: Hellblade 2 focuses on vastly improving what its predecessor already did so well: visuals and sound. Hellblade 2 is a marvel to look at. It's gorgeous, cinematic, and hyper-realistic, yet still eerie and ethereal. Its music remains extraordinary, and its sound design is primed to make your skin crawl. And yet, I cannot help but be disappointed by how pared down and shallow its story and gameplay are. While Hellblade 2 might be a sight to behold, its minimal gameplay and muddled narrative prevent it from being a game that has any meaningful impact on me.

[@jlb4685]

I held the W key while I watched the main character amble up a rocky cliff for 5 minutes. Stunning and brave.

[@charvelgaming2975]

I thought that would never end lol

[@mr_smiles4213]

Found my twin!!!

[@hassangx5272]

I stopped holding it just to make sure it wasn't a cutscene lol

[@cannotkazi]

"Press-On..." Player; Word? Devs; Word.

[@rycmrc]

Thanks for blocking the score at the end

[@MrPackerfan85]

I was wondering if someone else was also gonna say something about it

[@NasserGamerZone]

lol, i thought i was the only one

[@Mohgenstein]

Xbox fans be like: it’s an 8!

[@NasserGamerZone]

@@Mohgenstein lol

[@AlejandroOni]

I'm sure everyone knows this, but just in case it was a 6/10.☺️👌

[@tarnishedofnorenown387]

“POV: You’re a cameraman” the game

[@andnowwecry9225]

What a great looking movie. I wonder if they’ll make a game based on it.

[@vybz6502]

😂😂😂

[@TranCeFORM3R]

Longest cutscene Kojima would be proud.

[@Repsahj]

Lol

[@ThatZenkiS14]

@@TranCeFORM3R bruh i love mgs and 4 had them hour longs cuts but i was glue to the screen lol. mgs story was so good, but this i was like ok can i skip this lol.

[@fateric007]

So basically it's a visually gorgeous walking simulator.

[@cannotkazi]

Otherwise known as an experience.

[@ralfiejr34]

Yes. I'm 3 hours in on PC. Gorgeous game but gameplay is wack. It's the new Ryse Sons of Rome.

[@TheBigTone100]

Like most of PS exclusives but better

[@XXMetallica88XX]

Its an amazing experience and worth playing. It's a 9/10. Haters will hate but this game is a hit for Microsoft forsure

[@leetlc441]

​Nothing is "amazing" about it. Name any mechanic in the game or part and I can find a game that did it immensely better. ​@@XXMetallica88XX

[@messabout245]

I played it 5 hours last night, it's basically a tech demo. There's little actual gameplay

[@SuperMario1990]

I’m assuming that’s a 6 underneath that inserted card?

[@clivematthews95]

I love it too. This is such a well versed review

[@HelloMyNameIsZON3]

This is an interactive movie...

[@HD_Simplicityy]

And so is The Last of Us

[@iorn9814]

If you or someone is going through abuse please call someone other than a video game company

[@AlPacino2502]

Excellent writing for this review. 👏🏻

[@Ephemeral996]

I wouldn't be surprised if ninja theory gets shut down

[@Kat1kafka]

0:51........down boy

[@MarvyG23]

😂

[@senshai1267]

i dont understand

[@Eclipsed972]

💀

[@criminal238]

It's a shame, the combat is one of the things I wanted to see a real improvement on.

[@coldogno7]

congrats xboys u gonna get hellblade 3 instead of hifi rush 2

[@mikebrown9051]

Yesss!!!! Great!!!

[@shifterzx]

Seems like you missed the entire story and all the nods to icelandic folklore. As well as what Ninja Theory had ambitioned for this title. Maybe action/adventure/arcade style games is more to your taste. The voices here were the same style and helpfulness/critical as the last game.

[@Discombobulate453]

Exactly, I don’t know what these people went into this game expecting. An action adventure epic with an open world? She lists off a load of things she wanted, and the game HAD those things ffs.

[@Vandelgard]

Exactly.

[@brandonwells73]

the voices are honestly on whole new level. They doubt you (player), Senua, even each other. There’s quite a few time where the voices don’t quite agree with each other. There input on the puzzle solving is awesome.

[@mappybc6097]

​@Discombobulate453 Xbox's savior. They've been saddling each and every MS studio exclusive with that mantle. Once it inevitably fails to live up to those bs expectations they jump up to the next release and do it all over again. Let's just hope Microsoft sees things differently.

[@FBl]

Seems like you missed the entire review and all the explanations she gave.

[@Teffy2105]

How does this compare to Stellar blade? Because I’m playing that right now and that game is awesome.

[@RepublicofODLUM]

It would be silly to compare them tbh. They're very different games. Stellar Blade has a focus on combat and exploration where Hellblade is a very linear game with pretty basic combat and puzzles

[@TheSupermonty15]

0:51 I’m such a child lol

[@JamesLebowski]

I laughed. Audibly. Guess that makes me a child too..

[@TheSupermonty15]

This is the way😤😤

[@effmltalks]

HAHAHAAH

[@mrrandomdude4291]

I’m 31 years old, that was too funny. I’m never growing up huh?

[@clammerify]

Lol!

[@WinstonHofler]

The entire question running through my head when Hellblade II was announced was the same question I had with The Last of Us: is this a needed sequel? Both Senua’s Sacrifice and The Last of Us had perfect endings that left with a lot of ambiguity for the player to think about while still serving as conclusions to what in my opinion should’ve been one off games, not the beginning of a series.

[@flannelsykes0]

TLoU was a neatly wrapped up story that needed no real expansion. The second is overly convoluted, overly long and by the end a narrative mess.

[@MN-zg7fi]

I can’t help but feel like everyone was blown away by the visuals & the subject matter of the first game. People ignored the repetitive gameplay. They had a chance to fix those mistakes, but instead they doubled down on graphics & narratives while doing nothing to fix the gameplay. This game should’ve been a classic 🤦‍♂️

[@aynrandom3004]

I don't understand this criticism. The first game wasn't a traditional action-adventure game to begin with, so your expectations seem misaligned. Are your expecting a God of War type of game? This is more of a narrative focused adventure game with some puzzles and simple combat mechanics.

[@XXMetallica88XX]

Its really awesome. Some games have more gameplay some have less. Imo they enhanced everything from the 1st and made all aspects better. Even the combat is better. Sure it's the weakest part but they still made it better. Imo they did a great job. Im on my 2nd playthrough and still enjoying it. The graphics are the best I've seen ever.

[@isimikehinde5584]

​@@aynrandom3004We weren't expecting God of war, we were expecting a videogame

[@vailingshadow5030]

@@aynrandom3004people expect a game. You want narrative watch a movie.

[@mhjmstultiens]

​@@vailingshadow5030 Great narrative can exist in games just as well. Why should it be restricted to one form of media?

[@JAIMEGARCIA-gw9re]

Xbox The Order then.

[@librarygary1618]

If Hi-Fi Rush was universally loved (and probably a tenth of the budget) and still couldn't save Tango, then o7's in the chat for Ninja Theory. I will be shocked if they're not dissolved and sent to work on "the next roblox" or whatever by the end of the year.

[@lastventure8377]

Storyline is strong and the graphics and sound bring you deeper into the game. Yes it's short but its good to finally see something that shows what the new consoles should've been doing 2 years ago. It's worth playing and if you've got gamepass it's a bonus.

[@doxide]

They gave it a 6.

[@C0LPAN1C]

6 is fair.

[@lofi1598]

@@C0LPAN1C for ps fanboys who not play the game

[@chrisbutcher6840]

​@@C0LPAN1CIt's absolutely not fair 😂. Quality experience, this.

[@Mohgenstein]

@@lofi1598play the game? You mean watch the game.

[@thedude8128]

​@@lofi1598I finished the game and it's a solid 6. If there was more Gameplay and deeper combat it could be better. They had 7 yrs to build upon the original and didn't do so beyond visuals

[@kdoggdracul]

I vouch for every word, I had precisely the same experience. It's a gorgeous walking simulator, at best, with a mediocre forgettable story. Play it on Game Pass, it's never worth the full price for 5-6 hours of cinematics.

[@mikeg5039]

7 years for a 5 hour long movie with QTEs and braindead puzzles

[@MrMightyZ]

I played this after playing its polar opposite in engaging gameplay, System Shock. But that stark contrast maybe made it easier to accept it as purely a trippy experience (possibly a fine match for a beverage at 4:20 of the clock if I were younger) but OK just purely as that. I’m a simple man and sometimes after a hard day at work a couple of hours of “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” is fine and dandy. This can’t be the future of the current generation of game machines though because I think it’s awesome fidelity is only possible due to its simplicity. Kinda like really high fidelity racing games.

[@steel5897]

A nice glimpse on the future of rendering. I think this is what most games will look like in as little as 3 years. Too bad they haven't made a game that looks like this yet.

[@manoiumusicgames5763]

One game I was thinking of while playing Hellblade 2 for some reason was Zork:Nemesis. Whoever remembers that game, it had gameplay and interaction, and made you think. The puzzles and combat in Hellblade 2 are absolutely disgustingly empty and flat, and even playing it for “free” on Xbox Gamepass cloud is hardly worth the 5 hour investment, never mind actually paying retail for it. The only thing it achieves is that it’s a good showpiece for Unreal Engine 5 and all the visual and audio artists did a phenomenal job.

[@ChristopherYeeMon]

Me thinks there's a bit of rose colored glasses over the first Hellblade. I am playing the second one now and it's the same as the first one

[@danistheguy]

Great review. Well delivered!

[@arbknight12]

Play this game with over-ear headphones. You won’t regret it!

[@StarContract]

What game?

[@arbknight12]

@@StarContractit’s related to this review video

[@matthewdanahy9411]

Or just watch in on KZbin

[@MegaR3DD3VIL]

A KEY thing that many forget or seem to have forgotten. WHY DID HELLBLADE2 TAKE SO LONG TO RELEASE? If you remember correctly, when hellblade2 was announced UNREAL5 had not yet been released, only after the announcement of UNREAL5 was NINJATHEORY announced that they would move from UNREAL4 to UNREAL5, so when they say that in all those years they did little, in reality you have to count NOT from the date of the announcement of HELLBLADE2 but from the release and release to the developers of UNREAL5 Search for UNREAL ENGINE 5 RELEASE DATE, and youll realise they did a PHENOMENAL JOB

[@SebastianBugiu]

RIP ninja theory! Everybody will blame Microsoft but nt did it to themselves.

[@SimonPS86]

What an incredibly open and honest review. Kudos Gamespot.

[@Ilnath]

I liked Firewatch. It was basically a walking sim. I also liked Deteoit Become Human, which was mostly an interactive movie. This however looks more like The Order or Son Ryse of Rome ... 😕

[@shills112000]

Amazing review 👍

[@blinkspacestudio8892]

I actually love the sound of this game. The lighting and ambience looks next level and the combat looks very intimate. Il buy it if it comes to ps5 for sure. 1st one was really great too.

[@TablossAF]

Tango game HiFi rush 90 metacritic,6.5k peak on steam Ninja theory hellblade 81 metacritic,3.5 peak on steam Philp explain please.

[@user-yg1jd6dt1b]

Not hard to explain the entire studio left to go somewhere else Tango was tango in name only and had none of the talent that made Hifi Rush..

[@fabiospfc]

stop pretending you care about Tango. You are attacking another studio because they made an exclusive game. This community can't get any worse.

[@RepublicofODLUM]

​@user-yg1jd6dt1b None of the talent? So one person leaving means ALL the talent is gone? You have no clue what you're talking about.

[@user-yg1jd6dt1b]

@@RepublicofODLUM if I meant one I would say one.

[@RepublicofODLUM]

@@user-yg1jd6dt1b Okay so who else left besides mikami? The vast majority of the team was still the same and you defending this because you're a fan of xbox is juvenile and gross, grow up

[@JMurph93]

Great review. Still need to play the first game, but I’m sure I’ll get to this one at some point

[@farrukhahmedsid]

Whats the score?

[@jamesworthington785]

Visually it's amazing but the only thing that I didn't like about the look was the lighting. At times it felt like Senua was walking In front of a cinema screen. Surprised how smooth 30fps on XSX is. Don't get me started on the gameplay 😅

[@Dingodile778]

I recently played this and stellar blade , nice 6 and 8 score so accurate , keep it up gamespot

[@mattredfoot2721]

I love it so far. About 3 hours in but I have an odyssey ark monitor 4090 and arctic nova pro wireless 😂 and some of the moment were so amazing

[@ralfiejr34]

Same. 3 hours in but with a C4 OLED and a 5950x/Merc 7900 XTX with Sony Pulse Elite.

[@vikramjadhav3631]

I didn't know Summer from Rick and Morty does game reviews for GameSpot 😂. Great review, nonetheless.

[@mikebrown9051]

Muddled. The developers themselves said they wanted to relay. How hearing her voices while listening to others. Showing the conflict. Thry wanted triple voices at points. They literally stated that.

[@carterdahl9654]

I wonder how many people ragging on the game haven't actually played it. Because it's very much like the first one

[@joshmontgomery9942]

I’d say 4/10. 2 points for both graphics and sound lol that’s it

[@fearcry24]

Xbox taxes

[@Steffox1312]

@9:50 About the graphics, yeah they are technically superb. But I also thinks that it's not a visual master piece. Only rocky plains?! Not much variety in environments? Did people forget about AlanWake 2 graphics? Or even Horizon Forbidden West?

[@HD_Simplicityy]

It's not meant to be that kind of game.

[@GonzalezJio]

NINJA THEORY is on the chopping block this month

[@cayden_alexis6562]

If you watch it on your phone hold the screen you’ll see the score.. it’s 6/10

[@AndersMunkNielsen]

If you loved the original, you owe it to yourself to reconsider if in fact the story is so shallow. I think this analysis brings some points that made me realize I had disregarded a lot of the depths kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ_Jl2qhjJZ8l9Esi=lCX8emqrfxtGuIqn

[@user-dq6pm6sg8z]

Good grammar, not a single I've got, he's got, it's got.

[@eddiezS5]

It's a graphic game

[@scarrantsandreviews]

Can't get behind this one. I didn't like the first Hellblade either but they were calling that one "indie AAA". I thought budget restraints were the cause of its basic, nothing gameplay. I thought with a big publishers backing them and 6 years in development they would expand this IP into a real game. Hellblade 2 honestly feels like what detractors of Playstation's narrative-driven games say about them. But actually true. If The Order 1886 is the Gears of War of Playstation then Hellblade 2 is the God of War (2018) of Xbox. There's no depth at all to the combat.

[@HD_Simplicityy]

It's not supposed to have that

[@SpectacleAssault]

I really don't understand how you think the story isn't up to scratch, I need it explained to me.

[@KayySame]

Nah this game is diff loved it. Happy to see the new unreal show out like this too.

[@danieltravelstead]

Crazy on metacritic, almost all big name American reviewers rated it poorly or average and all other reviewers rated it very high. I’ve been playing it in 30-45min chunks the past few days and it’s definitely an experience. Both the sound design and graphics are the best I’ve seen on my series X. I agree the gameplay could be a little more fun though but I knew going in it’d be a glorified tech demo walking simulator experience. Probably just a third into the game but would give it an 8 so far. I’ve been saying that this game almost certainly is an investment for Microsoft and was never meant to hit it out of the park. A lot of their big games including Halo, Gears, etc will be using Unreal 5 and I’m sure they’ve gained a lot of valuable information on techniques and what it can do on Xbox. Can’t till wait hopefully the next generation when a console can run something this incredible looking at 60fps. I keep going into photo mode every 5-10 min to take a screenshot as you can do so even in the in engine cutscenes.

[@EpsilonOrpheon]

Good points actually. I also like the game a lot and knew what it was gonna be going in. This was never going to be Xbox's "God of War". It's an experience more so than a traditional video game.

[@defiantgiant01]

Enjoying the game even tho i knew it would be kind of an tech demo

[@aaronmckee9771]

Honestly dont understand hate this games getting, I'm loving it so far! Idc what console it's on either

[@matthewdanahy9411]

You literally just move forward the entire game and it's 5 hours

[@aaronmckee9771]

@matthewdanahy9411 I do understand that way to much walking but I enjoyed it for story and beautiful graphics but I can def understand that!

[@matthewdanahy9411]

@@aaronmckee9771 that's good. Do you also understand that you could have the exact same experience watching it in 4k on KZbin with good headphones?

[@aaronmckee9771]

@@matthewdanahy9411 yeah true haha though for what little fights they have they are pretty entertaining, at least for me but you might feel dif

[@ddd45125]

I will say though, the graphics are incredible, even with frame generation. I’m running a 4090 with a LG C3 42 inch OLED frame locked at 90fps.

[@jc4446]

No one asked for your pc specs go to digital foundry or Linus to brag bro

[@sheepboy2560]

But is it fun?

[@Shirou8492]

That’s a lot of money to play dogshit

[@AllThingsInfamous1]

They don’t make g3 in a 42 inch

[@garyr5866]

Cool 'yaaaaaawwwnnn' story

[@calciem]

Jesus the reviewers comments are deep..

[@senshai1267]

well , this was a good review

[@moorebags1]

Not great, is it? Imagine having paid £50 for it. Ouch. This is a top notch review btw.

[@AlexandreKoball]

Best graphics ever so far, great gameplay (yes, there's plenty of it, the combat is very tense and realistic, only it's not the main focus). On the negative side, it is too short, but oh well, still a perfect Game Pass game. But, surely, haters gonna hate (mainly sites sponsored by Sony, and PS players).

[@phoenix___7747]

I have no allegiance to Sony or Xbox because I have both platforms as well as PC, so I am just interested in a good game. This was very disappointing. Visually great, but to say gameplay is great is a huge stretch. The voices get very annoying telling you what to do ALL of the time, and it's so short, it's more like a demo. Alan Wake 2 Visually is as impressive (play both on PC max settings) so we need to be honest here.

[@ShaunLevett]

What's funny is IGN gave this an 8 and I instantly knew I should take off 2 from that score to get the accurate rating, and here we are with a 6 from Gamespot 😆

[@0A01amir]

Modern Woman / 10

[@agraciotti]

"Games are afraid of being games". That is very accurate to most triple A games recently.

[@Mysterus88]

The best review out there

[@patrickowens89]

This sounds like a visual marvel. Ninja Theory should consider adapting HELLBLADE into a video game.

[@cannotkazi]

Yup. Nothing screams immersive storytelling like dying to the same garden gnome 18 times with no autosave to make it feel "epic"

[@gunit901]

6? Xbox tax in full swing. Oh well Ninja theory will be making cat skins for warzone soon.

[@BasePuma4007]

A Senua skin in COD with a finishing move of her ravaging the enemy like a lunatic would be hilarious.

[@ellis2888]

Xbox tax is real this confirmed it

[@OtakuUnderground92]

Oh god I hope you’re joking

[@benjamincurtis1412]

There is no XBOX tax . There should however be an XBOX rebate for anyone who bought this expecting a game.

[@fragilemetal1982]

@@benjamincurtis1412 I finished the entire thing, full achievements and was perfectly happy with it as a sequel the Hellblade, I played it with expectations of this being a sequel to Senua's Sacrifice and that's what I received. Any publication or media group who marked it lower than the original is showing a very heavy bias in my own opinion (as a multiconsole owner). Those who went in with expectations of it being anything else need to look inward as Ninja Theory never marketed it as such.

[@ll13gaming]

Oh how sad 🤦‍♂️ it could have been so much more... I feel like they really wanted to just make a movie not a game

[@dirtyoldmano]

Where is Kurt?

[@AtomicEy]

Kurt Cobain? He gone gone

[@dirtyoldmano]

@@AtomicEy Kurt Indovina

[@LordRacing16]

The possible permadeath feature that was in the first game had me on the edge of my seat, where I was constantly scared to die. in Hellblade 2 to if you die in combat, the fight is just restarted and there is 0 consequence. Don't get me wrong, Hellblade 2 is the most gorgeous game that I have ever played and the sound is an absolute masterpiece, just for me it didn't get me in places and made me feel things that I felt in the first game.

[@mananalwadhi9011]

that permadeath wasn't a thing though. You could never die permanently no matter how many times you lose

[@brandonwells73]

@@mananalwadhi9011 Exactly I swear people act like this mechanic changed the whole game when in fact it hurt the game’s reputation for lying to its players. It had no impact on gameplay, or subsequent consequences if you did let the rot grow. This is honestly one of the features from the first game I didn’t like. It is literally the only time we actually get words from the devs to tell us something and it’s a lie.

[@stageonex6651]

So is Ninja theory getting axed next? I hope not

[@dusermiginte4647]

Allready been greenlighted for next project.

[@Kyle-Marxluxia]

​@dusermiginte4647 That doesn't mean anything. Studios can still be closed and contracts can still be retracted

[@dusermiginte4647]

@@Kyle-Marxluxia lol, yeh ok..

[@caseyneal1277]

Is it the capture or does all the combat look..... hitchy

[@caseyneal1277]

It looks so "hyper realistic" it's found it's way back in the uncanny valley.

[@ralfiejr34]

Combat is definitely wack. Beautiful game though.

[@wizarian]

You contradict yourself: first you say that the game has struck a chord with you, you express concern that the sequel will be ruined, but when you see that Microsoft hasn't interfered with Ninja Theory's intentions you cling to the fact that the gameplay isn't that great ? The first one was like that too, at this point I don't know if you're in bad faith or if you've changed your tastes, it certainly sounds strange that a game that you liked so much, with a careful and faithful sequel to its predecessor, seems so disappointing to you.

[@sidewinder2057]

Since author was a victim of abuse and had some psychological problems herself, suddenly this review becomes more meaningful and insightful

[@RuTube981]

Agreed. That has made this review carry more weight than any other. Plus the fact that she called the predecessor one of her favorite games of all time too.

[@blainealexander5091]

I see what you did here. For anyone as dumb as me, this comment is sarcastic and I love it.

[@riqtaru6041]

Its amazing game guys..dont miss it....u will be amused playing this ...dont believe negetive reviews....

[@bloodindark]

hope they do not make a third, put the resources in for other games

[@darkness2160]

0:52 🗿

[@gilbertoarellano8525]

This what Xbox fans think every 1st party Sony game is like😂.

[@TheLateral18]

I would like to ask the developer so many questions.. This doesn't make sense

[@Johnnygrafx]

This is an extremely well done review.

[@facebookwasdown]

just to anyone reading who loved the first game and is now considering not playing the second, just get gamepass and play it anyway. despite all the valid criticisms it was still a very engaging and stunning experience. It's just not much of a game.

[@mxmightymc]

I didn’t think the graphics were that good, I tried photomode and the faces were blurry and lack detail on Xbox series x

[@clivematthews95]

This was very proper. This game is mainly a movie and a walking-sim

[@OtakuUnderground92]

A review that tells the truth. They should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this after making us wait for all these years for a glorified UE5 tech demo. Gameplay is king.

[@eddiegarcia1560]

The game is amazing. Haven't played anything like it. Easily the best graphics and audio in a videogame today.

[@loading.......................]

A 6 out of 10 is too high! I expect better from you, Gamespot! 😡😩

[@JMANB5]

RIP, Ninja Theory

[@josue9926]

Great walking

[@Nirvanablue89]

I’ll take a tech demo… hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Ninja Theory.

[@jetwoo6889]

I’m not even sure the graphics are that great, I’m just about 3 hrs in, the only things I get from the graphics are being too dark and heavy filters, I’ve definitely seen better than this. And since the game sacrifices gameplay for theatrics, you kinda hope the story telling and acting could be great, but seems to me it’s more like a stage play than movie, too out there, lacks subtlety. I have to say as a Xbox fan I’m let down.

[@KoreanSpy1997]

Glorified tech demo, huh?

[@xwulfd]

i wish it comes to playstation > heck i would play this game on psvr2 . it feels like Infinity blade when it comes to combat

[@Nerdextrous]

You really waited to put out your review to see if it was okay to give it a bad review? Lol did the 5 hours take you a while to get through?

[@clammerify]

So Elden Ring DLC then

[@murr9704]

That tax is real!

[@Fat_Thor_1138]

I wonder how long she waited to tell everyone that she’s a victim? Those of us with real trauma don’t go telling everyone that we have it. We don’t need to keep reaffirming to others that our trauma is real.

[@MartinPindur]

And people with empathy dont gatekeep trauma. Every people deals with it differently, who are you to judge?

[@idakev]

"Those of *us* with real trauma don't go telling everyone that *we* have it." That's what you just did though. What you've said is very twisted and odd. Someone asking for help and talking about their feelings doesn't mean that they're really just trying to get confirmation that their trauma is real. Hope you don't really believe that.