'Hellblade II' is bafflingly disappointing… [REVIEW]

[@LukeStephensTV]

TLDR: Despite my love for the original game, I found Hellblade II to be shockingly disappointing and ridiculously short. I got through the game in 5 hours and 28 minutes, and I struggle to find anything it does better than the original. To be fair, I wasn't trying to find every secret in every nook and cranny, but I feel I played the game the way an average gamer would, and what I got was a game that I found profoundly disappointing.

[@Craigish93]

You did call it with how little marketing they put into the game

[@SamuelCatsy]

Angry Joe Scream: FIVE HOURS!?

[@HegoDamaskll]

Psychosis simulator isn't pleasant...really? What did you expect?

[@ronf6]

I’ll play it for myself… thanks

[@jonayarrocha4009]

I'm 4 hours into the game and I'm wondering if we are actually talking about the same game. IMO It's beautiful and immersive with a compelling story

[@Akain777]

So the lack of marketing was because there was nothing to market... we lost

[@octavianpopescu4776]

Who's we? What did we lose? Against whom did we lose?

[@0biRonKenobi]

​@@octavianpopescu4776We lost our marbles.

[@Akain777]

@@octavianpopescu4776 The game could have been great. Now its just another mess thats probably gonna get people laid off. no good game for us, and loss of jobs for others. that's a L

[@vreevroow]

@@Akain777 Have you actually played it?

[@bugsnax4145]

I'm playing the game and i like it. I was looking for a game that was presenting me with a story and immersion. I'm getting this from the game. It's people's own fault for going off the high end and expecting something more that was never aimed at. The game tells a story and your in it for the ride.

[@soup2684]

Challenge: Luke tries to not put the word "Skeptical" in a video Difficulty level: Impossible

[@odd-collection]

Also going through a whole video without saying, “tremendous”

[@TheLongestTake]

And here it doesn't even make sense. If he played the game his thoughts are no longer skeptical smh.

[@m4nt1c0r3s]

And yet disappointing would have been more appropriate given he uses that qualifier multiple times, but i guess it was too overly negative for a title. Skeptical is for when you are not sure about something, and havent really had fully experienced it, this isnt it.

[@MoRoMeTe_]

Owning an xbox is depressing……..

[@Siyintax]

No cap

[@SameerAli-266]

5 years in development, 5 hours of game play. 1 year irl = 1hour ingame

[@theodorebear6714]

I recommend the 1st hellblade. I can't recommend this.

[@GG-zv9ku]

Some interstellar meme in there

[@thorpedo8735]

just like goodbye volcano high

[@MrZRACER]

When this inevitably comes to ps, thats going to be wild to think about while playing.

[@Antros23]

Since when 6. Hours of gameplay is bad? I take it you don't watch movies or tv series? Simply unbelievable.. finally a polished game with no glitches

[@thegamersconclave8709]

These High Graphic Walking Simulators are going to start getting game companies shut down.

[@BoBurnham69]

Lets hope so

[@sunderwire]

Ninja theory is done for. Microsoft def shutting them down

[@someusername1872]

These glorified interactive movies need to die sooner or later, there's so little gameplay in these games that they really aren't games anymore. If I wanted to invest myself in a plotline I'd simply watch a movie. Big game studios have forgotten that videogames need to be FUN TO PLAY before anything else to be worth playing, and if a game isn't exactly fun to play then it isn't a game worth playing.

[@GG-zv9ku]

Walking sims can be great if done right

[@samserpent]

Atleast death stranding was amusing and beautiful.

[@andreypokesaround]

So that's why there wasn't much press regarding the release of the game...

[@alfredmitchcock8518]

yep they knew it

[@Name..........]

​@alfredmitchcock8518 doubt that there wasnt any press on the first as well. Not to mention everyone hated the first on release as well.

[@giorno6086]

@@Name.......... at least back then it was Ninja Theory on it's own, now it has Xbox brand on it which draws a lot of negative attention.

[@PerfectFitGE8]

I remember the order 1886 got slaughtered for being a short game.

[@DP12321]

Assassins Creed Origins & Odyssey also got ripped apart for being too long and drawn out. I prefer shorter games myself.

[@shalindelta7]

​@@DP12321well it's not that black and white. You get short and underwhelming and you get short and awesome ( like Nfs The Run or Heavy Rain which i played multiple times and will definitely play again ) and you get long and worthwhile like The Witcher 3 and long and boring like Odyssey. For longer games I'd say Ubisoft is the worst, not only is it filled with shite that no one suffer through but they've turned all their franchises into a samey experience. So for Ubisoft it's pretty much played one played them all.

[@DP12321]

@@shalindelta7 Good point. Witcher 3 is the antithesis to another copy/paste Ubisoft snorefest.

[@jadenpokemon8952]

Yeah but that at least had fun gameplay lol. This is a walking sim. Honestly embarrassing imo.

[@apotekmanfaatinsani1954]

DAMN TRUE BRO IF NOT BECAUSE THAT BACKLASH SHORT GAME NONE SENSE WE WILL GOT A SEQUEL TODAY

[@gavo117]

When Luke popped out of nowhere and said “it’s skeptin’ time” and skeptic’ed all over everyone I felt that

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

This made me skept all over my hands and chest

[@jdg1251]

Memes been dead for 5 million years holy shit

[@XablazedX]

@@jdg1251 Normies, bro.

[@huricanethreeonesix]

@@XablazedX People who call other people normies or npc's are cringe af! grow up, lad.

[@thelightsilent]

Just a reminder Microsoft Xbox acquired Bethesda studios they didnt want Ninja theory studio it was just forced bundled in. The Very founder of Ninja Theory studios the CEO during the Bethesda studios sale sold Ninja Theory and ran off with his money the state of the studio was a mess as it seems to be a quick pump and dump type of studio where they make one semi good game then sell the company as soon as possible. Microsoft was left with the IP but not all of the original devs including the old CEO who ran off with his money.

[@Vartazian360]

When all you care about in your game is graphics: Glorified tech demo

[@Qballiz2kool]

Pretty much.

[@humorinpolitics56]

Reminds me of The Order 1886 but worse.

[@yatharthrai4658]

And people have the gall of calling the likes of God of War and The Last of Us 'walking simulators' lol

[@inuclearpickle8628]

Fudge even Alan wake II has more gameplay and you do a lot of walking in the game at least there the environments we did have were great specially coffee world I can navigate it like the back of my hand

[@Alex-bw3jj]

Last of us 2 at least has 20 hours of gameplay rushed

[@AD3SPG]

This is an imaginary walking, fighting simulator all going through a in-game character thoughts.

[@TexasChop512]

It still is

[@hazelcrisp]

From what it seems it's a watered down version of every other similar game. It lacks the decent to good gameplay of TLOU, and lacking the narrative impact of other "walking sims" like Life is Strange or A Plague Tale. So it just ends up kinda meh.

[@y345vash9]

I have said this several times for several different games, saying "Well the game looks pretty..." just isn't a selling point anymore. If a studio spends several years developing a single game, then the visuals damn well better look good! What about the characters? What about the story? What about the GAMEPLAY. Those are the things the studios need to focus on. Nice graphics are just an added bonus.

[@foreignuser_]

nice graphics only sell games for inexperienced players and family members as gifts to capital G Gamers. graphics are marketing and marketing is only effective on those who are not that familiar with the industry the marketing is in

[@pennywisethedancingclown7139]

​@@foreignuser_A Plague Tale : Requiem has more beauty than this Hellblade game. It's better in every way and has the graphics to boot!

[@nicholasnajibi3082]

You know not what you speak of

[@dediualex3554]

@@nicholasnajibi3082he right I know

[@moongoalie2410]

This ‘game’ really should have just been a film.

[@gab_gma]

what i feared is happening, a game that tries so hard to be photorealistic as a movie, starts to lose it's gaming nature and at this point it would be best to just release a movie instead, if the gameplay is walking, simple puzzles and a combat that you don't feel like you can do much and it's a trend i hope people realize and start thinking about it at least.

[@gman7497]

Idk man, indie walking Sims are a genre that has existed for years.. this one has a sizeable budget attached but it definitely has a niche, whether it is a big enough niche to be profitable remains to be seen.

[@thirdcoinedge]

Well, it's better than David Cage games, which are mostly just composed of interactive cutscenes linked by brief sequences of third-person gameplay. Besides, Soma has pretty much the same level of gameplay, with lots of walking and relatively simple puzzles, and people think that's a good game. Granted, there are a number of differences (lesser budget, first-person perspective, etc.), but the fact remains that Soma also could've been a movie/book. It's not whether this story works for the medium, it's about how the medium shapes our experience of the story, and there are a number of advantages a video game has in this regard over a film.

[@danialyousaf6456]

It's basically the order 1886 but with somehow less gameplay

[@jordanwhite352]

​@@gman7497The difference is is that all of the good walking simulator games were still engaging as games and them existing as games fed into the narrative. The issue is that this game has so limited barely qualifiable gameplay And that it's so incredibly linear even by linear video game standards that it should have just been a TV show or a movie. Which honestly I think Microsoft should invested that with the IP considering the success of the Fallout show.

[@randomchannel323]

Yeah the game pushes the limits of laser scanned environments and objects and motion capture but for no reason if the actual experience isn't fun or long enough

[@55rz55]

This isn't a game for gamers, it's for investors and other developers so they hire Ninja Theory for their games facial animations and cutscenes.

[@LostHope1982]

Right, because they spend 5 years worth of manpower and money to create a demo reel. 🤦

[@55rz55]

@@LostHope1982 they actually did

[@guguigugu]

yea, they seem to have focused primarily on showcasing the Unreal engine's abilities

[@casbyness]

Been the driving force behind all AAA game development since the early 2010s. Everyone just makes games to show off to other companies and potential employers/employees. The actual audience for the product is entirely taken for granted. Happens in every creative 'industry' eventually. Music, for example, has been operating this way since the 90s.

[@shiteyanyo1111]

5 hours for 5+ years of development? And then it's $50!?

[@danthelambboy]

Gamepass doesn't cost $50. Why would you give $50?

[@floydland3509]

@@danthelambboyGP costs more the longer you have it. It’s a subscription service. People think they’re getting games for free but you’re eventually paying for them.

[@theprowler18]

That’s literally the price tag for buying the game. 😆👎🏼

[@cjmk5923]

​@@theprowler18which they want to you to do.

[@Conway312]

@@cjmk5923nah they want you to play it on gamepass

[@junechevalier]

So basically, 1 year of development produces 1 hour of gameplay

[@homem-pobre]

Considering the game is 3.5 hours of cutscenes and 1.5 hours of gameplay, they did 18 minutes per year of actual gameplay.

[@dusermiginte4647]

Its 5 hours long?

[@dusermiginte4647]

​@@homem-pobrethey started making the game 2019..

[@homem-pobre]

@@dusermiginte4647 Yes, that's 5 years.

[@brainglow_lightbright]

And 10 bucks an hour of gameplay

[@Rex_Smashington]

Saw a fanboy on Twitter say "Not every game needs to be gamified." Like damn. I've heard of coping. But saying your game doesn't need to be a game is a wild form of it.

[@ManiLink]

I guess you don't remember big Sony hits like flower, Journey and Heavy Rain?

[@123cornflakeman]

​@ManiLink if you are really trying to compare Heavy rain to hell blade 2 then you truly are delusional.

[@ManiLink]

@@123cornflakeman Heavy rain was seen as "not a game" at the time and it was good graphics and little gameplay and the performances were awful. It was saved by its graphics which at the time were cutting edge on PS3.

[@dmitrybelkin8559]

​@@ManiLink At least Heavy rain had some semblance of choice and slightly branching plot

[@ChiefVince117]

Slash slash dodge is literally every souls game...

[@Robertrobal]

I don't understand you guy's... I liked that game a lot. Both parts were awesome

[@StealthReconNexus]

I heard the game was originally called Hellblade 2 Senua's Speedrun, but the developers feared that the title would spoil the gameplay.

[@zigghie8285]

If you played the first game and don't like it you wouldn't like this one either and this game is not for everyone

[@x0Fang0x]

​@@zigghie8285your right that this game is not for everyone, nothing is. But a sequel should improve upon the first. The only thing that this game improves upon is graphics everything else is lesser. There's less puzzle and combat and more walking than gameplay. Story? I'd say about the same as Hellblade 1.

[@zigghie8285]

@@x0Fang0x no, if you're a fan of the original you will also like this game and it will have a cult following just like the original

[@pocketglove]

​@@zigghie8285he liked the first one, but didn't like the second one.

[@zigghie8285]

@@pocketglove he's lying

[@kingjordan248]

Goodbye, Ninja Theory 😪

[@MR3DDev]

They already greenlight another game from that studio

[@bennyblunto973]

@@MR3DDevyeah the game is called “The death of ninja theory”

[@lordxeno8270]

Who actually cares honestly? Hopefully they redistribute the devs into Bethesda or Activision

[@kingjordan248]

@@MR3DDev Good, let’s just hope Xbox doesn’t have a change of mind

[@shoff29]

@@lordxeno8270whoa whoa… why do we want Bethesda to be invested in?

[@frs1375]

So you are telling me the lack of promotion on the side of Xbox was warranted ? 😅

[@SKHYJINX]

Games so short any marketing would be considered too much of the percentage of playtime shown I guess.

[@CanIHasThisName]

@@SKHYJINX A game could be 4 hours for all I care, as long as I get a good experience I'm happy. Nowadays I honestly find that games being 20+ hours long is detrimental to the experience. It's a tremendous time investment and I rarely find myself finishing these games.

[@oberonvortigern4138]

⁠@@CanIHasThisNameThis should be priced at around $30. 5 hours for $50 is crazy. And y’all gonna excuse it by saying wait for a sale. Another Xbox L

[@BigWrangler]

@@CanIHasThisNamebro please stop defending nonsense. You sound insane

[@nickhard7615]

​@@CanIHasThisNameI agree, but not for anything above $20. Like Farcry 3: Blood Dragon, now that was an excellent 4 hours for what I paid. This might be too, I am interested, but not for that. This is a Game Pass exclusive

[@SENATORPAIN1]

I still can't believe the highlight of the game was shown off in full 2 years ago.that trailer has me expecting big things but that was the big thing.

[@navpun1989]

I was speechless when I realized it was going to play what was in the trailer scene for scene. I was also waiting for her to wear that cool rune warpaint, but it only showed up for like 10 seconds in a vision at the very end. Lame af.

[@AdamThundercock]

Hellblade 2 is the result of a game studio that’s more interested in making film than they are in making games

[@PlagueInjected]

Lots of fart huffing at Ninja Theory for sure

[@thesagaofblitz]

kojima is the same why but at least his games are still games.

[@TheErikjsm]

​​​@@thesagaofblitz kojima is way overated too. if spawning one good franchise is enough for endless praise then the creators of cod argueably deserve more praise and genious status than him since cod 4 had more of an impact and reach than mgs selling almost 2 sixths of the entire mgs franchise combined. everything he does past mgs is pretentious and boring.

[@Hmonks]

@@TheErikjsmso are you saying Metal gear series are overrated 😂

[@AdamThundercock]

@@TheErikjsmat least kojima has the brass to back up his name, opening a studio named after yourself is no small feat. He’s earned his spot as a legend in this industry.

[@ViktorAndy]

So, anyway....I downloaded Ghost of Tsushima on PC and played it yesterday for the very first time ever. When it first got announced, because i never owned a PS i didn't even bother watching a trailer. Seen screenshots on game news tho. Besides that, i experienced for the first time and i'm in love.

[@Xerodm]

I can only imagine how good it looks on PC if it's a good port. I took way too many screenshots when I played it just from getting cool shots.

[@danielsmid3777]

​@@XerodmReviews say it s one of best ports on pc😊

[@ViktorAndy]

@@Xerodm It looks incredible on PC even tho i have no idea how it looks on PS. But thats only image quality. The world, story, main character, minimalism in menu design, combat, actually made emotional for a moment. You PS guys are actually really lucky to have experienced it so long ago. This made want to buy a PS lol

[@Xerodm]

Gonna have to add it to my Steam wishlist with those replies in mind.

[@Xerodm]

@@ViktorAndy I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hopefully we get to a point that Sony releases on PC same day as PS5. I can't wait to see how FFXVI looks when it comes to PC.

[@lorenzolupi6083]

5 h long is crazy, i mean i dont pretend that every game is 100 h minimum but 5h for 50$ is unaccetable

[@johngray6215]

Dude it's game pass £13 it's not that deep

[@anshukandulna1844]

​@@johngray6215that will be the fall for this game. It's too expensive for the playtime to be purchased at full price and playing through gamepass will generate significantly less revenue.

[@deluxo2901]

@@johngray6215 That's the problem, "Oh at least it was on gamepass" When everyone of their games on Xbox Game Pass sucks. Phil Spencer needs to go, Playstation isn't any better with their movie simulator games as well.

[@alus992]

ACG in his video said it's 9 hours long with "a Lil bit of extra puzzles". It's a huge disrepency between his and Luke's experience

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

I wouldn't mind 5 hours for 40 bucks if the game's narrative and themes were extremely gripping. But 99% of writers in the media business seemingly cannot write anymore and nothing is worth it.

[@ytnewhandlesystem42]

Luke: "My disappointment is tremendous and my day is skeptical."

[@Demigodish4o3]

During the "Friends Per Second" podcast there was an interview with the game director, which was absolutely foreshadowing. All his answers regarding gameplay improvements were "It's all in service to the story" and how "the story is everything" and how "if something doesn't add to the story we cut it" In the end I was left wondering why is this even a videogame.

[@Thorn_416]

video games make so much money now, that people that have no genuine love or interest in gaming are ending up taking jobs in the industry.

[@bubalfred260]

Then don't play video games old man, or play older ones instead. Story is debatably the most important thing

[@Damianator77]

​@@bubalfred260I wouldn't say it's the most important thing, but for a lot of games it does help give the player a motivation to keep playing, but the gameplay is also capable of doing this. It all depends on the what game is trying to accomplish, honestly. If I had to choose though, I would want to play a game with better gameplay than story instead of one with a better story than gameplay. Ideally, I'd want an even balance of both because together they are capable of making overall amazing experiences, when done right. There have games I've played that I question why they even had to be in a video game format when they focused way more on telling a story and expected that to make up for the barebones gameplay. But again, it all depends on the game itself, and it's approach.

[@Wonderbrut]

@@bubalfred260story isn’t everything in a medium where the products you’re making are literally called video games gameplay is and always will be more important if you don’t like that then don’t try to pass off an interactive movie as a game🤷‍♂️

[@MostWantedWannaBE]

there are a lot of story based videogames that are walk around and read+listen while looking at pretty settings not every video game has to make you sweat through puzzles or mechanics

[@Noone-wo8mk]

Thank you for having the integrity to not blow smoke up our ass like most of the other review sites saying this is an 8 out of 10 purely on the fact that it “looks good”. A good looking game with zero gameplay is a movie, not a game.

[@dennygunawan208]

Interactive movie maybe...if its going to be like that, isnt it better to do something Heavy Rain?

[@AteszmadmanHDPC]

@@webbie7503 Or it could be that they actually liked the game? The game is currently sitting on 86% positive on steam, clearly there are people who like it.

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

Saw IGN's review of this game on Twitter and they gave it an 8/10 for having good visuals and audio. IGN is a fucking embarrassing joke.

[@mustaine136]

A movie is a movie 😅

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

My issue isn't that it only looks good and that's about it, but that it's pretentious and thinks it's deeper and more "artful" than it actually is. It's just very generic and has nothing to say.

[@Fantomas24ARM]

The game almost feels like a tech demo.

[@Damianator77]

The first one did too, honestly. That's why I was hoping for them to expand on the combat/gameplay for the sequel, but I guess not.

[@zigghie8285]

If you don't like the first game you wouldn't like this one either, this game is not for everyone but it will have a cult following just like the original

[@Damianator77]

@@zigghie8285 I actually like the first game, but you can tell they prioritized story way more than gameplay which makes you question why it's a game in the first place. Half-baked combat and puzzles that hardly evolve over time make the parts you're actually playing feel like filler. Studios have definitely made great strides in making video games a more cinematic experience, but they also understand that it's still a game that needs more than pretty graphics and amazing performances by actors. There needs to be fun and fulfilling gameplay that evolves throughout, showing progression in the character and the player. Watching a cutscene, or an "interactive cutscene" where you walk forward and watch something happen doesn't exactly warrant it being a game. Even if it does effectively help you understand the character(s) more, it doesn't make overall compelling gameplay. I was expecting more emphasis on combat and better puzzles for the sequel, but it's clear that they wanted to still keep it just as simple as the first. That's okay, it's just not my kind of game I guess. Also, I always see cult followings as people thinking they're somehow special because they don't have the same mentality as "casuals" and they "get it". A cult following for something doesn't inherently mean it's good.

[@vdochev]

@@Damianator77 I personally liked it. I was right at home with the controls and it felt familiar. I found myself using the mirror more this time around.

[@Walt_Xander94]

​@@zigghie8285Cult followings wont help a game sell(unless you're FS, but even then, most buyers quit their games). This game being disappointing is not a good look for Ninja Theory.

[@devineartwork2827]

The voices in the original game too provided neat gameplay features sometimes. Like when you'd fight an enemy, sometimes one would spawn in behind you that you wouldn't know about. In most games that'd be unfair, but in the first Hellblade, your voices would give you a last minute warning. They served a purpose to simulate a mental illness, and gameplay function. In this new game, because enemies are now one at a time, the voices largely lose their function which is a shame.

[@Qballiz2kool]

The voices also loose their luster pretty quick due to them never being quiet, even during cutscenes with other characters WHILE THIER TALKING their just blathering on, it grates on your nerves quickly, and starts to become more a nuisance than an interesting gameplay component like it was in the first game.

[@AdminAbuse]

Lose and their

[@saibgassanov3378]

​@@Qballiz2koolthat's the point of psychosis simulation my dude

[@trackerdark-heart3043]

I dont think "Just fight! Dont Think " and "Just Feel it " help in the fights .

[@devineartwork2827]

@@trackerdark-heart3043 Not that, in the first game enemies would sometimes spawn in behind you. To give you a chance before they'd strike you'd hear them say "Look out!" "Behind you!" giving you a chance to dodge.

[@JmannTW]

Microsoft was like: "Okay guys, show us what you've been cooking for the last 5 years, we can definitely beat Sony with this! Wait, what do you mean 5 hours?! Are you kidding me?! Ok, fuck you, release what you've got, we won't spend a dime on this further, marketing including"

[@mikeryan1043]

Only way to explain the utter lack of marketing

[@LordKosmux]

Don't think that's the case, they probably planned a short playable movie. Waste of potential.

[@toothgrinder2760]

That was exactly my take.

[@NeuviIlete]

The beautiful Witcher 3 music while you’re ripping this game apart is a good contrast 😂

[@sladelius6174]

Shit game contrasted by a vastly superior game's OST.

[@TomLee-lv8ql]

Amazing game for real people.

[@nidungr3496]

@@sladelius6174 Hellblade was supposed to have an OST by Heilung, but it turned out they did 1 song and some ambience. So that was also a disappointment.

[@Chevifier]

80% of the budget was on Graphics 10% on mocap and actors, 5% on audio and 5% on gameplay programming XD

[@memezurdreamz2203]

5% on audio/programming? You've got no idea what you're saying buddy.

[@Tazza19931]

That's definitely want the end result makes it feel like, yeah.

[@Volvagia1927]

This is, probably, going to go down like Fairweather Johnson, "Johnson, I like the Braves in '95."

[@olofpalme9812]

Nah not really. The audio is world class. I agree that the price is outrageous for 5 hours of gameplay. If they cut it down to around 15 - 20 dollars it would not have gotten this backlash. I personally enjoy that some companies make these type of ''experience'' games where you dont have to worry too much about choices or a skill gap. A game with a nice story and kind of a ''lay back and enjoy'' feeling

[@otaviocamanho1135]

What you mean the game is 5 hours? Just from walking around in a sloooow straight lines takes more than 10 hours alone. I think the game is still only about senua, there is no others (real) characters, they all represents parts of her like her voices do. Thorsomething is a warrior, son of a bad father who is a leader that manipulate and uses fear, she spared him and decided not to take his life despite being defeated and lost in the darkness, sounds familiar? The northman druth that can see though the darkness, and you really think the way you met him was a real thing? The characters shows up and disappears so easily (even considering her visions and isolation). The giants being cast away and being tormented needing to forgiven (the guilt she still feels about the plague, maybe also not being there when the village was raided) maybe senua was being called by another name (monster, crazy) and needed to be accepted. All of the Draugr encounter and fights are really really REEEAALLY too weird to be true, they show up and disappears out of nowhere and the other characters dont see anything wrong with it. They also interact with the giants too hinting out that they are also not real since Senua herself realizes the giants arent real. The earl (thor father) is just her father all over again, the people who died in the village just before are the people who died to the plague or in the raid, all her problems we saw in the frist game still haunts her, she fought her demons but it is still there. Maybe she became a leader of the celts (her people, the other villages who wasnt attacked, the few that survived) and never set foot on the northman lands and its all in her head, but poorly showed in the game. Be what it may, both games is about religion. The first one is how we cling to religion because without it what is the point of everything, its hard to accept death, that we will never see and never meet again the ones we lost, that death is final and there is no silver lining. Relegion can be good, peaceful but we chain ourselves. Like in the end of the first game that she start realizing all of that was a lie, wasnt real "but if thats all a lie, how will you revive Dillion, what are you doing here?" and she immediately goes back to the beliefs because she has to. The second game is about using religion to keep fear on people and having power.

[@ras_alhim]

No Luke video without at least one mention of Suicide Squad lmao

[@jacquesventer3170]

Meanwhile, BG3 said it has 80 hours of gameplay and after 600 hours, there are still things I haven't experience

[@speider]

the dev team for BG3 is about.. 6 times bigger than the one for Senua's Saga?

[@jacquesventer3170]

@@speider thats not the point. It’s about over promising. I don’t care how big the dev team is.

[@MightyGachiman]

@@speider it is 6 times bigger NOW, during the majority of developement they had less than 100.

[@GetterRay]

BG3 isn't even that good. Its just accessible to people who don't play RPGs and it doesn't do anything better than a game like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous or Wasteland 3. Its a mediocre game dressed up for a crowd that doesn't know anything better, which isn't too far off the mark for the kind of pretentious slop that Ninja Theory games tend to be. If you want to compare dev sizes as if that matters, Pathfinder had a far lower budget and a smaller dev team and a smaller dev cycle than BG3 and ends up have far, far more content than BG3. Smaller teams don't mean that you necessarily make less fulfilling games, not that time really matters. There are plenty of great short games out there, its just that 5 hours is a hard ask for 70 dollar unless you have some replayability like Resident Evil.

[@jacquesventer3170]

@@GetterRay what is pathfinder?

[@jassykat]

Now it makes sense why there was literally 0 marketing

[@majorshepard2]

Can't make a 3 minute trailer when it's short like this game. People not seeing this coming after devs said it was this short is baffling to me. If they made a trailer it would be worse. Look at that gameplay, she is walking.

[@jassykat]

@@majorshepard2 I don't mind the length, or anything about this game. From the consumer perspective, this is just another cool game you can play on Gamepass. The business side is what's unfortunate, because you know they're not going to make their money back, and we all saw what happened to those studios who didn't make their money back.

[@majorshepard2]

@@jassykat players like different things. I just wanted to comment on the reason to why there is no trailer probably. It would spoil too much. For me personally I have a golden rule of 1$ per hour I play when I buy it myself. But if I would get it through gamepass I don't mind it. Yeah they can't even get hit with layoffs by only 80 devs, so they will shut them down probably. Let's hope they move them to Bethesda and teach them how to use ue5 for elder scrolls 6 so there won't be a starfield again.

[@jassykat]

@@majorshepard2 I've seen a couple of trailers, but yeah, they're pretty short. It would be crazy to see a Bethesda game on UE5. Closest thing on the horizon would be The Witcher 4? The problem with Starfield is that the Action RPG formula they used for decades didn't changed much, and it's starting to feel old. You could argue that the Technical Limitations played a role on that, but I think that weight carries over the the whole team across all areas, quest design, narrative, and gameplay. But for what it is, I actually enjoyed Starfield quite a lot. It can be very inmersive if you choose to play it in specific ways.

[@majorshepard2]

@@jassykat I never played it. I don't have xbox or pc so my closest thing to starfield is no mans sky. And that has all the same problems despite them making big steps every update. Their formula is a big part of it, but I think they are limited in what they can do in their engine and they don't know how to utilise it, otherwise ai would not be worse than skyrim or fallout. You are totally right that their design decisions feel old and outdated and the setting makes it even worse. Their decisions are not futuristic, they are outdated. It's like they are stuck in 2012. I totally forgot about cdpr switching to ue5, thanks for reminding me

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

imho it sounds like Hellblade only ever had the legs for one budget-length experience, because the main hook is something that can only be tolerated for a short while. How could this ever work as a game franchise? Maybe a better follow-up would to be to play as a different character who suffers from visual distortions, or some other mental impairment?

[@Qballiz2kool]

Yea……the voices that would sound off in Senua’s mind were really interesting in the first game, but in the second, they are constantly going off, even in effing cutscenes where characters are talking, and it just starts to grate on you after awhile. I mean I get what they’re trying to do but man…..going through hours of uninteresting combat encounters, walking sections either exposition dumps, and uninteresting cutscenes for a story I find really hard to care about, only to constantly have the voices yammering in my ear…..at every waking moment……c’mon.

[@samserpent]

​@@Qballiz2koolthe most hurtful part is we all loved the first one flaws and all. It feels such a huge punch to the gut of the fans to be letdown like this. Especially when they took their time and budget for things this time. Just a shame

[@aledantih6524]

As much as I'm saddened to hear this I'm gonna say its not that surprising. Most people are gonna jump on Xboxs neck understandably but I wouldn't even do that. People forget that Ninja Theory have made some absolutely atrocious games in the past and Hellblade 1 was their ticket out of bankruptcy because of it. And even though I really liked Hellblade 1 they never really showed themselves to be great at making video games but rather experiences and that's what Hellblade 1 was, something innovative and unique. I never liked that they decided to go the sequel route with it and it definitely shouldn't be the price that it is.

[@aynrandom3004]

Crazy how your easily swayed buy some KZbinr's opinion. Did not even bother to play the game first lmao.

[@shyfox7554]

@@aynrandom3004this KZbinr is a good one so honestly probably right

[@Nikelaos_Khristianos]

If you’re referring to DmC: Devil May Cry - then yes, I agree that it was a shocking game helmed by a director that “hated Devil May Cry.” But the bitter irony there is that he’s now living some rockstar life - having completely shat on DmC - and his old studio is the one dealing with all the shit now. The wrong guy won that battle, imo.

[@jez49647]

Yeah, a lot of people are blaming this inevitable trashfire on Microsoft already (which i get the temptation, i'm still not quite over the xbone reveal) but lets not pretend that Ninja Theory aren't the ones that actually made this boring walking simulator.

[@theatheistbear3117]

But DmC was actually good, though.

[@greedyyawgoo5635]

Guys Remember, Sony Bought Insomiac for 100M and created so many games for the past 7 years, like Marvel Spider-Man 1 and 2 and Ratchet and Clank. Microsoft Bought Ninja Theory for 100M and for 7 years, they only made 1 game that only lasted for 6 Hours.

[@davidglenn2739]

Seems to be a recurring theme. Look at Rare for just one example

[@Lead_Foot]

Insomniac also has 3x the amount of staff and couldn't make enough money to avoid layoffs.

[@darugdawg2453]

before xbox bought bethesda they are already underperforming. they produced fallout goty. microsoft keep funding shit games and dying devs

[@123cornflakeman]

​@Lead_Foot pretty obvious that layoffs have nothing to do with the success of the studio at this point

[@phant0m_633]

They didnt even buy insomniac for 100 million...

[@challe2324]

I love the Gwent music in the background, thank you made my day. It's so upbeat and the best song in that game :)

[@rijusnar1994]

Its not the gwent music but Novigrad music

[@joeld2956]

Saying that a game is worse because it is a short game is something I think could only damage the gaming industry. Just because a game is short doesn’t make it bad. And for the “abrupt” ending, it is on par with the previous game as making it that thorgestr’s father created the giants in order to keep control of his people through fear is a great way to tie it all together as all of the characters are motivated by fear for their loved ones and their people of these giants that were created by leader. It is a similar plot test to that of the original. Making a game that doesn’t “improve” isn’t a failure. Many say that RDR is better than RDR2 but we don’t say that RDR2 is a failure.

[@PaulM68322]

On the bright side, after years of hating 'Walking Sims', Xbox fan boys have finally come around to love them and only after playing one for 5 hours 💪

[@bstaples8726]

Just like how PS fanboys hated GAAS but suddenly loved them when Helldivers 2 dropped

[@band0lero]

@@bstaples8726 Which is an insanely good live service game, at $40 with reasonable microtransactions, rewarding gameplay loop and no nickel and diming as opposed to let's say, most other live service games? Come on. Blank statements like "all live service game sucks" or "x game is a walking simulator" are stupid, but so is comparing an enormously successful game done right by almost every metric to almost every other unfinished live-service crap that reaches end of life in 6 months.

[@chriscollins3225]

​@@bstaples8726helldrivers 2 actually made GAAS fun and not a rip off of the players money in comparison to the market While hellblade 2 is a $50 game that lasts 5hrs Make your point make sense

[@demolisher4437]

@@chriscollins3225 Fun is subjective and they had paid options day 1 in which you could take out your wallet to get ahead of everyone else in the game.

[@jordanwhite352]

​@@bstaples8726Also, to be honest about this, most of the sales and hype has been around the PC gaming side and barely the PlayStation side.

[@Undead-Warlock]

Ah, this is why there was such little marketing for this game

[@juanmd26121]

So the game’s purpose is, keep your subscription for 5 more hours

[@preston6676]

Pretty much

[@band0lero]

No really. It is keep your subscription for months on anticipation of the game. It's a psychological trick, people won't disable their subscription because of what's to come, as unrational as that is.

[@juanmd26121]

@@band0lero yup, maybe en 7 more years they give an excuse to have you for 5 more hours or a few months, top business model

[@forhyrule8428]

💀

[@kingofnara]

@@band0lero that's pretty dumb

[@FadedKai]

It's not a game, its a 3 hour cutscene with 2 hours of walking.

[@jaychristiaans2177]

So we forgot the battles and puzzles

[@8Bit-Tunes]

it is genuinely shocking how little was done in 5 years, its baffling

[@hinchlikescake7592]

Too busy partying and living it up on Iceland and other trips

[@homem-pobre]

They made it 1 hour per year

[@aznhomig]

Lol, probably spent a lot of time dealing with their self-diagnosed "mental health" issues, I bet.

[@PhazeyBlur]

I guess it's true, M$ did really made a pub *inside* Ninja's Theory's office!!

[@user-xj3in5gv4p]

I think that of so many games these days. Like Halo Infinite, how the FUCK was all that time and money spent, for what we ended up with? For that amount of money and time we should have had an incredible boundary pushing halo game, massive explorable cities on a scale we haven't seen yet, etc. It's insane how underwhelming and shit these games end up, when they have record breaking funding, resources, manpower, decades of previous games industry knowledge, etc. And at launch after years and years we get a barely functioning game, a bland open world that can't even touch any far cry's even from a decade ago. like 3 multiplayer playlists which the most popular gametype slayer is missing.... and... can't be added? Because the UI won't allow it? And this is HALO. Xbox's fucking FLAGSHIP. Lolllll. This industry is a fucking joke and a scam. All the funds are being mismanaged, pocketed, and funneled to the top. The talent and passion is gone. It's a circus of overpaid clowns in the AAA space.

[@EisOfSpades7]

lesson to remember kids, A pretty face doesn't always make up for a bad personality.

[@g3ar75]

This is deep

[@Killswitch1411]

Couldn't hold anymore true than modern day.

[@somethingyouhave]

With that analogy, this review sounds like a guy that said, “I was in love with this girl when we were kids. She had such a unique personality. Then we grew up and she became incredibly pretty, and I was disappointed that she was still quirky in all the ways I loved when we were kids. Gosh she’s such a loser.”

[@shalindelta7]

​@somethingyouhave i mean, naturally you're supposed to grow and change as a person. So an adult acting like a child IS a problem.

[@EisOfSpades7]

@@somethingyouhave I think you’re thinking about this a little too deeply. I was merely saying good graphics don’t make up for bad or boring gameplay.

[@CanIHasThisName]

Things like chromatic aberration and overbaked depth of field effects really need to start getting flak from the community. It's become a really bad trend. There's no way anyone actually enjoys that, games have so much definition now and for whatever reason developers feel like smearing all that detail. FFS, WHY? There are technologically inferior games that look better than the modern ones, because even if they aren't as good looking, they aren't blurry. And don't get me started on fake HDR effect which usually can't be disabled at all.

[@ricardo_lavra]

Overdone chromatic aberration and DoF are videogame's equivalent to Zack Snyder's overuse of slow motion. It's good when used properly but once it became kind of a "visual trademark" of pseudoartistic content things went downhill.

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

I blame Instagram. It's really popular to do these "glitch" effects on any kind of art and especially anime illustrations that are mega popular. Undoubtedly these devs have rotted their brain with pop-aesthetics to the point they want to put these elements everywhere. It's kinda like putting ridiculous amounts of motion blur in your pre-alpha build.

[@w3bbi3]

It's the biggest thing that's going to stick out when you go back and play them after a few years.....like that Xbox 360 generation yellow/beige haze on everything

[@jose131991]

@@w3bbi3bloom era

[@samzilla567]

I always turn that stuff on whenever I boot up a new game. The extra bells and whistles devs put into making their games look "realistic" is unnecessary and pretentious.

[@illmatic6306]

I’m actually enjoying the game. It’s been keeping me on my toes throughout the story but I can see why people were disappointed with the combat. It could have used a bit more variety. It’s also interesting to see the plethora of opinions about this game.

[@crazy-acid-trip9765]

Hearing the developers talk on skill up , kinda said it all . Felt like they just wanted it out and cross fingers and with all the studios shutdowns not looking good for ninja theory

[@rodrigobogado8756]

Microsoft has to erase Ninja and bring back Tango

[@foreignuser_]

it looks great for ninja theory. if HB2 is the kind of trash they are making, it seems like they would all be better off split up and looking for a better fit for their skills and mindset

[@ThatKidTony]

To be fair, when they said it would take 8 hours they were probably talking to a games journalist...

[@DMTuefel]

If you slow walk everywhere, discover all of the voicelines, and take an hour lunch while it's running I think you could sqeeze 7 out of it.

[@nabieladrian]

​@@DMTuefel That's still baffling they should've called it tech demo instead.

[@DMTuefel]

@@nabieladrian I seriously believe Microsoft forced them to release an incomplete game.

[@yousefali7777]

I left the game running around 2/3 through the game, went to walk my dog, clean the kitchen, did my room, and some other housework. Came back, completed the game " I literally didn't comprehend the fact that the ending credits actually rolled", and the time I got was 9 hours, 9 fucking hours with literally going through my day and coming back to the game while it was running. I love a lot of stuff about this game and I enjoyed most of it, but it is actually really short.

[@tilenkobe]

5 years of development for 5 hours is crazy.

[@vdochev]

What is crazy exactly? If you want senseless padding, you can just take your time with it, no one is pushing you.

[@keithmichael112]

​@@vdochevare you being intentionally obtuse lol

[@vdochev]

@@keithmichael112 What makes you think I'm obtuse?

[@keithmichael112]

@@vdochev it just seemed like anyone would see this much time and money for this is absurd on it's face. But what do I know

[@vdochev]

@@keithmichael112 I think the length of the game is really good. In my opinion the intention was to play it in one sitting to get the full experience without any distractions. This is not a type of game that will give you side quests, missions, etc. The focus here, like in the first part, is the story, the characters and the experience. If we're talking about length it took me 7 hours, not 5 and I was rushing through it. Maybe you're a speed-running god and can solve all the puzzles right away without any guide, whatever, I'll not argue, but I'll gladly pay for a great 5 hour game than a 45hrs+ mess. I got what I expected and I'm happy. What difference does it make if it took 5 or 10 years of development? I don't understand. If we are using this measurement, Duke Nukem Forever, for example, should be 20 centuries long. And like I said, I can easily clock in 20-30 hrs in it if I want to explore and find every tree and every story in it. No one's rushing you to speedrun the game. If you don't like it, that's why reviews exist. I'm sure you'll find many other great games that will satisfy your taste.

[@mr.electronx9036]

It's not a game, it's a "UE5 tech demo".

[@casaroli]

That’s how I felt watching the reviews. No way I’m buying this for 50€.

[@canyunhicks1587]

This is why I watch reviews and people talk about a game before buying it. Thanks dude 🤙.

[@wolfstorm5394]

Yeah but keep in mind a lot of these guys are a bunch of sweats that can't really appreciate anything like this, they been sweating on CoD for too many years so it's hard to appreciate anything that isn't tryhard and competitive, dude finished the game in 5hrs are you kidding me? Sounds like he spent the entire play session trying to beat the game like it's competitive or something

[@canyunhicks1587]

@@wolfstorm5394 good points however, this is his job and I'm sure he is busy which necessitates him completing these playthroughs in a reasonable time. Videos like this help me develop an idea if the game is for my subjective taste. Which all of this is subjective. If paying $50 for an experience like this is your cup of tea then more power to ya my man 🤙.

[@andbrands]

@@canyunhicks1587but also he slaps disappointment in a title and gets more clicks. He’s gotta put food on his own table as well

[@joellucas6167]

I used to do that more often but then I went back and played games/watched movies that reviewers said were trash when they went on sale/went to streaming and actually enjoyed them. Then again I'm not looking for a "masterpiece" when it comes to entertainment.

[@flobbergassy]

I'm a photographer, and the fake DoF is so bad in games. They just blur everything in the background with no actual thought to how it would look. Drives me nuts.

[@marcdwonn9772]

The games i have played with DOF in the cutscenes had nice bokeh, so i idk what you're talking about. Can't stand DOF while playing though.

[@Ascendedninja6]

I have to turn off multiple graphics settings for every game before I start it. Motion blur and the grain filter are what annoy me the most. Whoever thought those were good ideas were wrong.

[@jdg1251]

What's your opinion on the use of lens flare in videogames? It's been bothering me for years

[@flobbergassy]

@@marcdwonn9772 I'm talking about in-game. The original Dragon's Dogma is one in particular that is terrible. Newer games have gotten somewhat better, but there's still just a difference between in-camera bokeh caused by the lens build and someone blurring the background. That's the problem, there's no subtlety to it. It's basically just a blur filter. I'd rather see the work they put in on the world and environment than see a bad filter covering it all up.

[@flobbergassy]

@@Ascendedninja6 Same here.

[@GFBunnyHopER]

RIP Ninja Theory, should have made Heavenly Sword 2...

[@sachin72767]

I would have taken the sequel to their version of DMC Devil may cry too.

[@Alex-bw3jj]

Those people who made DmC are long gone

[@Alex-bw3jj]

Those people who made DmC are long gone

[@anshukandulna1844]

​@@Alex-bw3jjyeah all the existing employees are "new hires" now

[@lupin3rd82]

Sony owns that ip

[@labber]

so, i just finished it and my balls dont feel or look blue. but i also havent expected something epic or at least lukes expectation of smth epic is different then mine. the end of the game, i really liked. it was good. i liked the ending from the first game more, but i appreciate it nevertheless and find it a very good ending to the story. it is shorter, yes. it costs more, yes. buy it on sale i would suggest. i agree with the voices, that they are worse than in the first game, where they were part of the gameplay especially in combat, but they havent bothered me too much. sadly the combat was tuned down, yes. i liked it in the first one that i sometimes found out moves i wasnt aware of i could do. in hb2, it is pretty the same, but i have to say, entering combat and "switching" to the next enemy is very organicly made. i presume that they wanted to make the transition between comabt and non combat sequments more fluidly. which i think it worked. the puzzles are not good, i agree on that too. but the rest. i liked it a lot. and for some reason, i got 8 hours. idk how differently we played, i looked around, i searched for the totems and the trees, but cant be 3 hours of difference? so idk. bafflingly disappointing is for me exaggerated. i can understand if someone is disappointed, sure. the game gave me a lot, to think about. barely games give me that.

[@hermanpewdiepiesbrother7888]

This is a great comment. The story is still massively immersive as hellblade is supposed to be. I love how they made combat on characters way more life like and fluid. The finishes and the cuts and animations are 10/10. Fighting the slavemaster is extremely detailed and smooth gameplay that really makes you feel like you are there watching. I have no problem with interactive movie games as long as it has a interesting world and keeps you on your toes as this truly does. Great intro with disturbing voices and the breathing and screaming from the dead bodies being washed around on the shore. Its way more immersive than the first one, but i really wish it was longer because the higher quality really makes you want more

[@TSmith2410]

Hellblade II: How Many Times Can Luke Say "Baffling" - A Challenge

[@LukeStephensTV]

“How many times will Luke say “baffling?” Answer: “Yes.”

[@blakbear6528]

“tremendous”

[@hayabusa09]

And now we know why Xbox didn’t want to market it 😂

[@weplayvrgames]

If they did you'd see most of the game before playing it

[@Xerodm]

What were they gonna advertise, walking?

[@Harry-tm3ck]

Damn unc you been on KZbin for 17 yrs

[@hayabusa09]

@@Harry-tm3ck what up nephew 🤣

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

Can you imagine the hate they would have gotten for marketing it

[@LOUGAone]

The game looks perfect in screenshots and ads ... but 5 seconds of gameplay and you understand they put everything in the visual part of it. I wish the power of our gaming system and dev time would be rather more used in credible physics, clothes and character animations ( here we crank facial animations to 11 and the rest feels kinda old lol ) , gameplay , interactive destructible environnement..... not just graphics

[@wallacesousuke1433]

Amen to that

[@Qballiz2kool]

Yea……I’m pushing to finish it now, and I’ve almost dozed off twice from just outright boredom. The game is just an uninteresting graphical showcase with no substance.

[@aaronjg77]

Sorry, I don’t know anything about this game. But listening to some of the reviews it seems like it’s Microsoft’s “The Order 1866”. Would that be correct?

[@muzamilnabinadroo]

Yes but Hellblade 2 has lesser gameplay so it's almost the same thing.

[@ShadowWolfQc]

Walking sim tech demo for UE5.

[@HegoDamaskll]

It's actually a character study of schizophrenia and or psychosis. At least the first one. The first one was short too. If you play with headphones on you can hear disembodied voices talking to you saying both positive and negative things. She sees things that aren't real. I thought the first was great. It disappoints me to hear this about the 2nd. I was hoping to play 2.

[@ShadowWolfQc]

@@HegoDamaskll yeah...so basically a poor excuse for a movie disguised as a game where it's 99% movie 1% gameplay which is mostly pressing forward on the controller. ...so a boring walking sim tech demo...

[@aninfinitemindofmusicandreams]

​@HegoDamaskll It's a very neat concept and a very interesting way to make a game about mental health, I'll agree there. But neat concepts aren't enough to make a game great It's also treading pretty much the same ground the original was doing back in 2017 without much updates to any of the gameplay systems. It's cool if you like this, but you have to understand why many are disappointed after waiting so many years for a sequel.

[@Alex-bw3jj]

The order 1886 2015 game have more gameplay

[@jonmartin9732]

@@aninfinitemindofmusicandreamsgameplay systems ??? First didn’t have any gameplay systems, I’m not too sure what people thought this game was going to be.

[@uros.u.novakovic]

At the time of writing the game sits on "Very Positive" on Steam. Gonna give it a shot myself and form my own opinion. I love love LOVED the original title.

[@TheTwinkelminkelson]

Y'know what, in this day and age, a game making you disappointed instead of mad actually kinda feels like a breath of fresh air.

[@BrandonClark-StocksPassports]

Agreed

[@FliskerX]

1:12 : I got 8.3 hours, not going slow, not going fast. So claiming 8 is prefectly fine. I wasn't getting rekt in fights, or stuck on riddles either. 5 hours gotta be rushing it quite a bit. Aside from this the thumbnail is such a clickbait, the game is incredible. It's ridiculous that today ppl have balls to slap "Total bummer" sticker on game/story experience like this.

[@CarlheinzRennie]

This comment is completely true. This guy's review is completely biased & the clickbait sheep train of hate people love to get on, without even actually playing something is getting so old. As someone who works in the film industry as a video editor & colour grading artist, this game is a cinematic masterpiece. I understand that this gameplay/experience will not be to everyone's liking, but to call the game bad, is just completely not true, not to mention the other baseless claims that were made in this review.

[@FliskerX]

@@CarlheinzRennie Exactly, it's sad to see reviews like this for an incredible game. Yes maybe the story is not as good as the first one, or the final boss wasn't as good as the one in the first game but holy shit, the whole experience is 10 out of 10 and this guy is calling it "profoundly disappointing", he is the one halucinating....

[@Amnerin]

I still wanna play it, but i will wait for it to be on sale. 5 hours is to short

[@esher52]

u could play this and 3-4 other games in 1 month with a game pass sub just do that. Gamepass is what 10-15 bucks? Cheap enough imo

[@Rising._.Thunder]

​@esher52 I'll pirate it. It doesn't deserve my money.

[@anshukandulna1844]

​@@esher52This is the mindset that will cause the closure of several game studios. I don't blame you, Xbox basically shot themselves in the foot when they introduced gamepass.

[@Moist_fridge123]

@@Rising._.Thunderwhy play it at all then?

[@DMTuefel]

Definitely wait for gamepass or sale. I regret the purchase. It isn't a "Bad" Game, It's just not as good as the first or worth the full price

[@Sinncere06]

Where are the people who called Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales and GoWR DLC?

[@jdg1251]

And zelda totk

[@yusufbakhtiar632]

They are all dlc except gowr but hellblade is worse

[@jdg1251]

@@yusufbakhtiar632 lmaooo keep it shut

[@theheardtheorem]

Right here🤚 ….and I’m not a fan of Hellblade 2 either. I would put both those games above HB2 even though the Series X is where I prefer to do most of my gaming.

[@IMMERSIVEXx]

Facts lmfao miles morales is technically dlc but I see what u saying 😂

[@LevTheChosenOne]

Exploration is walking forward or in circles combat is touching two buttons when you don't do that you walk down a hallway it will look very nice but that's all it has to offer and the worst thing is that there are people defending it. so low is the bar measure on Xbox? It doesn't even seem like a game, it's almost literally a movie

[@weplayvrgames]

Yeah it's pretty bad when you can say a quantic dream game has more gameplay than this

[@LevTheChosenOne]

@@weplayvrgames damm

[@lawrencehaynes6408]

To be honest I don't understand why people loved the first one so much, I gave it a go and I was so bored I couldn't finish it. The story didn't captivate me at all, the combat was very limited and the puzzles were just boring and tedious.

[@openboundariesofficial]

..I mean....I was absolutely engrossed in this. The game was a moving experience, the narrative was great, the visuals impeccable. Maybe those who view the world a little differently will resonate with this game more.

[@vejinta]

Although I do wish the game was longer (finished around the 7 hour mark) I enjoyed every single minute. The story is purposefully not as impactful as the developers have said that the first game was more a personal journey for Senua dealing with her darkness and learning to let go of the love of her life Dillion. This story feels more like her going on a journey to discover her place in the world and has more of a focus on the characters she meets along the way. The combat wasn't any better or worse than the first for me. This game was much more of a spectacle and even though the puzzles weren't as complex and the combat mechanics were pretty much the same, every single frame of this game had me in awe with just how beautiful it was so I didn't really mind throughout most the game. The sound design and the way it hypes you up during the intense moments makes you feel like a badass when you fight. This game does so many things right but also leaves you wishing there was more. The game is not for everyone but I can definitely say I was never bored during my 7 hour journey and that made it worth it to me, and I didn't experience a single bug or crash, just a short and VERY polished game. Bonus praise to the photo mode because...holy crap! Other developers should take notes because this is how you do photo mode

[@samserpent]

You enjoying every single second of that 7 hours sounds like a lie. Any sane person would play that for one hour and realize nothing is interesting.

[@vejinta]

@@samserpent You're projecting your own relationship with gaming. Everyone has different interests in the gaming space. Some care more about their loot boxes and k/d ratio. I enjoy cinematic single player experiences that are meaningful to me. I'm also a photographer and very much into film/cinematography. Not to mention this game provided the best photo mode gaming has ever seen, which was a real treat to practice lighting and composition in a virtual space that is highly photorealistic.

[@GeekPlusGamer]

Basically a netflix movie, a perfect "game" for gaming "journalists".

[@Rubycore]

My friends and I spent longer making characters for our DND campaign than than anyone will to complete this story

[@vdochev]

Maybe it's just because DND is a very different type of game.

[@yasbu5322]

​@@vdochevmaybe because DnD is a game and hellblade is a 5 hour movie

[@vdochev]

@@yasbu5322 Mate, have you played the first one? Did you watch any trailers? Did you seriously expect them to change the style of the sequel? Yes, it's not a DND game, LOL.

[@yasbu5322]

@@vdochev don't get me wrong I loved the first game. Will play the second too. But it's not a game, it's an interactive movie

[@vdochev]

@@yasbu5322 And what's wrong with that? I think it was designed to be also played by people with psychosis and other mental states. Look at the menus, for example. There are no stylized fonts, the letters are large and as clear as possible. There's narration on by default in the menu. This is made for a reason. It was never meant to have a complicated gameplay. I have a few remarks about the combat, I sometimes found myself pressing buttons not knowing exactly if I'm interacting or watching a cut scene. It's not perfect, but the whole story and atmosphere is worth it in my opinion.

[@russ3190]

F*CK Hellblade 2! After your Witcher 3 background music I want to play this masterpiece again!

[@doge4818]

5hr, 50 bucks, no replayability, no sale

[@zigghie8285]

People who like the first game will definitely buy it and if you don't like the first game you wouldn't like this one either, this game is not for everyone but it will have a cult following just like the original

[@MoinWoll]

I think $10 for a month of game pass is OK. It's not like you'll need more than a month to finish the game.

[@aramisheredia4724]

Gamepass?

[@nicholasnajibi3082]

They won’t miss your money…they already got alot from us gamers. There will be a senua 3. You’ll see ❤ 🙏🏼

[@mikeity2009]

@@nicholasnajibi3082 Cope.

[@muaxh03]

I can understand and love short games but 5 hours is too short imo. It looks like a game engine demo like that Matrix game, a little bit disappointing.

[@cesaredimaio7691]

5 hours is fine, it isn't fine when it takes 7 years of development and/or tells you to play the game again to have lil extrabits that were supposed to be in your main playthrough

[@coffee7180]

@@cesaredimaio7691 you mean 4 years, they started 2020

[@jonayarrocha4009]

It's 8-9 hours, not 5. And it's been in development for 4 years, not 7

[@cesaredimaio7691]

@@coffee7180 nah more than that, they started 2018/19, but that failure of Bleeding Edge was in the middle. After that full production started im 2020

[@cesaredimaio7691]

@@jonayarrocha4009 every long playthrough you see is about 4 to 5 hours, just search on youtube. And google is your friend, HB 2 started in 2018/19, but Bleeding Edge was in the middle, full production started in 2020

[@thatrandomkid8792]

Is that Witcher 3 background music? 😂

[@mza4739]

Yep

[@custardberrytart651]

It is indeed , Kaer Morhen music

[@jeremyzinn225]

This explains why there was zero marketing for this leading up to the launch

[@TheRetroPerspective]

"We are giving Ninja Theory unlimited budget to do whatever they want"

[@MostWantedWannaBE]

that almost never happens very few things actually get blank checks and i don't remember a game ever getting a blank check Riots MMO was theorized to be a blank check and they almost cancelled the project a few months ago

[@darianstarfrog]

Fumbled

[@wck]

The facial capture is so incredible. I don't know how you review this game without heaping a ton of praise on that. I was going into the photo mode so often. You can place light sources into the scene, and it looks so mind-bendingly great how the light reflects off these photorealistic faces.

[@PeterKoperdan]

Graphics is not everything.

[@wck]

@@PeterKoperdan but it is SOMETHING. And since the facial capture is the number one feature of this game, it should be mentioned in more detail than just "graphics good." It is genuinely setting a gold standard in video games.

[@Graine01]

​@@wck yeah the standard of "sacrifice everything for pretty graphics". Plenty og games have great motion capture, senuas is great but is not a selling point. If it was a cgi movie then fair enough, but it is a game not a movie.

[@Wenedi]

lmao, who cares about the facial capture. It's a game first and foremost, if it's boring to play - why bother?

[@allthis701]

When will devs realize that what makes games special is interactivity and not graphics?

[@crazykooc3549]

you know there is people who like these kind of games. like me :)

[@TheForever206]

They cater to NPC consumers. The best thing to do is let these studios fail and support games that actually produce good products.

[@Packin-Heat.]

Most people like both but this definitely doesn't give you both

[@kuhkowabbu]

@@crazykooc3549sshh, don’t say that out loud!

[@shaunkennedy174]

Because they exclusively focus on the brain dead average audience that doesn’t understand things like frame rate or gameplay design, and just looks at a game and determines how good it is purely based off the graphics and sometimes fancy animation. The reason why games are so bad now is because, funnily enough; NPC consumers.

[@TheGrimMumble]

thank you Luke. by sharing your specific disappointments, i think you managed to let me enjoy this thing the way it actually was intended: a cgi movie with some game elements. i truly enjoyed it, no joke. i even loved the ending. thank you for killing all my "gaming" expectations, i truly enjoyed this immersive cgi movie, the sprinkles of gameplay elements especially made me even more immersed. and yes, i never sprinted, i walked the entire time, how else would you take in the beautiful scenery? looking forward to my second viewing with the other narrators

[@fafiklata]

Do I hear music from The Witcher 3 in the Hellblade 2 review? 😀

[@luiz_second]

yes I was confused too hahaha

[@gtafan110010]

maaannnn. hearing the witcher 3 music in the background again felt so damn good

[@qqgoblin]

Glorified tech demo

[@Discombobulate453]

L

[@paulbouaraba6635]

JO WTF stop hating this shit. This game is not bad at all. Just because the one was better the other one is NOT trash.... *sighs* Damn its a good game and i hope the devs will not be taking this unhinged dude very serious. In my eyes noone could be dissapointed by this absolute masterpiece!

[@OurLou]

Ah so 0% marketing makes sense

[@CNM3]

Studio will be shuttered by this time next year unfortunately. These kinds of games don't make money.

[@k--music]

more likely this time tomorrow unfortunately

[@PicklePete69]

Already have a new game greenlit

[@johngray6215]

The working and a game and their next project after that's been green lit so Thier good they are AA studio

[@anshukandulna1844]

​@@PicklePete69they can cancel that anytime

[@PicklePete69]

@@anshukandulna1844 that is true for every game and company out there

[@ewgrosslmao]

Despair is all I feel being an xbox owner. Shit after shit after shit

[@majorshepard2]

I feel bad for you. The good ip's don't get a new game like gears of war but this does. People would say get a pc or buy a PlayStation, but its just sad what they do. I guess that's what people feel when they own a PlayStation and don't like spiderman or God of war.

[@brams7175]

loved hellblade so its kinda painfull to admit that this one is not great. I took 7.8 hours to finish it trying to milk the experience (not pressing lb comment is pretty much spot on). I felt already i would never play it again. It just didnt have the magic, emotional weight or even music of the previous one. Even the voices this time around just felt like unimportant background noise. I never viewed any gameplay trailers so there were some cool moments in there for me. But i feel the story could have ended after the first giant and be better off i didnt realise there where more until we met astrid and by that point it started to feel tacked on. Overall i would say that i just spent 8 hours waiting for the game to start never truly feeling that weight that is mentioned so much in the story making it feel like you are actually working towards something.

[@indivaarr7094]

They shouldve focused more on the gameplay

[@BloodSinVIII]

Then they would have had to make a game...

[@se62hy]

Why is it baffling? Why has anyone not noticed that since the Xbox one X Microsoft can't run anything. Literally. Everything has failed to meet expectations. Since the day they announced an always online requirement. Thats the day I stopped supporting Microsoft. Wow, how much have I gained from not touching anything to do with Xbox has been a wicked bet.

[@Zentrixu]

The same here!

[@majorshepard2]

Same. I switched to ps on the end of 360 era and I am glad I dodged that bullet and ran into another one, but It took some time and I still play more and in my opinion more enjoyable games. Its just sad what they did to gears of war.

[@SpeakerBoxXx805]

That's bull. Gears 5, Forza Horizon, Halo Infinite, Grounded and Fallout 76 have all turned into games that should be celebrated.

[@Zentrixu]

@@SpeakerBoxXx805 Halo infinite is the biggest low in the Franchise, Gears 5 is thousand years ago and i think Microsoft will even destroy that. No in Microsoft their is no trust, the stupid gamepass Model is destroying everything. They are even to stupid to find snow in the North Pole. Microsoft will end the xbox just as a streaming Box for CoD. Thats it.

[@majorshepard2]

@@SpeakerBoxXx805 yeah I agree. I am not a big racing fan since nfsu 2. Grounded seemed good, but I guess it failed when it got released this year on PlayStation. and I played fallout 76 on release, it was trash as hell but for today's standards it was good. But nonetheless racing games are niche nowadays so what's your point? I said nowadays, and the games were so bad that they took 1-4 years that it never recovered and set a standard for the industry. "If you make a 76 just drop it as soon as you can before you can truly fix it". Grounded looks awesome but many player are not interested in it

[@chadicuschaximus1071]

Literally what have they done in 5 whole years though

[@imbatman6029]

6 😂

[@ArthurTactical]

People came into this game with the wrong expectation. Yes, this is an improvement on the first game in every aspect, it has a great purposeful combat, tells a good story, and we finally have a game that shows the true potential of the Unreal 5. If you did not like the game, that's fine, but telling that it's a bad game because your expectation was not met, well that's on you. The game is still a piece of art. You also did not understand many points of the game, and telling the ending is bad shows that clearly.

[@buttermilk5364]

The game is $50 and 5 hrs long. This is not on the consumer this is on ninja theory and microsoft. The fact this game didn't even break 10k players speaks volumes. The original was $30.

[@ArthurTactical]

@@buttermilk5364 i did not pay that, I played on game pass. And people are looking on steam charts, not taking into account players on other platforms other than steam

[@buttermilk5364]

@@shifterzx o its definitely close to 5 hours long. Combat is not that hard and puzzles are quite simple. A person who actually games can get through this game in 5 - 6 hrs. That is not speed running but just playing the game. It is not just a me thing because many people share this sentiment. Nice try though.

[@Ascendedninja6]

So it's basically The Order 18 whatever it was called, but for Xbox.

[@alien_planets_exist1359]

No the order 1886 is far better than this dumpster fire.

[@IrnBruEnthusiast]

Order 1886 was underrated man

[@upon-fe2720]

The order was gameplay heavy. It was too short but wasn't bad for what it actually had.

[@Gurenn83]

I have not yet played Order 1886 but I heard a lot of good things about it. One of the most underrated PS4 games. I might try it once I finish NG+ in Stellar Blade.

[@liamcallaghan15]

The Toussaint soundtrack is always a quality choice

[@ThatLadHazzaaa]

It's not the Toussaint soundtrack

[@dr.loomis4221]

So basically this is 2024's Ryse: Son of Rome?

[@khalidamajoud4114]

Ryse is probably better...

[@WrongfulHealer5]

honestly this is probably disrespectful to ryse lol

[@DP12321]

Hope so, Ryse was fantastic. Wish it got a 4K Enhanced patch and a sequel.

[@dr.loomis4221]

@@DP12321 The visuals were great...the gameplay not so much

[@DP12321]

@@dr.loomis4221 Maybe fantastic was a bit hyperbolic, but it's a very good game overall. Also a very rare case like Hellblade 2, it's Xbox exclusive.

[@CarlheinzRennie]

I honestly wonder if we are playing the same game, saying the cutscenes lack sharpness and detail due to the fact that they're going for a very shallow depth of field, is just completely inaccurate. The camera is in focus where it needs to draw your eye and you can literally see the finest of details in the facial animation when you're focused on the correct focal point. It is quite clear that the game is quite filmic in approach & the use of camera settings as well as the focal length of the camera used throughout is meant to emulate a filmic experience, however never once was entirety of cutscenes out of focus & soft lacking detail.

[@YoggSah]

Luke: There is no way you could drag this game out to 8 hours! ACG: It's a 9-hour experience Round one, fight!

[@bray2079]

There are multiple complete playthroughs and the longest I’ve seen is exactly 6 hours

[@homem-pobre]

ACG is just wrong

[@danutz_plusplus]

Even outside of the length, I wholeheartedly align more with ACG on this game. Not sure what Luke was playing.

[@gilded_lady]

​@@danutz_plusplus People are allowed to respond differently to games.

[@danutz_plusplus]

@@gilded_lady of course. no one's disputing that.

[@Rogue_Trooper970]

Strangely enough an ad kicked in just as you were finishing a sentence about the abrupt end and for 20 seconds I felt your pain

[@CyraXFactor]

Rest in peace, Ninja Theory 😢