Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Left Me Disappointed... | Review

Thanks to Xbox for the review code. Hellblade 2 was a game I had marked on the calendar and was extremely excited for. The first entry was exceptional with my review stating it was "why we play video games." It was an experience to say the least. Sadly, Hellblade 2 leaves behind a lot of what I found was special in the original and I felt unsatisfied by the game's finale.
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#Hellblade2 #Xbox #Bethesda

[@Jako101]

Crazy to think Microsoft bought ninja theory for 100 mill and Sony bought insomniac for only 100 mill more and ninja theory has produced a six hour game in 7 years.

[@naubertf]

You forgot Bleeding Edge 😂

[@hazelcrisp]

To be fair Insomniac is 6 times bigger than NT

[@rukuzjedie]

It’s all good well they can at least create a beautifully visually game now they just need to make a more action based game they can add dlc and the fact it’s only 50 bucks they didn’t do as much as they could

[@rukuzjedie]

But u def have a point.

[@S7eventhHeaven]

They also did some campaigns for Disney Infinity 3.0

[@SnakeEyes111]

1 hour per year

[@SamSpeed90]

10 bucks the hour 😂

[@chaddubois8164]

Ouch.

[@SpaceyGaming_]

@@chaddubois8164 unless you play it on gamepass ;)

[@SWOTHDRA]

emberassing

[@HaggisDruid]

Damn.

[@darkseidomega2585]

"Death Stranding it's a walking simulator ." Hell Blade: Hold my beer.

[@arctic_gaming-6187]

😂

[@codyadams3051]

I don't think the comparison really holds up as death stranding is actually a walking simulator or more accurately a travel simulator and it turns that into gameplay where as other games people call walking simulators they use that as an insult to simply describe a game where all you do is hold the left stick forward.

[@idakev]

​​​​@@codyadams3051 Yeah, "Walking Simulator" was used as an insult for a very different type of game than Death Stranding. It never made sense to group it with those games. It's a traversal game with an MGS5-style approach to systems which was cool. There's a good balance of risk and reward. The Director's Cut in particular is fun which I wasn't expecting from the coverage of the game online. When you use the launch pads, Sam flips through the air more than Spider-Man. haha.

[@McBerts522]

Omg 😂 that one was good.

[@ArielCleirigh]

Plus Death Stranding last way more than 5 hours, Open world and it has vehicles and several combat, so way better game than Hellblade 1 and 2 together.

[@robovinefilms1811]

If only Xbox had a studio that could put out a visually appealing title with fun gameplay that critics and players love. What a high rush that'd be.

[@swaeshow]

(HIGH FI)ve

[@TheOtherOtherAccount]

A real shame they don’t seem to have people to develop stuff with that sort of fidelity

[@christopherboye5498]

​@@TheOtherOtherAccountWell it's mostly MS fault for not giving them devs the advice and support they need.

[@AIIEYESONME]

Bungie left them so..? Oh Tango , they be fked when their head dev and mastermind behind the Evil Within and Rush, abruptly left the studio and all was left behind was a bunch of redundant programers. Stop simping for Tango people, it's not the biggest deal you're making this out to be.

[@HenryTownsmyth]

yeah, why not an Uncharted or Last of Us rival.

[@JasonArnold117]

someone needs to investigate how the hell it took them six years to make a six hour game. I have nothing against shorter games, but this is absolutely ridiculous.

[@raultejada326]

Employees worked M-W 4 hour shifts free coffee

[@ryanjm7449]

I know jack shit about game dev but this does seem wild to me.

[@Tilmett]

I cant help but think there's probably some nuances to it that we don't know that explains it, but it is interesting. Rebirth is a big game from what I hear and that was made in 3 years. Technically 4 but a year of that was mainly dedicated to dlc for Remake.

[@Gilbeezyskit]

They mocapped everything and due to covid they couldn’t start that work as early as they planned. I believe they only really started the process toward the end of 2021. Because of their desire to mocap every animation, basically everything was on hold until then. You can’t fully design combat when you don’t have the combat animations yet for example.

[@tzuki6249]

The team isn't big at all.

[@Cheesepuff8]

This is mostly exactly what I expected and feared ever since the gameplay reveal trailer

[@Mmachine88]

Play the game

[@bobbyrivera2951]

@@Mmachine88no thx. This is barely a game

[@Mmachine88]

@@bobbyrivera2951 Okay homie, you're opinion counts for zero then lmao. Get F'ed.

[@randyali]

“It was their vision…..” narrative loading…😒😒

[@purefoldnz3070]

@@Mmachine88 only if you already have gamepass. You probably can get the same experience just watching it on youtube and yes I have played the game.

[@natepayne9844]

Man it took me 2 days to finish it and loved everything about it..

[@Starless85]

40 minutes of gameplay without pressing any buttons? In a 5 hour game? What the fuck.

[@S7eventhHeaven]

Total rubbish. It's 10 minutes of walking, running and climbing until first combat sequence. You tube wannabe gamers need to pay more attention. Senua can run she doesn't have to walk there's even a toggle so she will run all the time without holding a button. Combat is similar to Arcade games like golden axe with regards to buttons.

[@infuriousone5225]

​@@S7eventhHeavenYour Delusional. Combat is the most intense True to life combat in the history of video games. The physics of the characters in combat is unmatched in video game history. Sound also is unmatched in the history of video Games. The graphics are number one in the history of game. A must play with Headphones. Makes you feel as if you are the character. You get a first person experience in a third person point of you. This JACKASS would be giving Hellblade 2 a 11 if it was a PlayStation game!!

[@thecker12]

​@@infuriousone5225exactly 💯

[@lukababilodze4283]

@@infuriousone5225 honestly, I liked combat better in the first game, but I understand why they made the changes they did. Sound and graphics are awesome, sure. I am shocked that this guy put Plague Tale: Requeim above Hellblade 2 tho. Plague tale was absoulte garbage compared to this. If you're going to complain about puzzles and bad combat you can't mention plague tale, because that game was a 4/10 at best and he says that it overshadowed Hellblade 2??? Sure, I agree the first game was better, at least in my opinion, but Hellblade 2 is also a great game with a powerful message behind it.

[@infuriousone5225]

@@S7eventhHeaven And Hellblade 2 is the most polished game ever released. I have not seen one glitch video. THAT alone should add points to score!!

[@Spr1ggan87]

So it's essentially a tech demo

[@khalidamajoud4114]

Yep.

[@moondiegordr]

7 years for a tech demo 😂

[@DarthAscension]

Ahhhhh tech demo for $50 lol

[@khalidamajoud4114]

It is the Order 1887...Only with better reception (undeserved), because of inflated scores from outlets liking the overall theme (mental illeness), and fanboyish sites inflating the score. This should be in the low 70s, at best.

[@DarthAscension]

@@khalidamajoud4114 100% agree!

[@jmako979]

7 years... That's a shame

[@exoticspeedefy7916]

Yep. And each year in development was equal to one hour gameplay..

[@JstBringIt]

They apparently hadn’t even started Hellblade 2 when the 2019 December trailer came out. So the game was made in the last 4 years and 2 of those was during a pandemic with their game being mostly motion capture.

[@dravenripley9468]

Confirmed to have started development in 2020 but still 4 years. Makes me think if Ninja Theory even wanted to make a sequel.

[@jmako979]

@@JstBringIt this is an equally negative situation if true. Especially considering how many great titles we've gotten that have also gone through pandemic development time

[@feldartillerie1620]

@@JstBringIt And? There are studios that release 2 top games at the same time or one big title with 40 hours of playing time. The team may be small but what was it called? "With MS money the game will be huge and mega and everything will be great" NT should now dress warmly if MS rates the success in the same way as with Hi-Fi Rush The first announcement trailer was a lie and entirely CGI...Full Inengine My As*

[@KarnageKollectibles]

5 years for a 5 hour game pass game is not sustainable. I feel bad but this might be the end of Ninja Theory.

[@gabrielbaker2667]

Even worse; 6 years. HellBlade came out in 2018

[@WillOnCode]

Why would it be the end that’s dumb to say

[@gabrielbaker2667]

@@WillOnCode because they’re producing work that isn’t worth their cost.

[@darianstarfrog]

​@WillOnCode diminishing returns..obviously

[@ezetram774]

@@WillOnCode if tango got closed and put out hfr, nt is getting nuked you live under a rock?

[@johnkeane320]

Just finished it myself on PC. As someone that has not played the first game I actually really enjoyed ot overall. I enjoyed the story and visuals but hated the puzzles.

[@CRYOKnox]

Do yourself a favor and play the first one you will be surprised.

[@bring_me__thanos2]

I preordered an Xbox Series X specifically to play Starfield and Hellblade 2. I regret that decision so badly.

[@mattr5363]

Same. Luckily I have ps5 and switch too. But I’m selling my Xbox after this. Everything will come to ps5 and if it doesn’t, who cares. They make horrible exclusives.

[@rjb1987xx]

This my point if you think for this whole generation Xbox won’t have games sell the console to someone who will like it then I’ve had both consoles since ps2 og xbox days I’ve never once got untill the oh u a fan boy thing none off us own stock in these companies or work for them it’s not that serious to me I play what I like on both consoles if hell blade wack ima just say it’s ass and go play something else 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️ and based on these reviews the only thing ima be mad at is downloading this shit 😂😂😂

[@ShadowWolfQc]

Loll... Well that's a spectacular fail. Sorry man don't mean to insult you but you have to admit the Series consoles were a waste of time and nobody should buy another system from these fools

[@CaptainBoltoks]

I bought mine because I can't stand ps controllers and I gears of war is my favorite franchise of all time. I only bought my Playstation tor God of war ragnarok and that's the only game I've ever downloaded on my Playstation. It literally just sits in dust otherwise lol

[@ShadowWolfQc]

@@CaptainBoltoks not anyone's fault you have shit taste for controllers and most games bud.

[@J_A_P_E]

Sega released 7 Yakuza games in the time span between Hellblade and Hellblade 2, not counting the three games in the Legacy Collection

[@ulfgarion]

In my opinion Yakuza series would benefit from slower releases, making stories tighter and gameplay more polished.

[@anis6800]

chad Sega vs virgin Xbox studios

[@aaaaaaa9200]

And they're better too

[@randomguy6679]

@@aaaaaaa9200I’ve had enough of the Japanese developer dick sucking. You don’t like this game, that’s fine, but don’t make Japan out like they’re some kind of messiah. Especially since 90% of Square Enix’s games suck now and Capcom is really bending over to the microtransaction trend as of late.

[@Nos7algiK]

And some of these games are 100ish hours long if you want to 100% them. Insane amount of content and all of them are very enjoyable imo. I really like the Judgement series.

[@Duckman8213]

Hellblade 2 had twice the amount of development time as A Plague Tale Requiem and its a third the playtime as Requiem. Requiem visuals are also absolutely fantastic and the story telling is very good. I absolutely loved the last chapter of that game.

[@vvnoel8548]

Imagine releasing this kind of product after a ton of trailers and announcements

[@peterjordan4520]

No, Matty, I'm a Playstation fan, and I love you

[@Adam-tz6gk]

Same

[@Battleneter]

You shouldn't be a fan of any company, just play on the best platform which is of course PC that gets dam near everything :P

[@Fablemahn]

Cringe ​@@Battleneter

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

@@Fablemahn Nah he has a point. PC gets everything. 50 years of gaming

[@JeffZ1028]

@@Fablemahn Why is that cringe? Seems people tend to overuse that word nowadays.

[@rafasw6309]

When will I escape my desire for "The Order 1887: It's longer" 😫

[@asifmetal666]

What is shocking to see the IGN review is how they give it a 8! R u kidding me. The Order 1886 is a whole lot better game than this

[@coffee7180]

@@asifmetal666 did you play it? i don't think so.

[@0miy0]

Order 1887 should've been longer. PLEASE!!!

[@jaxsonburch-eo1vz]

@@asifmetal666I really liked that game. Idk why it was so short but I wish it got a sequel

[@jaredriensee9542]

Bro fr it was such a dope game so next gen too great story would love a sequel

[@Vladimirlives13]

Stick to your guns, Matty, no one is hating you over here, always been thankful to the information you provide. Thanks for the review, and the money you saved me.

[@Ninja_Reborn]

I'm both sad and unsurprised that Hellblade 2 is not that great. Back when I heard they were doing a sequel I was like 'What else is there to explore in a sequel?'. I feel like at most they should've made a short dlc to the original to elaborate on some of the characters Senua hears then move on with another IP.

[@owenj005]

I’m a PlayStation fan and find your takes fair. You don’t just shit on Sony for the sake of it, so I respect your work.

[@MichaelM28]

A shame there's no others like him in that vile fanbase

[@11d3adly11]

I agree some folks just can't handle facts ...the comparison matty said are very sound

[@mutalix]

​​@@MichaelM28 There's MytsicRyan he's an awesome PlayStation centric channel that doesn't play "muh console warz"

[@muzamilnabinadroo]

​@@mutalixYeah Man Ryan is a very professional dude and I've seen him calling out Sony for their bad and greedy moves again and again and that definitely shows his professional integrity. Even though he's PlayStation centric I've never seen him shit on Xbox even a single time and when something big or bad happens at Xbox he just mentions it like the news rather than clickbait garbage.

[@TaeInfinite]

I’m a PS Fan too but I find Matty and COG tolerable & reasonable Xbox fans lol. I was a bit shocked people don’t like him from the intro.

[@DallasRabot]

Matty… pay no attention to the haters. Your opinion is your opinion.

[@youderpy2795]

Idk with the new wave is hating Xbox so he might get more people agreeing with him than disagreeing lol. But it’s just his opinion.

[@Jd-kw9yz]

@youderpy2795 game already has a lot of positivity behind it, and it might go up a little or down a little, but they don't usually have a drastic shift, but who knows

[@Jd-kw9yz]

​@youderpy2795 game already has a lot of positivity behind it but it might go down a little or up a little but they don't usually change so drastically but who knows

[@MichaelM28]

@@youderpy2795cry harder xbot

[@jrm956]

Game is trash deal with it

[@ashtonderojas821]

Whelp if Tango Gameworks got axed even after the success of Hi-fi Rush I don't think Ninja Theory is going to be around much longer.

[@MinisterofViolations]

They will be, and Gamers will be puzzled as to why? Ninja Theory has NO VALUE, yet Microsoft will not disband them. Watch. 😅🤣😂

[@ghostwalkergames7707]

@@MinisterofViolationsthey made the second worst dmc and I don’t get how people have faith in them.

[@Vman_95]

Looks like Ninja Theory Blew 90% of the budget on Visuals 💀

[@amethystwyvern]

We all saw this coming from a mile away. Instead of going bigger and badder they decided to do Hellblade 1.5

[@brunolopes5482]

It's worse than hellblade 1

[@MrHarnaldo]

​@@brunolopes5482😂😂😂 you haven't played the game

[@brunolopes5482]

@@MrHarnaldo i did.. 3 hours of it... It's boring...

[@MrHarnaldo]

@@brunolopes5482 It's fine if you find it boring but in what way is it worse than the first game?

[@Mohgenstein]

@@MrHarnaldo he played 3 hours… basically half the game 😆

[@thetruestar6348]

The Xbox cult is mad at Matty for being honest LOL

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Nah he's smoking crack. Hellblade 2 is awesome so far. Sony ponies are just jealous

[@brandondrake69]

@@dcmastermindfirst9418 I don’t think a single PlayStation player is jealous of this game

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

@@brandondrake69 I would be. But they can enjoy their shitty remasters I guess.

[@thedonzhorzh]

​@@dcmastermindfirst9418 I think ps players will be fine not pushing the left stick for 3 hours

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

@@thedonzhorzh At least it's a NEW game. ;)

[@kieranseville]

Information: This is somebody's opinion, you can play the game and make your own mind up, just because Matty doesn't enjoy the game, doesn't mean you won't. As you can see online the positive reviews outweigh the negative reviews. People are entitled to their own opinions, so lets try and be civil. It's only a game at the end of the day, it's not that serious.

[@yasuchika]

I'll be very surprised if this Studio hasn't been closed by the end of the year.

[@Balthis5000]

So Ninja Theory is the next studio to be closed?

[@tayyarsungur4513]

There are rumors that they won't do that, but that has been said about other studios too and we know how that turned out lol

[@arianoooamari6949]

Most likely. Just wait for the next quarterly reports.

[@yogiwp_]

I hope so. It'd be annoyingly unfair to see Tango got cut but NT didn't.

[@battlep0t]

Jez Corden has said they've had another game greenlit

[@ashjaylk]

i mean Ninja deserved it tho

[@TheLastDweller]

I understand Ninja Theory is not as big as Naughty Dog or those other AAA studios, but there's absolutely no excuse for a 5 hour game to take 7 years to make AND charge 50$.

[@wkadalie]

Heavenly Sword and Enslaved....were amazing games. Fun and great stories. And people didn't support them. We should have gotten sequels but that's our own fault... Hellblade was them pivoting....they made it for cheap and made a tidy profit. But they're never gonna be huge successes.... I totally agree that Ninja Theory was Naughty Dog level. If only we'd given them the chance. Imagine they'd made a Heavenly Sword 2 now....with their current skills.

[@silverback1074]

​@@wkadalieif only they got a chance? My dude pretty much no other studio today got as much of a free chance as they did with this game and it's a 5 hour disappointment

[@wkadalie]

@@silverback1074 Not really...like I said Heavenly Sword...and Enslaved were big AAA games.....that massively under performed. If people had massively supported them with those two amazing titles. Things might be different....Hellblade 1 was made on a budget. So when they were bought by Microsoft..that was probably a selling point. And I bet they went massively over budget for this one. So no i don't think they're in a good position.

[@arianoooamari6949]

@@wkadalieninja theory on naughty dog level? talking about delusion maybe?

[@harsharip]

bruh, just play it on Gamepass and move on mate

[@buddyhall5330]

I just renember xbots saying GOW, Uncharted, Horizon Forbidden West were walking Sims, cinematic sims, walking art shows ..now, those games were bigger no, vast compared to this after-school special.

[@dread1262]

At least xbox has more variety beyond walking Sims. That's all Sony does

[@cristopher8186]

@@dread1262Ratchet and Clank, Returnal, GT7, Helldivers 2, Spider-Man 2, how are any of these “walking simulators” ??

[@Adrianhernandez-ex8cj]

@@dread1262 what exactly has xbox done this gen aside hi fi rush???? a mediocre halo? LMFAO

[@7.65x21mm]

@@Adrianhernandez-ex8cjhalo infinite is really good.only problem it has is micro transactions

[@morganrollins2036]

@@dread1262 Bro you sound brain dead. gow and tlou are good games, but they are not the only thing sony has produced. Hell we just got stellarblade on top of cristophers comment below. Hifi rush is arguably the best exclusive game xbox has dropped in recent years. That's fucking sad

[@Double-Mjay]

Did anyone laughed during the credits whenn there was that lonely UI guy? ....like, what did you do? ...there is none. xD

[@leonthesleepy]

The late review embargo made me nervous...dang

[@kylemartin8991]

8/10 on metacritic is very good though

[@nicekix3038]

@@kylemartin8991 Yeah that’s good, but I think most people was expecting HellBlade 2 to score in the high 80s, and low 90s on Metacritic

[@S7eventhHeaven]

Cracked at 9am for PC.

[@purefoldnz3070]

@@kylemartin8991 until you go find the three runes...... and then walk and then go find the three runes......

[@jolu8889]

​@kylemartin8991 it's 6/10 the Gane was 7 years in dev, a sequel to a critically acclaimed game, doesn't improve on the first whatsoever and isn't a new studio.. ninja theory deserves to get shut down 😂 everyone giving this game getting 8/10 is generous😊

[@feetonland6609]

Walkblade 2

[@blaisewallack919]

One console got a Mid Blade, and the other got a Stellar Blade.

[@Mohgenstein]

Both have the same critic score funny enough. Stellar Blade having a higher user score only because of culture war warriors defending its honor. Both mid in certain aspects.

[@EthanG298]

Matty described this game as a 6-hour movie. Most movies on average are about 2 hours, in my country I pay £5 to go see a movie. I'm struggling to justify why this game should be worth more than about £15, it's £50 on Steam. I know it's not all about playtime and visually this game is stunning, but no way am I paying anywhere close to £50 for this.

[@dtube441]

Uhhhhh its on gamepass

[@thetruestar6348]

Buy Hades 2 instead

[@ShadowWolfQc]

​@@dtube441it's not worth a membership

[@gwyffygwyffy9717]

Watch a walkthrough on KZbin, they are already up

[@randomguy6679]

You guys got a huge steal then. Movies in Canada cost about $15-18 CAD

[@SecondCitySavior6969]

Yeah, Ninja Theory is not getting on Naughty Dogs level in any universe

[@-Sparagmos-]

Thank god. Keep that shit far away.

[@11d3adly11]

Ikr ..that's a wild take from him

[@octavianpopescu4776]

I don't feel anything for either of them 😐

[@ishiddddd4783]

why would anyone want to be on that level of shit?

[@JasonArnold117]

Yall can have Neil Druckmann lmfao

[@patriciamorgan2521]

I respect your opinion but I have to disagree on this one. This game is a great continuation to where the first one left off. Both the combat & audio are improved. As for the puzzles I feel they were a little more complex in the first but I appreciate the extra variety & more casual nature of them here. I understsnd not everyone liked the first games puzzles. As for the story by the end we get a completely different Senua then the one basically just out for revenge at the end of Sacrifice. Playing these back to back was an absolute treat. I hope we get a 3rd 🙏

[@barcster2003]

Ninja Theory is gone.

[@LordBathtub]

Saw this coming, there's a reason we've seen almost nothing of the game before launch

[@joshuahstubbs6753]

No wonder there wasent much advertisment

[@JupiterRhys]

You've seen the reviews yes....? More outlets than matty's channel

[@LordBathtub]

@JupiterRhys na I can't read... of course I've seen other reviews

[@Krampus6-1-6]

If sonys games are movies, what is hellblade 2? A SHORT SLIDESHOW

[@cardassa]

Its an episode of an incompletw tv show.

[@turkiedurkie4895]

A video game…god this argument is sooo tired

[@McBerts522]

😂

[@idakev]

​@@turkiedurkie4895 Think it just shows how dumb that narrative was in the first place. It's like people who say "Nintendo games are kid games!" People come up with childish ways to downplay good games on rival platforms.

[@Krampus6-1-6]

@@idakev yup it is. Nothing wrong with cinematic games like detroit become human, until dawn or hellblade.

[@aaronlinton-chambers]

I remember seeing that studio present their game at an animation festival when they first formed. I am starting to believe big corporations may be bad for video game developments.

[@dukenukem7043]

they have somehow put a lot of positive reception behind this game on social media . i knew this game wasn’t good

[@billypaxton9295]

I remember when Xbox fans were complaining about PlayStation games being short, and the shortest ones are 3-4 times the length of hell blade 2.

[@JeffZ1028]

What games are you refering to? I don't think anyone's necessarily happy about the length though.

[@takerukurosawa2337]

​@@JeffZ1028 Spider man 2

[@expressrobkill]

Tbh i still don’t like ps exclusives, i just also don’t like helblade. Though stellar blade looks pretty fun, thats probably one i would try.

[@nabieladrian]

Oh they love bitching about 30FPS cinematic walking simulator... Well look what they got! 😂

[@tayyarsungur4513]

​@@nabieladrian Not only 30 fps but also a walking sim, they got the whole thing in one package lmao

[@basementality4924]

6-7 years for a 5 hour game is just unacceptable. Even $50 may be too much for that length.

[@moondiegordr]

Especially cause you just can buy game pass for 1 month I really wonder why such a short game is on game pass, who even buys the game?

[@S7eventhHeaven]

$30 on cdkeys

[@cor.tenebrarum]

Resident Evil 3 remake was about 4 hours.

[@11Mikuiztli]

4 or 5 years dead bird

[@blackout1518]

@@cor.tenebrarumit was also 80% gameplay at least

[@krucible9369]

I’d like to wish the Ninja Theory devs luck in their new job search

[@50086gt]

Actually I wish them bad luck and I hope they can’t get hired anywhere

[@TykoBrian7]

@@50086gtwhy

[@manniepas1769]

@@50086gtdon’t say shit like that, usually not the devs fault. It was the ppl at the top who are incompetent.

[@lukasbusch2135]

@@manniepas1769Not always

[@user-js4rv5sp8w]

And this SonyMattyPlaysFamboy played the first one? Ohh matty your review is 3/10.

[@AverageTESEnjoyer5783]

Getting hate from fanboys is the biggest compliment you can get as a critic.

[@NecrotechStudios]

After DmC they said yeaahh… we don’t do “gameplay” anymore. Everyone said Limbo was cool tho!

[@mroutcast8515]

It's crazy how Hellblade 2 learned nothing from the first game, while Plague Tale Requiem improved in every aspect from the first game and was overall a marvelous game.

[@Killjoy_Mel]

Playing Plague Tale Requiem right now. It doesn't have the hyperrealistic graphics and insane mocap that Hellblade 2 does, but it doesn't have to, it's got heart, it's exciting, and its pacing, unlike that of HB2's, is amazing, and it's so gruesome to look at sometimes, but always balances it out with beauty. HB2 tried with some beautiful vistas, but it was so insistent on everything looking drab as hell, even the pretty vista rewards fell short.

[@GreatestAlive29]

Wait why am i finding out hellblade came out today from a youtube review after googling Hades 2 review… was there no advertisement budget? Like i don’t even remember anyone on the timeline tweeting about it.

[@50086gt]

They didn’t advertise it bc they knew it’s trash and Xbox wants it to fail so they can close down the studio in a couple months

[@redletterl78]

My god 🤦‍♂️. This has had trailers and previews. If you follow games on major sites like IGN, Gameinformer and Eurogamer you would have noticed ages ago.

[@arianoooamari6949]

$10 per hour…insane

[@ryanguy6789]

You poor bro

[@ghoulex642]

The game is 6 hours on average, and it's 45 dollars, ur comment makes no sense 😅

[@ryanguy6789]

@@jvue7297 nah bro don’t do me like that

[@youdonegoofed]

@@ryanguy6789 so about that "how to find a remote job" video in your playlist...

[@youdonegoofed]

@@ghoulex642 Oh, so it's 7.5 dollars per hour instead of 10! 😮 Now that's what I call cheap!

[@shoebockx3334]

Glad to see the steam reviews differ a bit from your opinion, if only for the sake of the survival of Ninja Theory. Hopefully, critics and other gamers like this a bit more than you do and they don’t get shut down

[@mrcardenas400]

Welp we know what studio is on the chopping block next.

[@superburrito9797]

Their next project has already been greenlit

[@robovinefilms1811]

@@superburrito9797 And that can change at a whim. Look up Creative Assembly and Hyenas.

[@liamflan9553]

Hell blade 2 was amazing. No way they get shut down.

[@AlisterEmyka]

Its just an interactive movie

[@KC-lg8qf]

Kinda like God of war.....that everyone seems to love. Yet there were tons of complaints about the gameplay, and it being more like a movie.

[@OnionTaylorJoy]

​​@@KC-lg8qfthat game has a hundred times more gameplay than this. This is what idiots like you see sony games as.

[@Michael019x]

@@KC-lg8qfnever compare this turd to God of War ever again.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

​@@KC-lg8qf😂😂😂. Pathetic. God of War has a deeper and more polished and refined gameplay esp the combat.

[@KC-lg8qf]

@@nayyarrashid4661 does it though? There were a lot of complaints about the gameplay of the last game....

[@4LiveRastaJoy]

Good bye ninja Theory

[@stealthswim223]

This was one of my most anticipated Xbox games and man I didn’t like it. And I was blown away by the first one.

[@NorthNova13]

The lack of marketing makes perfect sense now in hindsight.

[@cristopher8186]

Xbox games disappointing???? Lmao the only people surprised by this are Xbox fans. Everyone else knew it wasn’t going to be good

[@WillOnCode]

Have you played the game?

[@Final_Dawn]

I remember when xbox fanboys said that God of war ragnarok is cinematic movie game, but at the same time they were hyping up Hellblade 2.... also they were hating on the first Hellblade for the same thing...

[@aries4378]

Xbox fanboys HAVE to do a lot of mental gymnastics in order to justify their undying loyalty to Xbox. Otherwise they'd have to accept the reality of the fact their favorite console is doing POORLY this gen. No exclusives. No GOTY- winning games. And MS keeps shutting down studios. They're DESPERATE for a win, but I stead keep getting handed Ls.

[@aynrandom3004]

@@aries4378 This is a great game though and I own bought systems.

[@turkiedurkie4895]

THANK you! Damn you don’t like the game don’t like it. Don’t say it’s not a game. That’s just ignorance to creativity and really limits what we can do with video games. People are boring af

[@Lolatyou332]

GOW is a movie game, you get the same experience just watching it on youtube. Hellblade is similar but hellblade definitely atleast has some anxiety driven moments that GOW doesn't have.

[@PursuedByAMemory]

​​@@Lolatyou332 With that logic the old GoW games were also movie games, hell the old ones didn't even let you skip cutscenes. GoWR has 30+ hrs of gameplay that mostly consists of combat. The game has 3 main weapons with fully unlockable movesets, magic powers(which futher have unlockable moves) and skill trees. The new DLC consists ENTIRELY of combat, just because it has cutscenes and it's linear doesn't make it a "movie game".

[@j-bod5164]

Coming from someone that just played Hellblade 1 for the first-time last week and rolled right into Hellblade 2 the day after completing the first, I think the game is an appropriate and worthy sequel. I didn't have years of nostalgia and hype setting my expectations up high on a precarious framework. I literally played them back-to-back and from my perspective the second game plays just like the first. The first game had plenty of sections with no real gameplay where you were just walking forward while the voices, narration, and set design drove the story. There were long puzzles that were "lighting torches for an hour", but again, the story was progressing during these times. This same thing is happening in the second game. To say that the first game did it right, and the second did it wrong (when they did it basically the same) tells me that you might have some rose tint on your glasses as you look back in your memory of the first game, where now you are looking at the sequel with fresh eyes. I do think it is fair to criticize the fighting mechanics and the lack of improvement there, but I didn't go into the second game expecting to find a great fighter game, I was looking to experience a story told in way that I've never felt outside of the first game.

[@PIOVRAME]

Too long of a comment for the hating club here. Just play your games and stay away from this negativity

[@Dinendal01]

Wow AAA games are going to shit so much that even walking simulators are being affected by it lmao

[@Karlach_]

Ninja Theory is going to get shut down isn't it?

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

I hope so. 7 years for this??

[@CCaribou]

their next game is already greenlit according to Eurogamer today.

[@JSmooove98]

Who cares. A 5 hour game??

[@joshuahstubbs6753]

Ya, I say most likely so

[@joshuahstubbs6753]

No da, 5 hours of content over 7 years, what where they doing that whole time

[@melxvee6850]

I wonder where that "70 hours of combat mocap" went

[@anis6800]

65 hours of reshoots lmao

[@11d3adly11]

Went straight on showing over the shoulder looks of the actress and constant emotion face ...like in every Freaking trailer of the game smh

[@lockekappa500]

@@11d3adly11 wtf is "constant emotion face"

[@blackout1518]

@@lockekappa500screaming non stop lol

[@penumbrum3135]

@@lockekappa500 Acting apparently...

[@JasonArnold117]

So I just finished the game and absolutely couldn't disagree with Matty more. It was fkin phenomenal. Yes, there were a few parts drawn out but I was invested entirely in the story and characters. The graphics are simple Fucking astonishing, the sound design is impeccable, the combat is fantastic. I cannot recommend this game enough. Length of the game was also fine. Beat it in 8 hours 12 mins.

[@Gibby-tn4vx]

I finished it too yesterday, and it was terrible! 90% of the game is Senua walking somewhere!! 😆

[@orpheus0108]

Absolutely. This game is my current GOTY until something else as good drops this year

[@misskj4757]

I’m confused, what were you doing for the first 40 minutes ? Sat in the menu? Because I got into my first combat fight within the first 10 mins 😂

[@AustinEEEE]

Seriously! after this review I dreaded starting the game but it picked up quickly.

[@droid4d279]

Honestly all this negativity made me want to play the game it’s not bad at all do I like these types of games no but it’s HellBlade it’s a slow cinematic game

[@BlindedBraille]

For real! So many people are being mislead. He also said the torch section was an hour, yet he beat the game in 5 hours? It feels like expectations were way too high for a sequel to a very niche indie game.

[@RobbieB2606]

Just listened to the Friends Per Second podcast where they interviewed the game director - the guy looked and sounded dead inside. He clearly knew what was coming...

[@anis6800]

imagine working 7 years of your life on this piece of shit game lol

[@imo098765]

@@anis6800 4 years, Bleeding Edge was released too

[@anis6800]

@@imo098765 thanks for reminding me they spent 7 years making two pieces of shit lmao

[@nathanmitchell7961]

Or you know it could be that his tired from working day in and day out on the game? I mean why the disrespect for devs that genuinely want to make a good game just miss the mark. @anis Will whine about games being hollow soulless shells of live services and battlepasses but simultaneously shut on the people who try to make something different.

[@RobbieB2606]

@@nathanmitchell7961 No disrespect to the guy, I’m sure he wants to make the best game possible. But his answers were so hollow and clearly scripted - I’m sure he’s on a very short leash from Microsoft in what he can and can’t say. Clearly a lot of pressure on him - I’m not saying I’d be able to cope any better

[@al_my_pal]

99% cinemantics, 1% game. 👎

[@EastyyBlogspot]

Got it in one...if a game is nearly all story and little gameplay I might as well watch it on KZbin

[@joshuahstubbs6753]

I bet in 3 months there getting shut down

[@Jd-kw9yz]

Did you not play the original? These are story driven games

[@al_my_pal]

@@Jd-kw9yz I played it for a couple hours but I did not feel intrigued enough to continue playing :/

[@Jd-kw9yz]

@al_my_pal please riddle me. Why you would want to play the sequel to a game you didn't like

[@Qballiz2kool]

What is bizarre, is the fact that the number 1 complaint of the first game was the puzzles and how many there were…….so in their infinite wisdom they decided…….to double down and do more puzzles……….what?, the puzzles in the second game, unlike the first also have this……stink of only being there to pad out the games run time rather than being integrated into the story like they were in the first game. The puzzles feel like they are there to pad the game time out, because they are at best really easy, or annoying and leaving you scratching your head to try and find the thing that matches the symbol you need to find out in the environment. The combat also took a nose dive, (seriously, why did you get rid of the glowy sword mechanic from the first game??.) and why are we fighting one enemy at a time?, when we could handle fighting more than one in the first game just fine? The second game just feels like a big step backward in gameplay when compared to the first game which is baffling to me. (It makes you think: “man, how do you fuck this up?”.) And the voices, it felt like they took what they did with them in the first game, and then smooshed it down, turning them into an obnoxious mess that really just outstays their welcome, and will never shut up even while characters are talking in cutscenes, which is just annoying, they grate on your nerves as your playing, and you get to the point where you just want them to shut up for 5 seconds because they bring absolutely nothing to the game, unlike the first Hellblade where they were a pretty big part of it. And Senua suddenly having to deal with giants just felt so out of place, (they also started to treat her psychosis as a superpower, rather than a mental illness that she needs to work through like in the first game which I found jarring.) at first I thought the giants were just in her head, but then the other characters started interacting and talking about them, and then that just took me out of the game. And that ending……wtf even was that, just awful. All n all, it’s just another disappointing game released by one of the studios Microsoft bought that got barfed up onto gamepass, so nothing new…. I loved the first game but man…….the second one was wholly a huge disappointment, and it just feels like everything that made the first game special was just thrown to the wayside, they just completely missed the mark.

[@RodaMoonknight]

Ok so what the hell were you all expecting? Because to me it sounds like you never played the first game and completely forgot Ninja Theory is not Naughty Dog, is not Insomniac Games and it definitely is just a studio that was there for making the game they wanted to make. "Xbox bought them to make blockbusters" Did they? Was Hellblade a Blockbuster? Was it a 10 million copy seller? So again, what the hell were you expecting? Hellblade was already a very experimental narrative game.

[@TheFirstRealChewy]

I'll have to see for myself. Hellblade was a walking simulator and I expected Hellblade 2 to be more of the same, but a pretty looking one.

[@Zentrixu]

50 Bucks for 5 hours of 80% Cutscences, 15% walking and 5% combat 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bigpoke7043]

TRASH

[@_Paul_N]

I would be a jackass and say that sounds like your typical Metal Gear Solid game outside of Phantom Pain (shots fired!) but those at least have 10% combat next to 50 hours of cutscenes/cinematics 🤣 I like Metal Gear you snowflakes!

[@lukababilodze4283]

$50? where did you buy this game? for me it was like $20

[@Zentrixu]

@@lukababilodze4283 Its the official Price, ok when you are on steam and PC its easy to get it cheaper, but just on consol. Ok most xbots are not buying games using Gamepass. End of the Story this Game makes no Money, Studio will be closed and Xbox and Gamepass will end as a CoD streaming Platform

[@KingLouieXD]

@@lukababilodze4283 It's 50 on steam

[@S7eventhHeaven]

Don't know why people expected hellblade 2 to be any different from the first game. It's a cinematic adventure game with a major focus on 3d narrative sound design.

[@hazelcrisp]

At the very least it would just be more of the same.

[@Tiasung]

And it was not even a good cinematic adventure game, for one because it barely had any ''adventure'' or ''game'' and secondly because its cinematic experience wasnt very good. Its not like Quantum Break that was also a short game but a very excellent cinematic adventure game. Or the first Jedi Survivor game, which was similar.

[@dannysmi7162]

Yeah, but he said the first game was better.

[@brandonvanness9630]

​@@Tiasung the second one to

[@bowen3716]

Sounds like you didn't listen to his review

[@sharkh20]

Heavenly Sword > Hellblade > Hellblade 2

[@darianstarfrog]

Evolving backwards, like humanity

[@oliverwilliam6931]

They made this game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and it was great

[@RIOSTHEROOSTER]

I disagree with you and that's ok. So far from what I've played I enjoy it, and this me coming off of the game and looking at reviews for it. I don't think the game is going to resonate with a lot of people but for me it does. Not sure why but the walking and puzzle solving seemed improved for me than the first, and the combat felt so visceral and real which you touched on. I also feel like the long stretches add to the story development, and not once did I feel bored about what I was experiencing. Disagreement aside, I think you gave a decent assessment from your perspective. Not everyone has to like a game, and this is definitely going to be one of those games that some people will not enjoy, and others will. I appreciate this review.

[@bruhtholemew]

I can't say I'm surprised.

[@alanale]

Ye, the first one was cool, short, tbh It did not need a sequel.

[@TaeInfinite]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who kinda saw this as Xbox’s “The Order: 1886”. Called this since they showed it at the Game Awards Though I feel like this game is a bit of a parody of what people think PlayStation games are. Those games still acknowledge that their still VIDEO GAMES

[@cardassa]

But the Odor actually had a pretty gold story. This felt incomplete. Sort of reminds me of those episodic games back in the day.

[@TaeInfinite]

@@cardassa Not to mention, The Order (When it allowed you) the gameplay is fun lol

[@SaiyanSambo]

After playing Hellblade 2 I'm surprised by all the negativity. This game is a technological wonder and an incredible demonstration of the next generation of gaming. Breathtaking graphics, cinematic gameplay alongside a remarkable story. Hellblade 1 set the foundation and Hellblade 2 built a whole damn house! It was a pleasure and an honor to play this game from beginning to end.

[@PetesVomitController]

Hold the left thumb stick up. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇👏👏👏👏👏

[@wellallnasib]

The game was priced at $15.99 in my region and I enjoyed it a lot and it was worth it took me around 9 to 10 hours to finish it. The game felt more like the interactive stories like House of Ashes games which I like. I would definitely recommend this one.

[@jerzyczajaszwajcer]

new level of xbox gaming - lightning torches lolz

[@kit_horror]

There's a reason xbox didn't asvertise this game

[@Pumba424]

Yoooo the fanboys on Twitter on in full meltdown mode over this. Dealing with their favorite corpo’s plastic box’s drastic change in strategy has them in full conspiracy theory mode.

[@MrWar2050]

Yup, they are already begging for it to come to PS5.

[@StarContract]

Not just in Twitter but in KZbin too

[@Belligerennt]

“Snoozer time gaming” caught me off guard 😂

[@rafasw6309]

Also, shout out to the 5k of us here at 5 am already. You're doing something right, Matt !

[@robertolbert3585]

watching this at 11am in Central Europe , Just sayin

[@silverback1074]

Other time zones exist lol.

[@bobbywrtm]

And now we know why Microsoft have a minimum effort on promoting this game LOL

[@TheTennesseeFistMachine]

It's getting great reviews my dude

[@bobbywrtm]

@@TheTennesseeFistMachinekeep the cope coming 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@downhill1222]

​@bobbywrtm it's not cope Lol it is getting good reviews but people have opinions some love it, liked it, and hated it that's just opinions

[@Mohgenstein]

@@downhill1222good is different then great.

[@arianoooamari6949]

@@downhill1222it’s a 6 hours game. Some games intros are longer than HB2.

[@aizentaicho82]

So essentially they saw the Order 1886 from the PS4 days and decided to make an Xbox version. Idiots.

[@Skulletor]

The Order had better combat

[@aizentaicho82]

@@Skulletor it had completely different combat. I'm not sure if that makes it better. But I won't disagree with you, because it's to each their own.

[@Cangaca777]

I liked The Order. very immersive experience.

[@Tazza19931]

@@Skulletor Yeah, The Order was a much better experience. Still way too short, but I wish we had gotten a proper, more fleshed-out sequel to that game. I really enjoyed the premise and wanted to see more.

[@Skulletor]

@@Tazza19931 Yeah, The Order had some decent shooting and amazing graphics, wish we got more enemies like the vampires they teased

[@octomammoth6156]

Matty I haven't owned an xbox since 360 and I still love watching your videos. Stop apologizing to console fanboys, the lowest intelligence gamers that exist, and just say how you feel. Maybe you lose some idiots but you'll find people that are here for more genuine reasons vs a constant echo chamber validation loop.

[@clark2109]

Man, is Xbox ever going to get a W? I’m even skeptical of Indy and Avowed now. No one seems to know how to make a great game over there anymore. Well, except Tango... cut for making everyone look bad.

[@TheTennesseeFistMachine]

It's literally getting great reviews my dude, one KZbinr isn't everyone's opinion 😂 Even ACG loves it.

[@praisetheoak]

@@TheTennesseeFistMachine I mean, it's hard to take it seriously when you look at all these Xbox sites giving it 100/100 and it looks iffy asf. PC reviews however are much more realistic, tons of 8/10 but mainly because of the graphics. It's a polarizing game, and even then, HI-FI rush got universal praise and look what they did with the studio.

[@bruhtholemew]

Considering Outer Worlds got a lot of valid negative criticism after the "bethesda btfo" hype died down, I'm not expecting much.

[@IHeart16Bit]

You're only skeptical of Avowed now? Have we been watching the same gameplay? It's looked pretty bad for a while.

[@clark2109]

@@TheTennesseeFistMachine unfortunately this was the first one I came across. Glad it's getting reviewed well by others. Was always going to check it out on game pass anyway, but I was also expecting disappointment so a bit of confirmation bias kicked in early.

[@csberry95]

I didn’t have high hopes for more fleshed out gameplay, none of the marketing material gave me confidence in that. However, the fact you’re suggesting it got WORSE, is bewildering to me. How tf could they have managed that lol and if the story isn’t justifying the repetitive, shallow mechanics, idk man. That really is disappointing. I’m sure it’s a looker though.

[@AtaeHone]

YMMV, other reviews say the combat gameplay got better. Maybe it all depends on expectations that an increased budget will increase runtime?

[@lockekappa500]

I don't think the combat is worse, I wouldn't trust this guy. Mainly because I dont think the combat could possibly get worse from the first game.

[@kookiemunster-ni4yg]

@@lockekappa500 He didn't say the combat got worse, he said it got leaner and that he loved the combat sections. The problem is there isn't enough of it.

[@Marko-ij4vy]

@@kookiemunster-ni4yg So just like the first game. There were way more puzzle and walking sections in the first game than combat sections. This game is essentially the same but combat is imo better than first game and I hated the puzzles in first game and here while theyre still here theyre more bearable so the second game is still better than first game for me.

[@dread1262]

You sound like you played the game. Play the fn game and you'll know the combat isn't repetitive 🤡

[@Brandonfrate1]

Im excited to play Hellblade 2, i always viewed the first game as more of a movie that i control sometimes. I don't necessarily need a game to be "fun" as long as the story has something to offer and the first game was amazing. I dont see Hellblade doing anything really different in that department for me. Loved the story in the first game and the second looks like it would be just as special.

[@sebastiandalessandro4221]

When you’re trying to appeal to both sides for views, but then they both end up hating. Stop pretending to be someone, be yourself.

[@emarskineel]

I am SHOCKED...

[@danielm2808]

Let’s be honest, it didn’t need a sequel. I knew this was gonna be a let down.

[@dtube441]

People let themselves down by placing the game on this pedestal it didn't need to be on. I'm confused by a lot of the expectations.

[@iluvmusicqwe]

The first one should have been a proof of concept to build a proper fully fleshed out game like a god of war/last of us. This is just a pretty looking indie walking simulator. What a joke.

[@pietro0games]

How it took you 1 hour to reach the first combat? Most people I watched took 20 minutes, and before that there are 2 puzzles

[@Brootall13]

That’s still not a flex bro. 20 mins of walking 🚶 in a video game when you first pop it in doesn’t make a good first impression

[@verdantbabble5498]

Thanks for calling out this crap "game." These bad playable movies are ruining gaming. Best review I've seen sums it up well. A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console.

[@JP_Albuquerque_]

I'm a Playstation fan and started to see your videos because of this drama 😅 but we need competition, if xbox go down like Sega we all lose...

[@goldfish1837]

yeah they are done...

[@NBWDOUGHBOY]

Ninja Theory definitely on the chopping block.

[@PowderedVoltage]

Goose is cooked

[@KadeemG61]

Don’t tell me you’re a PlayStation Pony, Matty.

[@abhijeetpoudel5919]

I am sad.

[@deathmark1940]

Go eat something outside

[@arianoooamari6949]

play HB2 to get depressed then

[@ShadowWolfQc]

That's what you get for being hyped over the sequel of a walking sim borefest.

[@irecordwithaphone1856]

​@@ShadowWolfQcI could not imagine being this bitter lol

[@anthonytitone]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@ShadowWolfQcperson: I am sad U: GOOD I HOPE U HATE YOUR LIFE & CONTINUE SUFFERING, YOU DESERVE TO FEEL THIS WAY, I MIGHT NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT U BUT U HAD THIS COMING MR. like bro r u ok, do u need to talk to someone, why do u wish ill will on this random commenter 😂