The upcoming Xbox platform exclusive action game Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was given a major spotlight in today’s Xbox Developer_Direct presentation. The title’s development team at Ninja Theory showed off how the game is coming along and the tools they have been using to make this an immersive experience, while also giving more looks at the game in action.
Ninja Theory says the gameplay will be much more brutal in the sequel, featuring “visceral combat and in traversal gameplay” as Senua goes through more experiences of psychosis. Players will be going through the lands of 10th Century Iceland in the story, though with plenty of altered supernatural landscapes as players see through Senua’s eyes.
The studio had worked with medical professionals and people who had real experience with psychosis to nail the elements players see and experience. The use of binaural audio has also been expanded, aiding the use of auditory hallucinations.
Catch the new gameplay and developer interviews from the nine-minute mark in the Developer_Direct presentation below:
Here’s what the studio added about its transition from an indie developer to a first-party Xbox studio:
“Although we are no longer an independent studio, our creative spirit has in fact been emboldened by our joining of Xbox Game Studios, and in this new chapter of Senua’s life we have been able to push our production values way beyond what we were able to achieve previously. So, my message to players is that if you loved Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, or if you enjoy narrative-led experiences of cinematic immersion, we are building Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for you.”
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be around the same length as the original game as well, which can be around 8-9 hours in length depending on the player’s pace.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is coming out May 21, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S consoles as well as to PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. Xbox and PC Game Pass subscribers are also gaining the title on day one for no extra cost. Update: It’s been confirmed by Xbox Wire that the game will be a $50 digital-only release.