Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, one of 2017’s most compelling action-adventure games, is now available on Xbox One. Originally released on PC and PlayStation 4 last August, the game received critical acclaim for its story, atmosphere, and performance of its main character.
Set in the ancient time of Vikings, you play as Senua, a Celtic warrior who travels to the Norse version of Hell to rescue the soul of her deceased beloved. You’ll battle horrific creatures, solve simple puzzles, and confront your fears.
In developing the game, Ninja Theory challenged themselves to create a story whose main character suffers from psychosis — and they succeeded. Senua shows many symptoms of a severe mental disorder, including hearing voices in her head. The audio effect is intense. We strongly agree with the game’s recommendation to wear headphones.
We liked the game and thought it was one of the best we’ve discussed on the Story Players podcast. Check out our spoiler-free introduction, followed by an in-depth discussion of our thoughts and theories, in episode 17.
Obviously, mental health awareness factored into the creation of Hellblade, but with the game’s release on Xbox One, Ninja Theory is making another attempt to aid the cause. If 50,000 copies are sold in the first week they will be donating $25,000 to Mental Health America. If it sells 100,000 copies they’ll be doubling their charity donation to $50,000. Mental Health America is an organization whose goal is to help all people live mentally healthier lives.
You can purchase Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice from the Xbox Store now.
