Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
The Xbox brand has taken a bit of a battering lately. At the very beginning of the year, they dramaticallyshiftedtheir content strategy by porting four of their existing first-party games to competing platforms PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
Around the same time,Helldivers 2‘s unexpected runaway success among PS5 and PC players kicked Xbox players when they were already down, and the relentlessonslaught of PS5 exclusivesmade it worse still. Fans of the Microsoft console have desperately needed a win, and come May, their prayers may be answered.
Senua Will Return After 7 Long Years, Only On Xbox
May marks the commencement of Xbox’s first-party rollout for 2024, and their very first exclusive is going to be a blockbuster, as it’s none other than the highly-anticipated sequel to 2017’sHellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Back in January’sXbox Developer_Direct, Ninja Theory confirmed thatSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2will officially release on May 21. The game has been in the works for 7 years, having been revealed for the first time at the 2019 Game Awards, alongside the debut of the Xbox Series X.
“I love how that game is coming together”: Good News for Xbox Fans, an Upcoming Game Has Phil Spencer’s Seal of Approval That May Help us Forget Helldivers 2 Trauma
Hellblade 2‘s biggest and most noticeable draw is its stunningly photorealistic graphics. Thanks to Ninja Theory’s acquisition by Microsoft in 2018 (the reason why the game is exclusive), the studio has been able to bring in more devs, work with a larger budget, and scale up their production techniques. Theirwork speaks for itself, as the results of their labors are absolutely spectacular.
Hellblade 2Significantly Enhances Combat Over First Game
It’s not all shiny visuals and no substance, though.Hellblade 2boasts a heavily improved combat system that, according to the game’s creative director, feels “visceral and raw”. Combat designer Juan Fernandez also revealed in the January Direct that the gameplay will reflect Senua’s combat inexperience, with every encounter making you feel as if you just ‘scraped by’.\
“It’s through the roof”: Forget Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Senua’s Saga Combat Designer Confirmed ‘Real and Brutal’ Combat In Hellblade 2
Hellblade 1‘s biggest combat pitfalls were enemy variety, imbalanced difficulty settings, and a lack of encouragement to vary your attacks against enemies, resulting in a repetitive moveset. For the sequel, Fernandez says they’veraised the barin every way.
What of the story, then? Ninja Theory says that Senua’s character inHellblade 2will be drastically different from the previous game. Having conquered her psychosis and made peace with the death of her lover, she will face off against the Viking invaders that killed him, all in the gorgeous backdrop of Iceland.
With a magnificently well-rounded game like this, Xbox has the chance to turn the tide against the volley of doom and gloom levelled against the brand in the past few months. Fans of the brand will be pleased to know thatHellblade 2will launch exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Will Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Ever Get A PS5 Release?
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Content Writer
Articles Published :247
A lifelong gamer, lover of cars, and Master’s student of Automotive Journalism, Viraaj Bhatnagar is a gaming writer at FandomWire who aims to be one of the greats. When he’s not hunched over on his laptop typing out copy, he can be found lapping circuits in Gran Turismo or slaying draugr in God of War.
More from Viraaj Bhatnagar
With No Bloodborne PC Release, Game Pass Owners Wait for DLC Release of the Game That Comes Closest to the Sony Exclusive
“Type of armor dictates quite heavily what weapons they can use”: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2’s Greatest Feature May Not Even be the 6v6 PVP Battles
“Every single mode is multiplayer”: Fans Wanting to Play Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Solo Have No Need to Worry, Confirms Creative Director
Recommended
Gen V Season 2: How Many Episodes Are in the Prime Video Series?
5 Addictive Discord Games That Will Hook Your Whole Squad
Helen Mirren Agrees With Ana de Armas for Next James Bond With Feminist Take
Keeper Trailer: Tatiana Maslany Tries to Survive in Longlegs Director’s Next Horror Flick
Hollow Knight: Silksong Release Set for 2025, Demo Playable at Gamescom
Fact Check: Has Activision Announced Call of Duty: Black Ops Remastered?
Game PassHellblade 2PlayStationPS5Xbox
