What do you need to know about Hellblade 2? After several years of development, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is here. If you’ve always wanted to fight giants in ninth-century Iceland, and you don’t mind some side commentary from the Fury voices in your head, then you might want to read on.
Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 is a sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a story game released in 2017. Developed by Ninja Theory, it follows the titular hero, a Pict warrior named Senua, who has psychosis and separate personal trauma. If you want to learn more about this brave warrior’s next adventure, this is Hellblade 2.
Hellblade 2 release date
The Hellblade 2 release date was Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Developer Ninja Theory revealed this during the January Xbox Developer Direct of the same year, as the game launched on PC and Xbox Series consoles.
The sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was first announced during the Game Awards 2019. Given that the Hellblade 2 release date window was confirmed in June 2023 during Summer Games Fest, we didn’t expect to receive a more precise date from Ninja Theory until 2024 – and we were right on the money. In the middle of January at the Xbox Developer Direct, Ninja Theory revealed a release date that was, at the time, just four months away.
Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 trailers
As shown in the Hellblade 2 reveal trailer’s spectacular opening shot, the second installment of Senua’s Saga takes place in a desolate, cold land surrounded by a vast ocean. And when we say ‘desolate’, we do mean desolate – besides a tiny village, there’s nothing there but plains.
The Hellblade 2 announcement trailer then cuts back and forth between Senua, who partakes in a fiery ritual, and a group of warriors sneaking along a dark shoreline.
In the first Hellblade 2 gameplay trailer, released in December 2021, we follow Senua as she leads a group of warriors inside a giant’s lair (yes, another giant). They manage to set the giant on fire, but far from killing it, the giant crawls after Senua as she runs away. To make matters even more mysterious, the gameplay trailer ends with the giant asking Senua to save him and Senua recognizing him as someone from her past.
In a third trailer, revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase as part of Summer Game Fest 2023, Senua speaks with another strange creature who seemingly knows her. Like the reveal trailer, this sneak peek explores the action-adventure game’s atmosphere and story rather than gameplay.
While technically not a trailer, Ninja Theory also has a video showcasing their real-time facial animations for Senua. If you’re eager to see the astonishingly detailed graphics made possible by Unreal Engine 5, give it a watch.
The Game Awards 2023 gave us another stunning trailer after a performance from Heilung, the musical group responsible for Hellblade’s soundtrack. Beginning with several shots of absolutely gorgeous locales in the game. It also features a lot of the visceral one-on-one combat the series is known for.
During the Xbox Developer Direct in January 2024, another deep-dive look at the game was shown off, revealing the game’s May 2024 release date. Writer Lara Derham sheds some light on Senua’s conflict with the Vikings in this overview, indicating that the team wants to “be as faithful to history as [they] can up to a point” before incorporating Hellblade’s trademark surrealism. We also see a more in-depth look at Hellblade 2’s combat. “One of our key goals was the ability to actually tell a story throughout it,” VFX director Markk Slater-Tunstill says. “We want the player to feel [Senua’s] struggle in her journey.”
Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 gameplay
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 sticks to a third-person perspective, complete with lots of sneaking around in a rather gloomy environment: ninth-century Iceland, to be exact.
The highly cinematic fight against the giant shown in the gameplay trailer shows a move away from the frequent one-on-one arena fights in the first game, and chief creative Tameem Antoniades promised that combat in Hellblade 2 is “extra real and brutal.” Melina Juergens, the actress who plays Senua, received extensive swordsmanship training for that purpose.
As you’ve undoubtedly noticed during the trailers, Senua can still hear the voices of the Furies in her head. Just like in Senua’s Sacrifice, they’re constantly whispering to her, offering advice, pointing out enemies, and warnings. They may also direct us to nearby puzzles.
Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 story
The following text contains spoilers for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
In Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua finds herself in a strange and dangerous realm, seeking relief from her suffering. Throughout the game, she is haunted by her psychosis, the cause of the voices in her head. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 shows a much more confident Senua who seems to have accepted the psychosis as a part of her life. She’s no longer fighting it but using it.
Even more interestingly, Senua is surrounded by people, possibly her kin. She’s clearly taking on a leadership role, even leading them into battle against the giant. As she was previously shunned for her condition, this seems a welcome yet surprising change.
That leaves the question: what drives Senua to go on another journey in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2? Senua is coming to terms with her past, particularly her father’s betrayal, but she also has to deal with Senua’s newfound leadership position and the sacrifices involved. As the voice-over in the gameplay trailer says: “to lead others to death brings a different kind of burden”.
That wraps up what you need to know about Hellblade 2. Check out our Hellblade 2 review for more, or take a look at our list of some of the other best action-adventure games right now. If you’re heading into Iceland for the first time, we’ve also got guides to help you locate Hellblade 2 Lorestangir and All Hellblade 2 hidden faces if you’re stuck.