DmC developers Ninja Theory seem to be going the extra mile to make sure their next game, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, is as authentic as possible. An action game based on Celtic mythology, Hellblade places you in the muddy boots of Senua, a warrior suffering from sever mental illness which sometimes manifest as voices in her head.
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Ninja Theory wanted to understand mental health before tackling it, so they spoke to people who have suffered auditory verbal hallucinations in real life to make it as true-to-life as possible. They also spoke with a professor of psychology who specialises in the subject.
This resulted in the team expanding on the voices Senua hears, developing them into distinct personalities, along with other disembodied, unintelligible voices. It’s all recorded in 3D sound, too, so it’s especially unnerving when you listen to it with headphones on. Stick on your cans and watch that video above for a sample.
3D sound is also used throughout the game for everything else, with sound effects gathered foley-style with special equipment. Even the third-person combat places importance on sound, with a close-up camera angle making positioning very important when taking on multiple enemies. The 3D sound means you’ll still hear someone about to take a swing though, even if they’re behind you.
Take a look at combat in this developer diary below:
There’s a load of exciting tech stuff happening with Hellblade – check that link for some of our latest stories on the game.