Many interesting titles have come out of Double Fine during their two week code-a-thon known as Amnesia Fortnight. Setting aside their current projects and freeing up developers to create a game prototype that is fresh and unique has led to the release of great games like Stacking, Costume Quest and more.
One of the most recent titles to come out of this program is Hack ‘n’ Slash, a Zelda-inspired title that replaces the standard connotation of hacking and slashing (with a sword) with computer hacking and coding, turning it into a puzzle game more than anything else. The first moments of the game start simple enough, with a girl locked in a cell as she attempts to use her sword to break out. However the game immediately turns on its head when the sword breaks, revealing a literal USB plug hidden within. Using this USB sword you make your way through the world, changing it as you need in order to thwart a wizard who is bent on controlling the world.
Having been an avid fan of Ninja Theory since the moment in 2010 when Enslaved: Odyssey to the West rocked my entire worldview, naturally, I almost peed myself with excitement when I learned that Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was in production. But was I expecting too much?
Couldn't agree more. Hellblade has great graphics and an interesting concept but the gameplay was tedious, the campaign was too linear and the puzzles were awful. The combat was disappointing after Enslaved and the DMC reboot.
I platinumed this game, and the title heading is spot on. Gameplay was bare bones and the combt was laughable, but I knew it wasn't the point of the game. The story and her mental demons were the point of the game. It also looked amazing.
This wasn't the case when Hellblade was exclusive on the PS4. Everyone here was saying differently.
We know why.
no i said it from day 1. Decent game but no where near as good as some where making it out to be
Well said, I remember people braging about beeing a Sony Exclusive, how great it was and the bells and whisles.
That's simply not true. No one was saying the combat or gameplay was amazing. But the game wasn't about that. It was always about her story. People accepted this because it was an indie game.
Yeah I've long accepted the PS4 bias on here, but then I typically just post my thoughts and don't bother reading any follow-ups because I already know what they'll say.
I remember so many people calling it another boring walking sim on PlayStation then it was the 2nd coming when MS bought NT, strange behaviour. Almost hypocritical
I don't recall people saying that the game play was excellent, or robust. People said it was serviceable for what the game was trying to do. It's like saying people are going on about Quantic Dreams game for their game play. It just doesn't happen.
People went on about the graphics, and animations, which were superb. They went on about the story and themes, which were superb. They went on about the experience and atmosphere, which were superb.
Maybe there were a couple people, if I can generalize like you are, that said so, but it certainly wasn't any kind of huge campaign to talk up the game play. You're trying to create a narrative of general consensus that never existed.
But, if you insist on sticking to this argument, can we also say that the reason people did so was because of all the downplay that the Xbox side did, which they suddenly forgot about when it became an Xbox exclusive? Or, is this some one way street thing when it comes to fan boys and trolls?
Try again, people been dissing NT's gameplay since Heavenly Sword back in PS3 broke the just-functional sword play with unrequited motion control arrows and some of the worst QTE placement of that gen... In fact, Enslaved was barred from perfection in most reviews because of the platforming and puzzles that felt more like infallible tutorial than gameplay and combat which was utterly generic and plagued by input delay, DmC was called out not just for all rebooting controversies but also for it's "color coded dumbed down combos" and Hellblade was, as already commented here, famed as a "walking simulator".
NT can make great stories enjoyable in game form, but their gameplay had always been, for one reason or another, iffy at best. Don't get me wrong, I'm still 100% jealous of you guys getting the Hellblade sequel, if anything their gameplay directing had been evolving, but let's not fool ourselves here ok, they have a lot of ground to cover in that department before they can be seem as a flagship studio. Here's hoping they find under MS the environment to do just that.
"NT can make great stories enjoyable in game form, but their gameplay had always been, for one reason or another, iffy at best."
Maybe you had forgotten a little game called DMC Devil May Cry.
You know some other double A xbox games when they put it in triple A shoes to make the perfect spot for criticism like ryse and other games for example , you just need to experience it for yourself and see how it doesn't match what the critics says about it and even though critics deep down aremade to affect our choices ms made it literally for free to give it a shot and zip those critics big mouth.
Enslaved has awful combat. As uninteresting as Hellblade’s core combat is, Enslaved’s is even worse
I personally got well into Senua's sacrifice, and did not really have a problem with the combat.
Can not wait to see more of Hellblade 2 in 3 days!!!
I was hoping for a little more combat and less puzzles as the game went on, but to no avail. Some of those puzzles were not particularly obvious either, and without some guides I would've been on them for quite a while. Still enjoyed it though... but also glad I played it via Game Pass.
Enslaved , Heavenly Sword, and skewer me now - but I loved their version of DMC. Ninja knows how to make great games. And I especially love their combat systems. Which is probably why I didn’t care about Senua much. But it would be a lie if is said I didn’t get excited anytime I hear they’re tied to an IP or project I care about. I root for them to do well, just wish they hadn’t singed with MicroService
Oh. So that's why they got bought by one of the largest companies in the world; because they're mediocre.
Makes sense.
I think ninja theory are great devs but from a business standpoint you can see the potential of a studio and think OK we can make these AAA.
Because they are cheap. They only paid $10 million to acquired Ninja Theory. Compared to Sony buying Insomiac games for $229 million.
It did won game of the year from a few publications/outlet. Geoff's Game Award is not the be all end all award show.
Ninja Theory isn't mediocre. This one game was. If you've played their other games you'd know how awesome they are
Heavenly sword was amazing!!!! It definitely needed a sequel. The fighting mechanics were amazing.
I found myself unable to finish the game. Despite the great visuals, and interesting premise, I couldn't stand the gameplay.
Because there are sites out there so insignificant that they need to fuel the N4G nerd war for a simple number of clicks.
The game was held in high regard when the original released; both professional and consumer. It's now in the hands of MS, so it's time to make issue of the series.
Hold on a second I thought everyone was allowed to have an opinion even if it was a negative one that's what we were all told when anyone questioned negative reviews for TLOU2. Some people just might not have liked Hellblade for many reasons and aren't at all hyped for the next game..
100% Agree.
The downplaying starts now.
When the game launched:
“OMG Masterpiece!”
When it launched for Xbox:
“Decent game!”
Now that this studio is part of Microsoft:
“This Game is fundamentally flawed!”
Actually, no.
I played this when it came out (as you would if you had read the article). Even THEN I was sorely disappointed with the combat and gameplay. But the concept and story are worth it
@dangerclose
Get over yourself.
The Last of Us 2 was based on leaks.
This can be attributed to personal bias, being really nothing too tangible is known of the title, outside of it's simply the sequel to the original game.
Sorry I made you look dumb a few weeks back, and how you, unsuccessfully,tried getting me blocked after the fact, but stop trying to get my attention. That situation is over lol.
@sungod
It wasn't?
Seems to be held in high regards virtually on any aggregate sites. Most critics liked it. Most consumer aggregates praise.
I've been on this site for the better part of a decade, and know most people praised the game.
I don't remember people on here going out of their way to trash the game. Let alone only Xbox fans.
Do you have proof? Or is this just propaganda on your end?
@Sungod
"It wasn't held in high regard by the Xbox faithful when it launched."
Funny how the Xbox version is 88 on metacritic but only 81 on PS4.
"Get over yourself."
Take your own advice.
The Last of Us 2 was based on personal bias
"Sorry I made you look dumb a few weeks back, and how you, unsuccessfully,tried getting me blocked after the fact, but stop trying to get my attention. That situation is over lol."
Spoken like a true six year old, you don't have the intellectual fortitude to make someone look dumb, and I wouldn't expect you to get blocked for some reason people like you who do nothing but troll and start arguments are allowed to be here.
1) I was asked to by my editor
2) Real life got in the way of my writing, so I never had the time to publish this
3) I'm allowed to have an opinion. As are you. I appreciate you even commenting - thank you.
Almost three years later, you finally have time.......smh The game came out August 2017 on Ps4.
You try being a teacher. Then tell me when you have time to write after teaching, prepping, grading, counselling, disciplining, managing your classroom, and fighting with management to get your dues. Once you've done all that, I'll apologize for my tardiness.
*smh right back*
Belbrock91
I don't know your situation, so I apologize, but it's a little strange that this comes up around the time that they are about to show more about the game. You even mentioned the new game.
The only reason I have time to write now is because of COVID.
I don't mean to be snarky, but I assure you, there really was no alternate objective (besides needing an outlet), nor am I being paid by Microsoft or Ninja Theory (would be nice though).
I really do appreciate you reading the piece and commenting. Seriously, all I want is to game, and write about it. The timing is purely coincidental.
I put the combat on easy after the first few rounds, I found it awful and unresponsive.
Story was quite interesting though and the game had some great effects and ideas in it so I finished it and felt like I enjoyed rather then a slog.
Don't think I'll ever play it again though.
If you struggled with combat, do not play dark souls whatever you do lol.
This game was a cakewalk combatwise.
The issue was not that I (or any of the commenters) struggled with combat. In fact, it's the opposite. We found it boring and wanted something more challenging. That being said, I'm not enough of a masochist to put myself through Dark Souls again
Haha, Dark Souls combat is great, has some real heft and connection.
This felt like I was waving a feather duster about whilst submerged in treacle, it was awful!!
Give me Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne anyday, don't play Hellbalde for the combat anyway.
@Futureshark
I never said the combat in dark souls was bad, quite the opposite, i was alluding to the difficulty of the game as you stated
"I put the combat on easy after the first few rounds"
Changing the difficulty would not result in the combat becoming more "responsive"
If you found the combat "awful and unresponsive" you would not have finished the game.
Our reviewers write, "Being a massive fan of the series, the announcement of Devil May Cry 5 meant the world to me. I think back to 2001, my brother and I was six years old, mesmerised in front of the TV seeing Dante on the PS2. It is a series that has stuck with me until this day. In my personal opinion, some of the games within the Devil May Cry series have been big misses, and this entry is not one of them. Hideaki Itsuno and his team at Capcom take everything that the series has been praised for and blended it to perfection into what I would call a gaming masterpiece. So how did I feel when I got the opportunity to play the fifth game in the series? Read on to find more."
As developer states, this update introduces in-game community translations [Chinese, French, Russian, Italian, and Portuguese Brazilian], the minimap, a lot of QoL features, and the updated final roadmap (with dates!).
