The Digital Foundry verdict on the technology of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 stands as one of the most impressive games we've seen this year, and, in fact, this entire generation. It's a game that pushes the limits of what Unreal Engine 5 can offer at this point in time, taking full advantage of its many features. Beautiful acting, amazing character models, stunning landscapes, and truly exceptional lighting all come together to create a moody, beautiful and atmospheric experience
Sony owns Heavenly Sword. I would love Sony to return that IP with another studio one day.
Then sony should let Santa Monica make
Heavenly Sword 2 or give the ip to ninja theory.
I was one of the few who really enjoyed Heavenly Sword back in the days.
Recently, I got around to revisiting it again via PS3 emulation. Increased the framerate to 60fps within the settings. Game is just as fun as it was back then.
Here's the video on how it runs.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
"Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 stands as one of the most impressive games we've seen this year, and, in fact, this entire generation."
Agree best looking game on any platform. a next gen game indeed, Project mara should look insane too! same with OD.
There is gameplay more than movie games such as until down, heavy rain , detroit and the walking sim aka "death stranding ;p
@prince
It's kinda funny were still calling death stranding a "walking sim" compared to hellblade 2 and Starfield(70% walking on boring randomly generated terrain).
And death stranding is the only one that has vehicles!
Combat took a step back from the original. Also, story isn't as good as the first game. They really should have let you fight at least one giant. You "kill" them all using a "Talk no Jutsu" therapy session.
Can you imagine how epic an old school God of War set piece battle would have been in this engine? Massive waste of potential.
Versus
That's because death stranding is a walking Sim. That's like saying just because one crime isn't as bad as another it doesn't make it a crime. All these games have their place.
"Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 stands as one of the most impressive games we've seen this year, and, in fact, this entire generation."
Not surprised. There´s a reason why Insomniac sees Hellblade II as the game to beat technically.
Ninja Theory is on whole new level.
I can´t wait for Project Mara
it's funny that some sony fanboys say" tech demo" about everything not from sony, i bet they gonna say the same thing about the pc exclusive Squadron 42 🤣
Lets let wukong come out.
You know, a more intensive game with the unreal 5 engine.
Hellblade 2 looks great, but “next gen” would not be used to describe the gameplay.
More last gen gameplay with gorgeous graphics.
"You know, a more intensive game with the unreal 5 engine."
What do you mean, by "intense"?
The major reason why Hellblade II has been called "An Unreal Engine 5 Masterpiece", is because that game is powered by ALL of UE5´s next gen features!
Nanite
Lumen
Virtual Shadow Maps
MetaHuman Animator
The more feature-rich, The more heavy the UE5 powered game will be on any hardware. Will BMW feature all those UE5 features while focusing on deliver 60fps gameplay? I´ll tell you: Highly unlikely.
"Hellblade 2 looks great, but “next gen” would not be used to describe the gameplay.
More last gen gameplay with gorgeous graphics."
Games like Ninja Gaiden must be new for you, but it´s not for most hack n slash fans. There´s nothing "next gen" regarding BMW´s gameplay either.
@obscure..
Hellblade 2 is exactly like ryse for the Xbox one.
Slow clunky gameplay to show off tech, but not offering much as a game.
Everything you listed cost the game to be more of a tech demo.
Well, that same engine utilizing the same tools will be pushing wukong but be an actually game with fast pace gaming.
Ie not a tech demo… but an actual full blown solid game.
They are just riding that MS paycheck real hard. Most impressive? Really? Despite the on wheels experience? I don’t think anyone is impressed by graphics alone anymore especially when it is at the expense of gameplay to the point that you are playing a movie.
didnt play / watch heavy rain , detroit and the walking sim aka "death stranding , but this article was about hellblade 2 I think and not any other game. So why did you mention them?
btw. if you want to try to trigger me, say something bad about Tekken, The King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Earth Defense Force as those are games I play often
Lol at the downvotes, some just hating on the game just because it looks better than anything from sony right now.
DF :
"Hellblade 2 is a defining moment in the evolution of real-time graphics".
(The Next Level in Real-Time Visuals)
- Character rendering sets new standards and nearly resembles movie sequences with actual actors.
- DF were left guessing whether some cut-scenes were in-game or real life footage (photo mode shows they're all real time.
They must not have nothing else to do if they going back on this. Been nice not listening them talk for the past many month's.
Rich has been shilling for Microsoft for quite some time. It has been pretty evident in his decision making. In fact he struggles to say anything negative about Xbox. He said the Xbox One X was a good console.
They only discuss the hardware aspects without mentioning the market share or game library. The Xbox Series X is a great console based on hardware alone (And One X also was) and could possibly be the last from Microsoft. However, when compared to their competition, the game library is a different story.
Microsoft's recent acquisitions indicate that they are becoming a major game publisher. If this means more games will be available on more platforms, that's good for consumers.
I don't care what they do its a waste of time listening to them and watching people reaction videos on video games.
Weren't you happy when DF choose Horizon forbidden west as best looking game in 2022 ? now you hate DF because they said HB2 has best graphics this gen so far?
Have a tall glass of cope my man. Relax. HB2 won't be the best looking game forever. Another dev team will get their shine. Jesus... Some gamers act like on one dev group can make great playing or great looking games.
Sadly, the undeniable beauty of the game couldn't disguise its inner values.
As it is with so many things in life.
It is an outstanding graphical achievement, no doubt, but technically not the most impressive game I've played.
In fact, its beauty alone wouldn't let me want to finish it.
I consider graphics to be just a part of the complete technology framework that's running a game.
Technology contains every information that's processed and put through the wire to your screen.
Having said this, my personal 'technically most impressive' game logically changes from generation to generation and is subsequently surpassed by simply better technology that couldn't be used earlier.
So, for example, while I found the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Last of US I+II to be the most technically impressive games of the last gens, they are surpassed by Hellblade 2 in terms of graphics today (although I personally think it's astonishing how good TloU2 holds up).
In the current-gen, the technically most impressive game to me is Horizon: Forbidden West, especially the PS5 exclusive add-on Burning Shores.
The technology behind, so not just graphics, but the complete package that's been processed, from gameplay to the slightest audio file, simply dropped my jaw.
Something that hasn't happened in years.
Yeah red dead 2 was pretty impressive. I haven't tried the burning shores though. I was pretty impressed with Alan Wake 2
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is an action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory. Players will return to Senua's story through a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Take a look at the latest trailer to garner the critical reception of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, available now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC (Steam).
Cool, but the studio will get shut down still I think. Idc if MS said they won't, MS can't be trusted with anything.
They're extremely volatile with their words and action. They say one thing and do another consistently.
I'm curious about the specific language used regarding Ninja Theory's fate.
I've read secondhand accounts that mention Microsoft has "no plans to close Ninja Theory any time soon", which has some asterisks attached—namely because that article came out the day Hellblade II launched and there was no proper assessment of the game's performance relative to Microsoft's expectations. If they planned for the game to have a certain level of success and they missed the mark, that could trigger a change of plans. As well, if the talent they are most interested in leaves (I speculate this was the case with Mikami leaving Tango), that may well result in a change of plans too.
It wouldn't be fair to close them for not selling very well or increasing XGP subs to the level they expect. Ninja Theory has never been a gangbuster studio. The level of attention and care is absolutely there for their games, but they just don't perform well commercially. They never have, and if Microsoft closes them after acquiring them with the expectation that changes, that is just unfair.
But that said, they haven't been closed at this time and I don't want to accuse Microsoft of something they haven't done yet. I do expect it, but it hasn't happened. The recent closures came about a year after the most recent releases, so I guess we'll know better in 2025.
“MS can't be trusted with anything.
They're extremely volatile with their words and action.”
When gamers learn that Microsoft is a giant corporation run but executives who have a fiduciary duty to make money for shareholders.
It's not always about pleasing the lawyer Americans with the Brooklyn accent even if they live in LA. Microsoft could still keep the studio to make it look like they have more than just regular shooters. Alfredo sauce might not be as popular as marinara sauce on pizza but I sure am glad it's an option. This trillion dollar company needs to learn if its about supporting quality studios or cutting them off just because it didn't do spiderman numbers. I'm sure they would still be a trillion dollar company if they keep Ninja Theory, and also kept Arkane and Tango.
That's all companies. It's just that MS when it comes to this particular instance can't be trusted. Not after what they did to Tango.
That's pretty much the case the words never match with their actions with Microsoft. Well it's one of those things it will depend on how well Hellblade 2 does. Even their founder left recently but he was planning on leaving from the sounds of it.
Melatonin 10/10 - "puts you to sleep"
Unisom 8/10 - "side effects include boredom, but puts you to sleep overall"
Zzzquil 7/10 - "6 hours of barely any gameplay, leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but helped patients fall asleep"
Quviviq 10/10 - "helped patients fall asleep and stay asleep"
Zolpidem 10/10 - helped patients form a more healthy sleeping pattern"
Zolpidem extended release 10/10 - "fast working sleep medicine. Recommended to take 1 hour before bedtime for full 8 hour uninterrupted sleep"
Hellblade 2 is so good at putting players to sleep, that doctors will now prescribe it to you, if you suffer from poor sleeping habits.
I forgot to include
Triazolam 9/10 - "you'll sleep longer than the game's story length"
Sony's upcoming video game line up looks so lame and boring I figure PlayStation gamer's should all sleep like newborn babies.
Why are you mad? Aren't those the high review scores you Xbox fans were looking forward to? Maybe now, Ms won't shut them down.
@The3faces
I honestly think Astrobot and Phantom Blade 0 look better gameplay wise than anything I've seen from Xbox this year.
The only thing this game does better than the original is the graphics. The combat is slower, more simplistic, and believe it or not, more repetitive. The combat even has a free win button with the left trigger glyph activation.
You only fight one enemy at a time now as well so the fights take too long too. Sometimes you fight the same enemy 8 times in a row.
The voices in your head are no longer antagonist that make you doubt yourself, they're now cheerleaders. So even that part of the game is worse.
As for the main antagonist, the Giants. Hell Blade 2 decided to remove the ambiguity of the enemies in this game. Where in the first game, you weren't sure if the enemies are demons you are fighting are really men or just conjured illusions overlaying their visage due to your psychosis.
In this game demons are real and Giants are real. This was hammered home ny one of her colleagues (the priest with the weak chin) seeing the first Giant and hitting it with a thrown spear to chase it off. So the Giants are definitely corporeal being.
Now, having the Giants being established as corporeal beings, you NEVER even get to actually fight one!! I can't believe they never found a way to have an actual set piece battle ala God of War. What a massive disappointment.
This game had massive potential but they fumbled in every way possible. Other than the graphics. Even the puzzles are worse than the first game.
played hellblade 2 for 1 hour before i got tired of it. it just was not fun. And not being able to finish a 7 hour game really says something.
I play games to have fun and enjoy my time, not to get bored and depressed, those developers need to go back to the 80s/90s and understand why we had video games in the first place.
I really enjoyed it for what it was and glad there are some studios out there happily doing their own thing with a unique vision rather than just making the game people seem to think they should make. I loved the first one, had a great time with this one and hopefully there will be a third.
Game sales in Europe were low, and even big names such as Hellblade 2 did not feature on the Top 100 list.
Don't think it was a failure for Microsoft, since they already approved Hellblade 3...
What metrics do you think Microsoft uses to measure success. Do you think that a game costing $80 million can sell no copies and drive no GamePass adoption after 5 years of development and warrant a sequel? I would be surprised to see this series continue.
Sure that just wasn’t for show though after Tango and Arkane got shut down
Shows they are committed and squashes any potential rumours after more shutdowns
Not saying that’s true of course but it’s a hypothetical tactic
Microsoft claims Arkane Austin is not currently in danger of closing following Redfall
https://www.shacknews.com/a...
Microsoft Closes Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More in Devastating Cuts at Bethesda
https://www.ign.com/article...
Remember this is the company that said "By all metrics" Hi-Fi Rush was super successful. That game had a lower budget, spent less time in development, and was universally acclaimed.
@Enhainder
"Microsoft claims Arkane Austin is not currently in danger of closing following Redfall"
What improvements did Arkane Austin Studio bring to Redfall since then?
Have you thought about the numerous changes that can occur over a ten-month span?
Should I remind you of the image where Jim Ryan was conversing with the wonderful people at LondonStudio shortly before their shutdown?
https://www.giantbomb.com/a...
@lelo2play
Oh no of course not, because things that apply to everyone else do NOT apply to MS.
And Why? Because MS said so.
I said it so many times: Ninja Theory should go independent and cooperate with big Japanese publishers like capcom or sega or even playstation to remake or reboot some of their hidden treasure IPs.
Did they though. Out of all the gaming companies. Ms is one I'd take everything they say with a grain of salt.
I wouldn't call it "unfortunate" because there isn't much of a luck component here. It was never going to sell well, being available on Game Pass and being a type of game that historically doesn't have a strong showing on Xbox— and this is not in Xbox's best market and the game might be too costly for what it is, even at the lower-than-usual MSRP.
It seemed like an inevitability, honestly.
Frankly, Ninja Theory has always been niche—their most notable game was probably Heavenly Sword, and that was probably because it stood out as a launch game for PS3. They're not really a sequel studio. They usually aim to tell a story and move on. I haven't played the sequel, but another Hellblade probably won't be able to catch people as the first did because it grappled with some tough themes. They lose that brave new frontier of exploration with sequels.
Heavenly sword deserved a sequel and imo Ninja Theory would be thriving if they were under Sony.
thejigisup,
I believe it had a sequel planned at some point, didn't it? Not likely to happen now since Sony owns the IP and Microsoft owns the company behind it, though it is always possible that Sony outsources it to another studio.
I wasn't a fan of the gameplay personally (always a big point of issue with me and Ninja Theory games) but they are absolutely a talented lot.
They did really like Heavenly Sword apparently since it got more media than any other Ninja Theory game that I can think of. Usually it's a game and that's it, but I definitely remember a Heavenly Sword movie being on Netflix.
The stupidest lie ever told that gets ridiculous backlash by the gp advocates when questioned
This was a game being dragged on with 0 advertisement then was tossed out with everyone talking about how the game is 80% cut scenes/walking. Gamepass did nothing to hurt its sales
Gamepass is the only good way to play this game as it is not with the asking price atm.
There has to be a reason why MS is prioritizing GP over total sales. They are a business; their top priority is to make money.
"There has to be a reason why MS is prioritizing GP over total sales. They are a business; their top priority is to make money."
Traditional model was not working for them so now they are prioritizing GamePass in hopes that they will one day get enough subscribers to make up for any losses. It's the long game they are playing. They need to get those subscribers in a timely manner though.
@thenameless
The reason is that MS ends up getting more money out of consumers who sign up to GP. Because people buy GP, then end up paying for games not on offer while their amount of gaming remains the same. On average people signed up to service are paying more per year to play the same amount of games.
Meanwhile, the devs who release on GP make less money because their games dont sell copies. They get a lump sum payment from GP, thus no incentive to create anything special.
You folks continuously attack Gane Pass, yet, never bring alternative draws to the forefront.
Let's pretend Game Pass is discontinued. Then what? What's going to be the draw to XBOX? Asking for a friend.
@Willbo47
"You folks continuously attack Gane Pass, yet, never bring alternative draws to the forefront.
Let's pretend Game Pass is discontinued. Then what? What's going to be the draw to XBOX? Asking for a friend."
Nintendo and Sony seem to have a working solution. Something I think they call continuously making great games? Maybe they should try that?
They say that then after every major release they also say they are disappointed in sales. Can't have it both ways.
What they want to do is have you buy gamepass then buy early access DLC so you don't own the game but you can rent it a week early and then own the content for the game you don't own later so you'll re-subscribe to play the DLC you brought when it comes
@XiNatsu: “Oh dang that's unfortunate”
.
What did you expect a roaring success when the first one was multi platform and PAID FOR IN CASH while the second was exclusively on the lowest scaling console and on a subscription service for the price of a premium water bottle.
I'm sure Microsoft will have it stitched up for awards given their partner IGN has bought everyone.
Walking sims are just aren't my thing. I don't care who was behind the game. The original was never a top seller and with how Xbox is now the sequel to an already niche IP simply never stood a chance.
This game is the perfect marketing stunt and MS is so good at it. The game got a ton of publicity due to its intensive use of meatehuman features of UE 5. So at some point it was on everybody's mouth. Once the game released everybody realized the obvious, this thing is not a game is a graphic demo sold at a price (if you are not on GP). I did download it and gave it a try. The game remained on my M2 for not more than 2 hours. Unfortunatelly, for as much as people say the graphic is pretty (I do not like it ... and do not tell me that the color palette reflects the mental state of the protagpnist) there is no gameplay to talk of. MS only needs to make noise ... but it is all smoke and no substance.
Exactly zeek
This is just a game that failed on its own not gamepass fault but the lack of advertisement did not help also.
Why advertise if it was just gonna be downloaded on gamepass though. We know Xbox players don't buy games, and this games doesn't seem worth the asking price. So advertising would have just been throwing more money on the fire pit. Also it was advertised a little.
I mean they did remove Hellblade from Hellblades biggest console market. MS purchased two multiplatform publishers who's products sell far better on competing hardware and their rental service is cannibalising sales of new releases, low sales thanks to MS are of no surprise.
I just hope we don't see more studio closures and thousands more fired because MS's greed.
Not on Playstation, they are selling well. Not on Switch they are selling well, but Xboxgamers dont like "walking simulators".
I was thinking selling compared to other big games, but I'm a PS5 gamer so you do have a point.
Such a good looking game, best graphics this gen so far
" When the camera zooms in for a close-up, the level of detail is such that it left me guessing whether I was looking at real-time graphics or a pre-rendered cutscene. Thankfully, with Photo Mode being available at any time, you can easily confirm that they are, in fact, real-time.Of course, it's really the animation you experience while playing that impressed me the most. The expressions visible while engaged in combat or simply exploring really help bring the characters to life. "
As a story-focused game, characters and character rendering play a significant role in the presentation. However, while the pre-release media largely focused on Senua herself, Hellblade 2 features a surprisingly large number of other humans. It's without doubt one of the games defining visual features - the character rendering in Hellblade 2 sets new standards, delivering sequences that, at times, almost resemble actual filmed scenes with real actors. This is one of the first examples of a game that stands up against the promise of the UE5 demo The Matrix Awakens. The scenes feel very natural and realistic in a way that manages to somewhat sidestep the uncanny valley almost completely.
Incredible graphics..this is finally next gen graphics. It’s an experience more than a game. You can fault it or accept it and embrace what it gives you. It’s like Sony 1886.
(Summary)
- Takes advantage of everything UE5 offers
- Final game 'lives up to the lofty expectations' of the 2019 reveal
- Character rendering sets new standards and nearly resembles movie sequences with actual actors
- Leverages Unreal's Meta Human 5 to bypass the uncanny valley feel
- DF were left guessing whether some cut-scenes were in-game or real life footage (photo mode shows they're all real time)
- Character detail and how light / specular etc reflect on it praised
- A lot of the visual make up is tied to the post-process effects
- No option to disable things like CA, DoF etc but it's all suitable to the games presentation
- Soft filmic image quality and wider FoV praised
Resolution and Visuals:
- DRS 1296 to 1440p (w/ black bars 964 to 1070p). Series S will be covered in separate video
- 'Not sure if adding more pixels would make a difference to the filmic quality'
UE5 Features:
- Lumen is used extensively for direct and in-direct lighting, a lot of real time changes and shadows etc all update accordingly
- 'Phenomenal stuff'
- Lumen does a better job than traditional real time lighting system for indirectly lit areas like under ramps etc
- Lumen reflections used in combination with SSR for water bodies. Some water bodies can show SSR artifacts when moving camera
- 'Anyone looking at the game in motion will be impressed even if they do not understand the technical reasons'
- Unreal's fog is used effectively, fog lights up with light sources and runs at high quality
- Water effects and waves are praised. ' Absolutely stunning'
- Nanite is extensively used and eliminates visible pop-in even during scene transitions
- Minimal repetition or tiling, uses photo-grammatory
- Some assets like tree branches can show low resolution when zoomed in with photo mode, however
- Fine shadow detail is retained even when zooming extremely in thanks to Unreal's Virtual Shadow Maps
- Shadow quality is not always perfect and can show cracks in some instances but very consistent by and large
- Not the first UE5 game to use all these features, but by and far the best looking game to do so.
Performance:
- 30 FPS but the performance is locked and never dropped in John's testing on Series X
- DF tested the game on their Series X - similar - PC to see how much performance could be gained over 30
- 4K with DRS, they were able to stay locked at 30 FPS on High
- DRS 1440p with 60 FPS target sees game play at high 50s with more drops in cut-scenes
- DF thinks based on this test, SX can do 60 FPS with a more aggressive DRS target
- However, PC version can show massive frame time stutters that the Xbox version does not in the same areas
- DF summary: 60 FPS is theoretically possible, but for a stable 60 they might need to drop settings a lot
Audio
- Headphones are needed for Binaural audio effect that the game uses extensively
- DF thinks it is 'incredibly engaging'
Trailer Comparison:
- They compare the Giant fight trailer with the same area in the final game
- Final game has lesser lens distortion and difference in how the flame is lit
- The flames felt more 'fluid' in the demo versus the final game, otherwise no difference in the segment noted
- DF thinks Ninja Theory 'reached their goal'
- Praise the polish, presentation etc.
If they achieved this level of quality their first time using UE5... I can't wait to see what their next game is going to look like.
Remember the trailer release and ppl didn't think it was insane footage cause it looked too good