Hellblade… I really wanted to love this one after having so many recommendations; but upon rolling credits I just had to come to terms and accept, it just wasn’t for me. I found it very much a game of two opposing sides, I didn’t hate it by any means but neither did I love it.

The biggest praise I can give Hellblade is its absolute devotion to its atmosphere and its unique way of story telling. It’s really proving that games are indeed art. The sound design is incredible, and while the voices in your head can get annoying, it’s very much intentional and I loved what it added. The art and design department really nailed the brief.

The opposing side to this though is its neglect of gameplay. I think my biggest gripe is just how slow it all is, I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying it’s a walking sim but damn does Senua move slow. My finger got genuinely sore holding the run button (well more like briskly walk button). Speaking of gameplay, the combat is passable but there’s really not a lot to it, it’s extremely sluggish and repetitive. Some of the puzzles have really cool concepts but the ‘main’ puzzles (the rune puzzles) just have you looking for symbols in the world, it’s just boring and becomes rather tedious. It all just felt like a slog to play through.

To conclude, I really didn’t want to bash this game, it has a fantastic atmosphere and that’s really want drives the game and that made it worth finishing for me. It really has some great ideas baked in too but, to me personally, the bad side of the game got in the way of that enjoyment. Some who loves a story and the art of gamin you’ll really enjoy this but if you’re someone who loves gameplay I don’t think you’ll have a good time. I am glad I finally played this but, as I stated at the start, I think it just wasn’t for me as a whole, but that’s ok.