"The hardest battles are fought in the mind..."

Even on a 4th or 5th playthrough I'm still stunned by this game. This is nothing short of a masterpiece, one of the most unique and most important games I have ever played. Its writing is endlessly quotable, packed into a tightly paced action-adventure that never drops in quality.

The gameplay has been criticised a lot, and honestly, I understand why, but I totally disagree. There is plenty of variety in its levels that mixes up the core gameplay elements; namely linear exploration, combat and puzzles. I enjoy all parts of it. What stands out the most for me though is the combat: even on this replay I discovered new combos and attacks, even on this playthrough was it extremely satisfying to fight each and every enemy.

"Hellblade" reminds me why I love video games: it offers an experience you cannot get anywhere else - one that is not only fun to play, emotionally captivating but also one that enables a plethora of analyses and discussions.