{"id":91816,"date":"2019-04-11T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/hellblade_senuas_sacrifice"},"modified":"2019-04-11T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:00:00","slug":"review-hellblade-senuas-sacrifice-a-dazzling-port-that-sacrifices-very-little","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/04\/11\/review-hellblade-senuas-sacrifice-a-dazzling-port-that-sacrifices-very-little\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Hellblade: Senua&#8217;s Sacrifice &#8211; A Dazzling Port That Sacrifices Very Little"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/hellblade_senuas_sacrifice\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/hellblade_senuas_sacrifice\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95871\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95871\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 1 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>The critically acclaimed <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/hellblade_senuas_sacrifice\">Hellblade: Senua\u2019s Sacrifice<\/a><\/strong> won a whole host of awards back in 2017 on PS4 and PC, so hearing that the game was coming to Switch sent ripples of excitement through the NL office. Ninja Theory, the studio behind <strong>Heavenly Sword<\/strong>, <strong>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West<\/strong> and <strong>DmC (<\/strong>the 2013 Devil May Cry reboot) specialises in \u2018independent AAA\u2019 games \u2013 at least it did until Microsoft acquired the studio last year \u2013 and Hellblade\u2019s dark, psychological brand of action-adventure looked like an ambitious project for a Switch port. With Microsoft getting particularly cosy with Nintendo of late, it\u2019s no surprise that this version of Hellblade continued production unabated, but can it <em>really<\/em> hold a candle to the original game?<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95876\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95876\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 2 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>From the first moment you boot it up on the handheld, it\u2019s hard to understand just how QLOC, the company trusted to bring the game to Switch, has managed it. The static close-up of Senua\u2019s face on the title screen sets the tone to follow, as do the ambient screams and ominous chords. Simply put, Hellblade looks stunning on Nintendo\u2019s console. QLOC has done sterling work.<\/p>\n<p>Weighing in at a hefty 18.2GB, texture quality is generally much better than we imagined it could be. Senua herself looks fantastic \u2013 the fur \u2018ruff\u2019 she wears looks, well, it looks like fur! Various effects are employed to reflect her fractured perception and they, coupled with depth-of-field effects, arguably help to disguise some of the changes to this version of the game, but Hellblade really stands up visually on the Switch.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not perfect, of course and eagle-eyed fans will note the concessions QLOC has made; although it runs at a relatively smooth 30 frames-per-second, minor hiccoughs occur as you move between some areas, and you\u2019ll notice the odd bit of texture pop-in or shadows loading as you enter an enclosure. Senua\u2019s hair clips into her back sometimes, and dynamic resolution appears to be employed to keep things running smoothly; handheld mode is a touch blurrier, although the smaller screen helps. Digital Foundry\u2019s customary analysis will be fascinating, but a cursory comparison via YouTube reveals that lighting and foliage quality have been reduced, too.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95877\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95877\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 3 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>However, playing Hellblade in this way \u2013 analysing framerates and foliage \u2013 is to completely miss the point when the Switch version <em>more than<\/em> hits the minimum fidelity required to tell its story with aplomb. It\u2019s a dark, intellectual combat-horror game and QLOC\u2019s port ensnares the player in its world <em>very<\/em> effectively. Reviewing the game forces us to draw direct comparisons with existing versions and adopt an unnatural approach. The average player wouldn\u2019t \u2013 and <em>shouldn\u2019t<\/em> \u2013 have PS4 gameplay videos running side-by-side for comparison\u2019s sake and, to be frank, we were sorry we had to disturb our time with Senua to do so, but it\u2019s a necessary evil for the review; <em>you<\/em> can enjoy the journey uninterrupted.<\/p>\n<p>The game is a narrative triumph as well as a technical one. It&#8217;s won umpteen awards in various categories and garnered particular praise for its depiction of a protagonist with psychosis and mental instability. Drawn from Norse mythology, Senua\u2019s journey to Helheim to avenge her lover has her confronting surreal enemies and constantly questioning what\u2019s real or imagined. Although it does involve some chunky, satisfying swordplay, it\u2019s a disquieting, exploratory experience \u2013 certainly not something to embark on lightly or if you\u2019re simply after some relaxing, free-flowing video game violence. You\u2019re given time to ruminate and the developers take pleasure in unsettling you with ethereal voices and disturbing noises.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95875\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95875\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 4 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s a cerebral game with a slow, considered pace. By \u2018cerebral\u2019, we don\u2019t mean you\u2019ll be solving intricate puzzles, although you\u2019ll encounter some conundrums which usually involve finding environmental features to match runes that unlock gates. The game uses excellent audio design to block you in, to \u2018cage\u2019 you with Senua\u2019s conflicting thoughts. The environment is wonderfully crunchy and squelchy by turn, but voices occupy the stereo sound channels in a very intimate way, even when you\u2019re playing on the TV (binaural sound though headphones enhances the effect even further). The sound is beautifully crisp and close, providing an intimacy that\u2019s unsettling and comforting in equal measure.<\/p>\n<p>The motion capture used to bring Senua to life is a cut above the average fare, and the attention to detail that Ninja Theory put into her character model really helps build a relationship between you and protagonist as she deals with the internal mental conflict. As well as mocking and casting doubt on her actions, the voices also coach you and the game is pleasantly devoid of an explicit tutorial. From a gameplay perspective this is refreshing, although it did mean we missed a couple of features until later on. Hitting \u2018ZR\u2019 outside of combat zooms in and focuses Senua\u2019s attention on the various sigils and environmental features she comes across, but in combat it also activates a \u2018witchtime\u2019-style slowdown mode, although we went through the first few hours (the game&#8217;s only around 8 hours long) without knowing it was there.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95874\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95874\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 5 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>With every failure and death a creeping pestilence called \u2018dark rot\u2019 worms its way further up Senua\u2019s arm; you\u2019re threatened with having to restart your game completely if it reaches your head. There are echoes of From Software\u2019s <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/dark_souls_remastered\">Dark Souls<\/a><\/strong> in both this and the combat, although it\u2019s Dark Souls by way of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/resident_evil_4\">Resident Evil 4<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 everything feels very tank-like and cinematic with its over-the-shoulder perspective.<\/p>\n<p>Senua draws her sword automatically when an enemy materialises. Dodge is on \u2018B\u2019 with a melee attack on \u2018A\u2019 and fast and heavy sword strikes on \u2018Y\u2019 and \u2018X\u2019 respectively. You can block with \u2018R\u2019, although we rarely used it. Motion controls are included in the Switch version, although again, we played for several hours without realising. Holding in \u2018ZR\u2019 to focus activates the gyrometer allowing you to look around using the Joy-Con. It works well if you\u2019re into that sort of thing and is entirely unobtrusive if you&#8217;re not.<\/p>\n<p>Despite familiar echoes and mechanical touchstones from other games, Hellblade\u2019s psychological bent and the constant voices in Senua\u2019s (and therefore <em>your<\/em>) head give it an identity very much of its own. Again, though, as game enthusiasts it\u2019s difficult to separate our admiration of the technical aspects from the game itself. On one hand it\u2019s a shame to focus on the tech behind the game when the narrative is equally remarkable, but it\u2019s continually astonishing to see what the Switch can do in the right hands. We\u2019ve seen incredible feats already from the likes of Panic Button, with <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/doom\">DOOM<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/wolfenstein_ii_the_new_colossus\">Wolfenstein II<\/a><\/strong> being the go-to examples of \u2018miracle\u2019 ports, but those games are always couched in qualifications. They\u2019ve been squeezed onto Nintendo\u2019s handheld hybrid against all odds \u2013 hugely impressive games <em>considering the hardware limitations<\/em>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95872\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/95872\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Review - Screenshot 6 of 6\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Hellblade certainly joins their ranks, but arguably goes a step further thanks to its slower pace and profound narrative. Caveats still exist, of course, but they aren\u2019t so nakedly apparent. This <em>feels<\/em> like an uncompromised vision \u2013 a fully realised and rounded psychological tale that just happens to be running on the Switch\u2019s mobile chipset. It\u2019s excellent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>To have Hellblade: Senua\u2019s Sacrifice on Switch in this form is a blessing that you shouldn\u2019t miss out on. The game itself is a psychological sensory experience that we thoroughly recommend, but the fact that it\u2019s been translated to Switch in such a complete fashion is the true surprise here. It doesn\u2019t feel like a downgrade at all \u2013 it stands proudly alongside the other \u2018miracle\u2019 ports on the system, arguably surpassing them in some ways. It\u2019s a remarkable effort and a challenge to other developers who insist Switch couldn\u2019t handle their games. Anything\u2019s possible, it seems, and we take our hats off to QLOC \u2013 bravo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The critically acclaimed Hellblade: Senua\u2019s Sacrifice won a whole host of awards back in 2017 on PS4 and PC, so hearing that the game was coming to Switch sent ripples of excitement through the NL office. Ninja Theory, the studio behind Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC (the 2013 Devil May Cry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91816\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}