Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is one of the most anticipated games launching next month, and players are excitedly looking forward to it. The game is the sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which was released in 2017 and received mostly positive reviews from players and critics alike.
The upcoming game’s trailer and gameplay showcase that developer, Ninja Theory, is building upon the formula of the first game to win players’ hearts with a gripping dark fantasy narrative. The developer has now revealed the one reason why it decided to stick to the process of the first game.
The Original Game Inspires Hellblade 2 in a Huge Way
Hellblade 2 depicts psychosis, which was done with the help of medical professionals through deep discussions and thorough consultations about it. Laurie Dunham, the scriptwriter and director of performance capture for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, recently spoke to GamesRadar and revealed that the process of the development of the sequel has remained as it was for the 2017 title.
Laurie Dunham said that the “big takeaway” from the first game’s success was how people who might have had the same experience with psychosis and could not communicate due to this were able to resonate with the main character, Senua, who also suffered from this disorder. She further added,
That idea of being seen and understood is so important and is [why we choose to] approach the sequel in a very similar way – to speak and listen to people with lived experience, to get their insights, and to make something that’s faithful and accurate.
Developer Ninja Theory consulted with medical professionals to ensure that it depicts psychosis accurately and sensitively in the first game, and also contacted people who suffered from mental illness to listen to their experiences. The developer has done the same again for Hellblade 2, with accurate research and consultations with clinicians and people affected by it.
Hellblade 2 Will Have the Same Sensitivity and Accuracy as the Original Title
The developer has consulted with Paul Fletcher, who is a psychiatrist and professor of neuroscience at Cambridge University, about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and he is also the one who advised the studio on the first game. He said that the early conversations about the illness presented concerns, but the feedback was “utterly unexpected and so gratifying and validating.”
He also said that responses stated that the game did not reflect their illness. Fletcher added that it does not mean that everything that was missing in the game has been brought to the sequel, but a lot of thought was given to it.
Paul Fletcher also praised Laurie Dunham and the Hellblade 2 development team for meeting people to learn about their experiences and bring them into the game. He added that the first title “took Senua to a place of relative peace and acceptance; the sequel marked a chance to continue the protagonist’s journey, to expand and enlarge her world, her challenges, and her goals.”
Are you looking forward to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2? Let us know in the comments below.
