There’s no doubt that Hellblade 2’s arrival marks an important time in the gaming landscape. Ninja Theory’s upcoming game isn’t just your average single-player action-adventure title. It takes a deeper root in some complicated themes revolving around mental health issues and fully uses them for storytelling instead of outright ignoring them like many modern titles.
Like the original game, Ninja Theory is working hard to portray Senua’s mental state to the fullest, and the developers want to get every single detail just right this time as well. Even Melina Jurgens, who voices Senua, has opened up about her struggles and states, “we just don’t stop fighting” against mental health issues.
Hellblade 2 Actor Talks About Her Own Mental Health Struggles
To this day, the Hellblade franchise remains one of the most faithful on-screen representations of mental health struggles, specifically psychosis. As we’re just a few weeks away from Hellblade 2’s launch, developer Ninja Theory has shared a video featuring Melina Jurgens, where she opens up about her mental health struggles.
In the video, Jurgens talks about her favorite aspects of the Senua, which are her courage and empathy. The actor reveals that both Senua and she have quite a lot in common, as she’s been there since the beginning of the project, which means that she has played a significant role in shaping the character.
Just like Senua, Jurgens suffers from mental health issues, but they’re fighters who keep pushing through whatever life throws at them and “just don’t stop fighting.” Later, she also shared her experience with Ninja Theory’s new motion capture technology, which allows for a better representation of the characters. Jurgens’ depiction of psychosis in the original Hellblade game was incredible in depth and accuracy.
The actor even won a BAFTA for best performer, proving her incredible familiarity with mental health issues. In an interview with PC Games, the actor revealed how terrified she was initially to act in front of everyone, as she understands how devastating mental health issues can be.
Jurgens herself had psychosis in her early twenties and still deals with anxiety issues to this day. Her unique way of depicting Senua helps others who suffer from similar mental health problems.
Ninja Theory Reveals How Hellblade 2 Handles Mental Health Representation
A brand-new video by Ninja Theory released today takes a dive into how the studio has handled mental health representation in the highly anticipated Hellblade II. The video, titled “Senua’s Psychosis,” reveals how the developers integrated expertise from different mental health consultants, real people, and their decade-plus partnership with Cambridge Neuroscience and Professor Paul Fletcher to deliver a realistic representation of psychosis.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be a digital-only game launch, with the standard version priced at $49.99. The game will debut on Xbox Series S/X consoles and the PC on May 21st, 2024. It is also confirmed to be a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass.
