With the release of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Xbox has finally added one of its biggest exclusives of the year to its list. First revealed in 2019, the nearly five-year development cycle has yielded a stellar title that will go down in the annals of gaming history as a worthy successor to the 2017 original.
The game is a cinematic treat, but the release has not gone down well with everyone in the gaming community. Some PlayStation fans are tearing down Ninja Theory’s latest flagship release, questioning the effort that has gone into the game.
Gamers Criticize Hellblade 2 for Supposedly Lackluster Performance Numbers
Next-gen consoles were expected to bring 4K resolution, raytracing, and the highly coveted 60 FPS mark. Some older games are able to hit 120 FPS! Console games these days offer the choice between quality or performance modes, allowing players to choose what they wish to prioritize.
963p 20 FPS
— HYPED (@iamalitayyeb) May 21, 2024
81 Metacritic
4 hours playthrough
Cutscene and walking simulator
This is what took Xbox 5 years to develop. pic.twitter.com/G3jAczHmPw
The upgraded specs also promised games that are larger in scope, offering much more content for the $60 price tag. It’s these points that are now being used against Hellblade 2 (despite the fact that the game is sold for $50). We have known for a while that the console version of Hellblade 2 is limited to 30 FPS. Ninja Theory stated that this is to ensure a cinematic experience, which makes sense as most movies are shot at 24 FPS.
This doesn’t stop gamers from ridiculing the Hellblade 2 for what they believe to be previous-generation performance specs.
Black bars
— THE RED DRAGON (@TWTHEREDDRAGON) May 21, 2024
30fps
1v1 combat that has been downgraded from original
Barely 5 hours
Running at 20fps on Xbox Series X
Lawd have mercy pic.twitter.com/XthTEepB1u
Screenshots are now floating on X, showing the performance numbers from Hellblade 2. The common thread between the two is the 30 FPS lock. Other criticisms are the short story clocking in at around 5 hours and the “downgraded” combat.
I'm surprised xbox isn't marketting it as "a few games only run at 8.3ms, some at 16.6ms, most 33.3 ms.
— Thizz (@codyvasy) May 21, 2024
At XBOX, we're pushing forward with 50ms gameplay!
16.6ms more than our competition"
The lack of marketing and hype from Xbox isn’t doing the title any favors either. We discussed this unfortunate turn of events in our review, and it feels like Microsoft has left Hellblade 2 out to dry with no marketing. This is a shame, as the gaming industry is in dire need of titles willing to take risks with tough stories.
Hellblade 2’s Combat Was Purposefully Designed to be Intimate
The critique of the combat in the game having been downgraded is an intentional decision by Ninja Theory. Combat director Benoit Macon was inspired by the chaotic flurry of the Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones. The idea was to create fights that are 1v1 for intensity while having events within those fights that change the circumstances.
As a way to achieve this, the team filmed over 70 days’ worth of footage with stunt actors and combat specialists going through fights as a way to create a large repository of combat moves. This was then used to create intense combat sequences, with dynamism coming from sudden intrusions and occurrences.
Xbox has a gem of an exclusive on their hands, and, surprisingly, they have kept so quiet about its release. There is no news as to why the company adopted the approach it has, but it is negatively affecting the release of what could be a Game of the Year nominee.
Do you believe technical performance numbers are directly related to quality? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
