Summary

• Unreal 5 Engine elevates graphics to new heights, creating a terrifying atmosphere in Hellblade 2.
• From jump scares to creeping dread, Hellblade 2 terrifies with marauding killers, giants, claustrophobic spaces, and eerie sound design.
• Hellblade 2's narrative sets it apart, with a dark and macabre story reflecting themes of mourning and mental health.

Although the oppressive, constantly isolated pacing of the original game has been largely replaced by a new narrative in pushed the graphics of Hellblade 2 to the next level, creating a menacing atmosphere that feels all too realistic at times, even though many of the themes are based on mythology.

The following article details scenes and content dealing with extreme violence, mental health, and abuse.

Whether the scene contains a slow, insidious creeping apprehension or outright terrifying jump scares, Hellblade 2 has a number of scenes that will get just about anyone's skin crawling with fear. From marauding cannibalistic killers to massive, hideous giants or just a very closed and claustrophobic space, the game is able to elicit the frights throughout most of the title's duration.

10 Crawling Under The Broken Boat

The First Jumpscare

One of the first and most terrifying scenes early in the game comes right after Senua washes on shore. After being attacked by a marauder, Senua hears screams coming from an overturned boat, but as she investigates the claustrophobic area under the vessel, she doesn't find anyone to rescue. On the contrary, she uncovers a pile of corpses, having drowned during the shipwreck. One of the bodies clings onto her leg as water rushes through the boat.

Although overall just a light introduction to the types of scares Hellblade 2 has to offer, this early scene is a good indication of how many of the game's more confined spaces feel throughout the playthrough. The creeping dread and the game establishing that Senua may not be the most reliable narrator sets the tone for the rest of the dark and macabre story.

9 Entering The Cannibal Camp

Draugr Eat People

The cannibals that Senua first meets in Chapter 2 of the game are the first real threats outside of the original raiders who kept her hostage at the start of the game. Unlike the original Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, the sequel offers different tribes in their fictional depiction of 10th-century Iceland, and the Pict warrior must first dispatch a band of unrelenting cannibals.

Screams and fires from the camp, along with the droning music akin to Mongolian throat singing, this first encounter helps set the tone for the rest of the game. In this world, Senua must maintain a high level of skepticism, as nothing seems safe.

8 Illtauga, The First Giant

Senua's Introduction To The Giants

While all the giants in Hellblade 2 are intimidating in their own right, Illtauga, the first giant that Senua encounters, is undeniably the most creepy one. While the actual story behind Illtauga's human form is quite sad, the giant itself is a terrifying reminder that in this world, monstrous beasts roam the land, none being more frightening than the burnt-skinned Illtauga.

Illtauga represents the horrific nature of volcanic eruptions on people who live around them, as well as the story of a woman who sadly loses her child. This sense of loss is one that Senua can relate to, with themes of mourning resonating in a powerful allegory.

7 Wading Through Dark Water

Under The Surface

One of the things Hellblade 2 does so well is play on common fears and phobias. One such phobia is a fear of wading through water in cases where it's hard to see under the surface. Thalassophobia, the fear of large bodies of water or, more technically, a fear of what lurks below the surface of the water, is featured as Senua must make her way down into the caves to discover more details on the Hiddenfolk.

This scare is more of a creeping foreboding than an outright jumpscare, as the reduced momentum is mixed with the intense darkness created by the corridors of the cave. As aptly put by the Hiddenfolk themselves when they say, "Plunging into the unknown places which no light touches." As Senua makes her way through the dank caves, her torch is constantly threatened to go out, leading to the savage shadows that occupy her mind, and the monsters that may lurk under the surface.

6 The Hiddenfolk Caves Contain Monstrous Fiends

A Race Of Cave-Dwelling Cannibals

Looking for the Hiddenfolk requires Senua to look in dark places, and one such spelunking journey brings her upon a race of cave-dwelling monsters. Hiding in the shadows, she never feels safe as she makes her way through different dark corridors to find more information and find a solution to defeat the giants.

Guarding these caves is a race of monsters similar to those from the film The Decent, who tackle and bite Senua whenever they are able to. Though this eventually leads to a rather relaxing puzzle segment, the initial shock of these creatures is spine-chilling. Ultimately, it's not clear whether these monsters are real or just a manifestation of Senua's mind. At one point, they completely overwhelm her, piling on top of Senua.

5 The Dark Forest Plays Tricks On The Mind

A Different Kind Of Fright

The dark forest is one of the more terrifying sequences of the game, not because of a grotesque beast or monstrous entity but because of the feelings of isolation and the fear of being lost. Known to play on the mind, this foggy area of the game turns Senua around and separates her from her friends, the one reprieve in an otherwise dark and oppressive world.

Eventually, though she reunites with her friends, the dark forest serves as an example of the fear of the unknown and the terror that comes with utter confusion. The utter darkness and hopelessness are best encapsulated by Astridr and Senua's other companions, who usually have a composed and powerful demeanor and are brought to their knees by the confusion and self-doubt generated by this wretched place. In this case, the scene is so scary that it brings her to near tears.

4 The Water Giant

More Monster Than Mystique

More of an imposing figure and monster akin to Kaiju or other gigantic creatures that cause havoc, Saegeirr is less of a creeping horror and more of an outright imposing figure. His disfigurement reflects the man he used to be — a backstabber who betrayed his village elder and doomed his friends and family. Though most of the scenes after the introduction of the terrifying beast are based on an action sequence, the creature itself is scary enough to qualify as one of the scarier scenes in the game.

Like most of the monsters and beasts in Hellblade, Saegeirr also stands as a representation of the savage storms that caused damage in 10th-century Iceland, as well as the untamed seas that cause a massive loss of life right at the start of Hellblade 2. By the end of Hellblade 2, more about the allegorical nature of the giants is elucidated.

3 A Desicrated Village

& Empty Crib

Earlier in the game, it's possible to explore a raided village. If one explores thoroughly enough, it's possible to hear the cries of a child and the people who were killed there. More of a cerebral scare than a jumpscare, the rotting flesh of slaughtered animals and humans alike create one of the most disturbing scenes in the entire game.

Players must stand in the savaged hut in order to hear the cries of the baby coming from the crib.

Add in the fact that there's an empty bloody crib that one can find, and it turns up the eeriness factor significantly. Anything dealing with children often takes things to the next level, and this slightly tucked-away scene is certainly a good example of this.

2 Senua Burned Alive

A Disgusting Look Into The Past

Like many things in Hellblade 2, the disturbing scene of Senua burning represents the past with Senua's mother's fate, accused of being a heretic due to her mental health condition. Although arguably more tragic than scary, this scene depicts the hopeless fate many faced during the Dark Ages, in a time when less was understood of science.

It also represents Senua dismissing the accusations of her father — a sentiment that is reflected throughout the game and holds a bigger significance in the overall narrative. Rather than blaming her mother for her mental health, attention turns inward toward Senua's own resilience and strength as a new view of her past and parentage is formed.

1 Any Scene Dealing With Zynbel

Evil Personified

In addition to being a rotten human being and the personification of evil in the Hellblade universe, Senua's father, Zynbel, represents a lot of the suffering currently in Senua's world. Known as "Shadow," in Hellblade 2 — the amazing voice of Steven Hartley, who returned to reprise his role from the first game, creates a disturbing look at abuse at the hands of a parent.

The sometimes cheesy live-action scenes from the first Hellblade have been replaced with truly horrifying alternate-universe situations, adding a sense of gravitas that was missing from the first game. Unlike the other voices in Hellblade 2, scenes with Zynbel are almost always exclusively negative and critical and, for that reason, rank as some of the truly scary scenes in the entire game.