Summary

• Hellblade 2 seamlessly merges cutscenes and gameplay to create a continuous experience.
• The game lacks both UI and cutscene transitions, standing out in the gaming market.
• Hellblade 2's uniquely evolved approach could have a big impact on the future of game design.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 isn't quite like most other games on the market, and there's one key part of its approach that definitely bears examination. As the follow-up to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Hellblade 2 continues the story of a Pict warrior struggling with psychosis as she journeys into Iceland and faces new threats. Although the first game features plenty of combat and puzzle-solving, it's also very interested in being a cinematic experience, a concept that Hellblade 2 doubles down on.

The style of Hellblade 2 was the emphasis of promotional material for years before its May 2024 release, with the game making regular appearances at events like The Game Awards and being billed as a big draw for Xbox. Some gameplay reels for the game feel more like cinematic trailers, leaning heavily into immersive potential that might be more widely associated with the modern era of PlayStation exclusives. Hellblade 2 goes a little further down that right than similar high-profile games do, however, and its approach feels like something that can't simply be ignored.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Has Truly Seamless Cutscenes

A Lack Of UI & Transitions Makes Hellblade 2 Stand Out

Hellblade 2 is intent on delivering a truly continuous experience, and to this end, it fluidly merges cutscenes and gameplay in a way that makes it unclear where one ends and the other starts. It's not the first game to follow this general concept, but it's assisted by the complete removal of UI and button prompts. While games like God of War: Ragnarök feature no cuts between cutscenes and gameplay, they do bring UI elements back in when things transition, so there's always an obvious indicator of when it's time to watch and when it's time to play.

The control layout in Hellblade 2 can be checked by opening the menu, which breaks the immersion but delivers the requisite information.

Looking at the approach from a positive angle, it's possible to frame it as a big step in the long-running evolution of gaming as a medium. Relaying a detailed plot on a 8- or 16-bit console had to rely on blocks of text and the potential for heavier use of cutscenes that arrived with the 3D era spliced in segments that were either rudimentary or, in the case of pre-rendered cutscenes, often vastly different from the style of the gameplay. With either approach, there's less inherent cohesion than telling a story through a book or film could achieve.

Similarly, UI can often feel like a somewhat awkward artifact in game design. Many modern titles use UI as a crutch, overlaying markers and mini-maps and highlighting interactions with all sorts of prompts to ensure that the player is never unsure of what to do. Turning off the UI altogether in a game that's designed around its heavy application usually results in an awkwardly fumbling experience, and neither of these options end up feeling as rewarding or immersive as they could.

The seamless experience is an interesting ideal to strive for, and it might be one of the strongest arguments for the realistic possibilities allowed by Unreal Engine 5. Graphical fidelity has never been necessary to make a game great, but it's crucial for delivering this particular brand of cinematic forgery. The end result might have as much in common with pseudo-one-take films like 1917 as it does with the average video game, and the appeal of never being taken out of the moment is similar.

Hellblade 2's Seamless Approach Can Have Some Limits

Every Approach Comes With Tradeoffs

For all that this approach offers Hellblade 2, it also comes with some inherent restrictions that aren't going to appeal to everyone. Making something feel seamless hinges on a lot of streamlining, and the things that get jettisoned in that process aren't necessarily valueless. The combat's focus on singular opponents feels like one such casualty, and these enemies can seem more oriented around presentation and story moments than around particularly varied or harrowing gameplay.

The cinematic value gained in the exchange also isn't as straightforward as it can seem, as a one-take approach can lose out on a lot of the power of bespoke compositions and well-positioned cuts. There's a reason why the films that have achieved acclaim with similar techniques come from some of the most heralded cinematographers in the business, and it's not something that most games are likely to pull off in a way that feels consistently impactful.

Hellblade 2's potential shortcomings might just be growing pains for its approach, but it's not the first time that a game has faced criticism for being a presentational powerhouse but arguably too slight. The PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 might be the most obvious comparison with showcase-worthy graphics, streamlined linearity, and an efficient runtime, and an ultimately tepid reception that didn't exactly encourage other games to follow suit. Although Hellblade 2 is a substantially different game that feels like it has more potential to be influential, it's easy to see where similar concerns might arise.

Hellblade 2 Could Have A Big Impact On Other Games

Hellblade 2 Blazes A Unique Trail

Regardless, the game works as a proof of concept, and its generally positive reception (a mix of some glowing Hellblade 2 reviews and some lukewarm ones) might be the signal that other developers need to try committing as fully as it does. Plenty of games should never be taken in a similar direction, but when it comes to something that's already attempting a seamless concept, taking the plunge of dropping UI entirely and avoiding any cuts whatsoever could prove more rewarding. Even among titles aiming for different prerogatives, most games could stand to pare down UI in general.

It seems likely that more games will end up following in the mold of Hellblade 2, and they may very well build on its approach to tell longer stories or dive deeper into mechanical challenges. The possibilities that its approach offers are undeniably interesting, and trying new things is necessary for games to find their way into the future. Seamless game experiences don't have to be the standard, but Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 deserves some attention for forging a path that others can take.