Senua is back in action for another grungy delight, all as Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 arrives on the scene. As arguably one of the biggest Xbox games of 2024, Hellblade 2 pitches itself as the Green Team's very own God of War Ragnarok, with Melina Jürgens back as the titular Pictish warrior. 

The first reviews are trickling in, and while Ninja Theory has splashed the cash on a much bigger and bolder sequel, things might not be glowing too brightly in Helheim. While Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 might be dividing critics, the team has sent a heartfelt message to fans and thanked them for their support. 

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 review roundup

At the time of writing, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 has a respectable 81/100 on Metacritic. This is conveniently the exact same score as 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, but remember, fans themselves are yet to get their hands on it.

Our own Joshua Boyles here at GGRecon gave the game 4/5 and wrote, "Hellblade 2 is a game that relies far more on its visual presentation and storytelling than its gameplay mechanics to keep the player engaged.

"That might cut the mustard for a certain audience, but as a lover of the genre, I feel that Ninja Theory could have done with thinking a little more out of the box to tie the narrative and gameplay together more intrinsically."

GamesRadar's Jasmine Gould-Wilson gave it a rare perfect score of 100 and gushed, "It excels as both a dark fantasy horror-tinged adventure game and a groundbreaking psychological case study, delivering a masterclass in  technical and thematic maturity that proves why Ninja Theory is the only studio that could have pulled it off in the first place."

Forbes' Paul Tassi was less impressed but still praised Hellblade 2, writing, "I enjoyed many parts of Hellblade 2, and there are some environmental/music sequences in particular, one near the beginning, the other nearer to the middle, that are going to stay with me a while due to the absolute crushing, horrifying, intense atmosphere paired with amazing audio. But as a game? Something I enjoyed playing? Generally speaking, no, it wasn’t really for me."

GameSpot's Jessica Cogswell gave it a middling 60/100 and concluded, "There are plenty of games that prove games can be art, but as some studios lean harder into proving that in one specific way that cribs from Hollywood, we're seeing some games that feel afraid of being games.

"With too much focus on cinematics and too little on creating an experience that is engaging, Senua's Saga fails to reach the same highs as its predecessor--even if it does look stunning whilst trying."

Ninja Theory thanks fans for their support

While the early signs indicate that Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is a visually stunning game that is likely setting itself up for a live-action adaptation, it's been critiqued for its short length and lack of evolution in terms of gameplay. Still, Ninja Theory is happy with it and has thanked the Hellblade community.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Studio Head Dom Matthews reminded us, "Making video games is difficult." Saying the team loves to see your support and how much Senua means to you, Matthews added, "We as a team have been guided by a conviction to achieve our quest: To make a game that sinks you deep into Senua’s world and to take you on a journey that leaves you thinking and feeling."

Whether we'll get a trilogy of Hellblade games remains to be seen, but we don't imagine Ninja Theory will be still for long. Windows Central claims the next project has already been greenlit. Alongside the already revealed "Project Mara," there's an unannounced game given the nod by Microsoft. Good news for those who feared Ninja Theory was about to get the chop.