HELLBLADE SENUA'S SACRIFICE (2017) | [ALL CUTSCENES!!]

That was a very interesting and entertaining game to play. Also, a lot of care from the producers trying to faithfully and respectfully represent mental illness. Really, with headphones, this game gets intense when playing. Of course, there is a lot up for interpretation, especially about what actually happened, what was imagined, what are memories, the whole time frame, ... But most agree that you, the player, are not controlling Senua, you are not playing as her. You are playing as one of her new voices in her head, 'trying' to influence, manipulate, control Senua. Which, I guess, technically, also means that whenever Senua is looking at the camera, she isn't really breaking the fourth wall? She's actually just looking at the new voice she got when starting the journey. And seeing as you, the player, are the new voice, she looks directly at you. Well, not you, the player, but her new voice you are playing as. I hope it's clear what I mean? Like in a first person view game, when another person talks to your character, they also look at 'you', but it isn't a 4th wall break, as they just look at your character. Or is that also considered a 4th wall break? I don't believe so. But interested what you all think, just as a curiousity. Also, regarding the fighting, it's not really a hack and slash. There actually are quite a lot of different moves and combos, and later enemies require different fighting strategies and attack moves (or counters). But there is an (automatically adapting) difficulty, which you *can* force to stay on easy. Which basically allows you to 'spam' just one attack and defeat most enemies without much need for using any other moves or tactics. Or the need to dodge and block. And you can take quite a lot of hits. Is quite nice for wanting to get through the game, but, as you noticed at some point, the fights then feel less like you actually play them, if that makes sense. And for your question about the 'rot' on Senuas arm, it's Senuas own visual interpretation of her 'curse' - her mental illness - starting to corrupt and take over her body and mind. Not 'really' there, but Senua's imagining it, so it's real for her. Also, I think this part was cut out, but if I remember correctly, right after Senua 'dies' the first time and the voices explain what the rot will do when it reaches Senuas head, the game itself tells you via a text message on screen, that every time Senua dies, the rot progresses. If it reaches her head, all progress will be lost and you have to start from the beginning. That is, the game itself, telling you, the player, with a text on the screen, nothing diagetic, adressed to you, that there is a chance you will lose all your progress. And that is just a blatant lie! But well done, I think. The only time the game tells you something directly, meaning gamer experience tells you this is true, a game rule, it actually is a lie. But you, the player, believe it and react to that 'knowledge'. Every close call makes you panic, every death makes you fear for your progress. But similar to how Senuas and her mental illness make her feel and do things, it isn't 'real', only in your mind. But you believe it, so it's true for you and it affects you to a great degree. I think that was a brilliant move of the game and producers. Makes you understand Senua better, and why sonething 'not real' can affect you that greatly. And lastly, you asked if this is a walking simulator. Yes, somewhat, most of the time it is. A 'true' walking simulator game would have no scenes or game parts where you, not doing anything, would kill you, or otherwise reset your progress to a savepoint. So, as this game has fighting parts as well as some timed running/fleeing parts, where doing nothing gets you killed, it technically isn't one. A true WS let's you take as much time as you need at any point in the game, and it doesn't 'punish' you for taking too long, or doing nothing.

Daniel LordDial