9 Things Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Gets Wrong (And How the Real Story Shocked Fans!) - Appcentric
9 Things Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Gets Wrong – And How the Real Story Shocked Fans
9 Things Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Gets Wrong – And How the Real Story Shocked Fans
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II arrived in August 2023 as a highly anticipated continuation of Ninja Theory and Thirty Bucks’ psychologically intense journey into mental health, trauma, and the supernatural. Fans rushed to experience Senua’s haunting quest, but behind the emotional storytelling and stunning art lay some creative choices that deviated from narrative inspirations and real-world realities. While Hellblade II earned praise for its atmosphere and ambition, these 9 creative or factual missteps sparked unexpected conversations—blending fiction, mental health representation, and raw human experience in ways the developers and fans continue to dissect.
Understanding the Context
1. The Simplified Depiction of Psychosis
Senua’s layered mental struggles were reduced to dramatic auditory hallucinations and shadowy trickster figures. While effective narratively, this approach glosses the complexity of psychosis, schizophrenia, and dissociative experiences—conditions involving nuanced neurological and emotional layers rarely captured so viscerally. Many fans and mental health advocates noted this oversimplifies a deeply personal and multifaceted struggle.
2. Overly Dramatic Supernatural Elements
The inclusion of mythic beasts and Orcus’ divine manipulations sometimes felt less grounded in psychological realism and more in cinematic spectacle. Critics argue this contrasts sharply with the grounded therapist-led sessions that anchor the game’s core emotional weight, potentially weakening the authenticity of Senua’s inner battle.
Key Insights
3. Relationship Dynamics Fueled More by Drama Than Faith
The complex bond between Senua and Aiborne was reimagined to include romantic tension, diverging from the tonally solemn, therapeutic framing of their original association in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. This shift left purists unsettled, who felt the intensity overshadowed the depth of shared trauma and recovery.
4. Helvetia’s Motivations Seem Overly Black-and-White
Helvetia’s tragic arc—grief, vengeance, and redemption—is central but stripped of psychological subtlety. The cold, rigid worldbuilding sometimes reduces her pain to plot-driven retribution rather than an authentic exploration of unresolved loss, distancing players from her internal complexity.
5. Alignment with Real-Life Psychosis Broken
While Hellblade II sought to portray psychosis with sensitivity, some critics argue the visual and narrative shortcuts inadvertently perpetuate harmful stereotypes—for example, equating auditory voices with unreliable, external threats rather than internal, chaotic thought processes tied to mental illness.
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6. Twin Twinimal Dynamics Feel Simplified
The dynamic with her twin brother twins the instinctual tension and empathy, but unlike the fluid, immersive mental connection in the original game, some interactions lean more on archetypal “support” tropes, diminishing the raw vulnerability that defined their relationship in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
7. Urgency and Narrative Pacing Prioritized Spectacle
The gusty action pacing and fast-turn violence somewhat overshadowed the meditative reflection and emotional healing moments that made the first game a landmark. This shift affects how players engage with Senua’s trauma, trading slow, immersive cognition for adrenaline-fueled progression.
8. Mythic Visions Reduced Narrative Symbolism
Almost every spirit Senua confronts is a bold visual statement but, in doing so, loses the intimate symbolic meaning of original entries where creatures reflected specific psychological states. This artistic choice sacrifices depth for boldness, confusing rather than clarifying the inner struggles depicted.
9. Healing Tone Declined from Melancholic to Tense
While both games address healing, Hellblade II opts for constant tension and looming dread—important emotional beats—but risks overstimulating rather than soothing. This contrasts sharply with the calming therapist sessions and whispered guidance that once gave hope space to breathe.
