The enhanced version of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is officially arriving as a free update on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S next week, but it also marks the game’s debut on PS5 – and so reviews have been going live for it today.
Just as a refresher, Hellblade 2 received a Metacritic average of 81 for both Xbox and PC when it released back in May of last year, while the new enhanced release is currently sitting at 78 based on just nine professional reviews so far.
Here’s what some of those PS5 reviews are saying:
“I enjoyed another playthrough of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, this time in the new Enhanced edition. This version does not change the game significantly (although the new Performance Mode is cool), but it refines the game and adds new features and a new game mode, and it gives a whole new audience on PlayStation the opportunity to experience this brutal Viking story.”
PSU (8.5/10)
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Enhanced Edition takes what made the first game great and expands on it in every way. The brutal combat and the exceptional visuals and sound design bring this world to life. Ninja Theory did a fantastic job of making you feel the despair and hopelessness of the world.”
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is the best-looking game on the PlayStation 5 right now. The beauty of its graphics is jaw-dropping and helps enhance the emotional impact of its set pieces and carefully choreographed levels throughout its 6-hour story. The new features, such as developer commentary, 60 FPS, improved photo mode, and Dark Rot Mode, are great additions that improve the already fantastic base game and are enough to justify the investment.”
[Google Translate] “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced has one of the most impressive technical sections of the generation, embracing photorealism in a commendable way. However, we are also facing a title with very notable rhythm problems, and that lacks the impact of its predecessor.”
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is more enjoyable as a visual and auditory experience than it is to actually play. Even with new modes and a smooth 60fps mode the new Enhanced edition provides, the Ninja Theory sequel fails on two fronts: bad puzzles and repetitive combat. Despite that, you’ll never play anything else quite like Hellblade 2; the game’s very unique approach to the sensory side of video games is exquisite. It just about warrants playing entirely because of that.”
“Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga is a test of frustration. It’s rarely fun to play and the sagging story never merits giving it a shot. It may look jaw-droppingly stunning but don’t be fooled – there’s not all that much going on beneath the surface. If you’re a PS5 owner who loved the original game and have been waiting forever to get your hands on the sequel, you’d best do yourself a favour and play the first game again instead.”
Unsurprisingly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag – some critics really love the jaw-dropping visuals and brutal combat, whereas others feel it’s a little lacking in the gameplay department. Still, a Metacritic average of around 80 is a good score!
The best bit for Xbox fans is that we don’t need to buy Hellblade 2 all over again – as mentioned, the “Enhanced” version will arrive as a free update on August 12th, available to owners of the game as well as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate / Standard / PC Game Pass subscribers.
What do you make of these Hellblade 2 Enhanced reviews? Let us know down in the comments below.
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Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.