HIGH Looks gorgeous, but at the cost of 60fps on console.

LOW A torturously unexciting puzzle gauntlet midway through the campaign.

WTF Key story beats presented like the holographic recordings from Tacoma.

In developing the original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory famously consulted with mental health experts in creating a sympathetic portrayal of a character with psychosis. I’m not someone who experiences visions or hears voices, but I’ve had my own struggles with mental health, and I saw parallels between this Pict warrior’s acceptance of who she is and my own. Like so much great art, Hellblade had a specific and intended meaning, but could also be appreciated on broader levels.

As such, it gives me no pleasure to report that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II made me feel very little on any level. Whatever their faults, I would never accuse Ninja Theory’s past titles of lacking a clear sense of direction, but I suppose it makes sense that their first sequel would be the one to break that streak. Every multi-part narrative, given enough time, eventually reaches the point where things just happen for the sake of having more story. With Hellblade, we’ve reached that point by episode two.

It’s difficult to pinpoint where exactly Hellblade II goes wrong when, on its surface, it treads closely to the original formula. One might expect Ninja Theory’s first major release under the Microsoft banner to be their most bloated, but initially it almost feels praiseworthy for what it doesn’t do. There’s no open world, no resource gathering or crafting, no skill tree that adds an extra 3% damage to Senua’s strong attacks, and no upgradable bracer that increases her parry window by a fraction of a millisecond.

In a climate where seemingly every major release is a months-long commitment, there’s something refreshing about a triple-A videogame that can be completed in a weekend and doesn’t force its players to learn a hundred new systems. If the mission statement with the original Hellblade was to offer big-budget production values at a modest scale and for a modest price, the sequel at least upholds the tradition of not wasting too much of our time.

However, while Hellblade II avoids many of the most frustrating tropes of modern gaming, it struggles to fill that space with anything else of substance. It can’t be overstated how much of Hellblade II is spent simply traipsing along linear paths with literally nothing to do but stare at the pretty scenery and wait for Senua to reach the next cutscene. My instinct is to say that an experience this beautiful and empty tends to arrive at the start of a console’s life cycle, when there’s new tech to show off and not much else to play, but that’s being unfair to forgettable launch titles. At least the action in Ryse: Son of Rome heated up more than once an hour.

The original Hellblade was admittedly light on mechanics, but it was story-first fare that trapped us in Senua’s version of hell and made us question what was real, going so far as to gaslight players into believing that their save files were at risk. It was a mean, oppressive, and grueling experience. It played with audience expectations up until the very end, when it beautifully tied the experience together with an empathetic message about accepting loss and living with — even embracing! — what can’t be changed.

Hellblade II, in stark constrast, has no edge and no sense of purpose. With Senua’s psychosis now mostly under control — the voices and visions are still there, but nowhere near as overwhelming — she’s forced to wander the “real” world, engaging in bland heroics and preaching messages of love and acceptance across a desolate landscape of pillaging and plundering. My most charitable reading of Hellblade II is that it reworks the sinister imagery of its predecessor into what feels like a morality tale for children — light versus darkness, love versus hate. I’m sure there are people out there who aren’t yet convinced that empathizing with one’s enemies is a more productive solution than enslaving them, but I doubt Ninja Theory will be the ones to change their minds.

I would go further, though, and argue that Hellblade II actively harms the franchise’s standing as a well-researched and sympathetic portrayal of mental health. The original lucidly visualized the invisible demons that people with mental health struggles deal with on a daily basis. Although it ultimately taught us to see Senua’s psychosis as a feature rather than a bug, it didn’t mince words about how self-destructive the mind can be, and how torturous such an existence often is.

That’s why Hellblade II largely lacking any sense of danger has repercussions beyond the game simply being boring. It portrays Senua as a singularly gifted force of good, but that’s rarely reinforced in any of the things that we’re actually doing as players. Without spoilers, there’s an excruciatingly long sequence midway through the campaign in which Senua is searching for something ancient and forbidden that can only be unearthed by “proving” herself. These trials are hyped up to be The Ultimate Test, and the ground is littered with the corpses of those who’ve failed.

Once there, it turns out that The Ultimate Test is just a series of rudimentary puzzles that largely involve flicking switches in the correct order. Putting aside the arbitrary nature of these puzzles — the rune-hunting exercises in the original Hellblade weren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but at least they served a thematic purpose! — they’re just insultingly easy. Even someone with no intuition for this sort of thing could bumble through using simple trial-and-error, yet Ninja Theory treats completion of this task like a show of worthiness on par with lifting Thor’s hammer. It’s infantilizing to both the player and to Senua herself, who’s seen by everyone in this world as some sort of mystical fairy child for essentially completing a dungeon from a junior-level Zelda clone.

As expected with Ninja Theory, presentation is not the problem here. They’re industry leaders when it comes to performance capture — working with Andy Serkis will do that for ya — and the way its animations seamlessly transition in and out of cutscenes is remarkable, even given how much we’ve been spoiled by modern tech. Hellblade II‘s announcement predates COVID-19 lockdowns, and while its long development cycle doesn’t feel evident in the scope of its story, it’s at least evident in the visuals and the level of polish.

On another positive note, the combat is still enjoyable. It’s simple and easy to grasp, and the camerawork, effects and sound design sell the power of every sword swing. It worked in the original as one of Ninja Theory’s tools of oppression and claustrophobia. Here, I just appreciated the jolt of energy in an experience where I was often pausing every few minutes to get up and pace around the room in order to stay awake. Sadly, while the fleeting combat segments are the only time Hellblade II builds any momentum, it’s never sustained for long. The climactic moments, for all of their flash and pomp, feel gamey and artificial, like the multiple instances in which Senua must run from cover to cover to avoid insta-death. That kind of thing would be a lot easier to forgive if I were engaged in the story, but alas.

Until now, I’ve liked each new Ninja Theory game more than the last, and I can never deny the craft on display. Given that this is their first major release since the Microsoft acquisition, I credit Hellblade II for not feeling compromised by corporate interests, but that only makes it more baffling that it lacks any real vision that I was able to discern. It’s not an offensively bad experience, and yet I can only offer one of the most damning criticisms imaginable — I have no idea why it was made.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Ninja Theory and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is currently available on XBX/S and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on both XBX and PC. Approximately eight hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language. Not for kids! This is a spooky, sinister game full of impalements, dismemberments, and human sacrifice.

Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are present.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles can be altered and resized. Considerable attention was paid to make Hellblade II more accessible in this department than its predecessor. I don’t recall any sequences in which hearing audio cues is an outright necessity, and the game includes a number of accessibility options such as closed captioning, menu narration and speaker direction. I believe this game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH A very pretty hub world.

LOW Stiff and clunky combat.

WTF Dodging, parry, and running on the same button?!

As Arlan approaches the cave entrance with his fellow Viking survivors, a shiver runs up his spine. He has seen this stone door before, and he knows what lies beyond — because he has seen it in his nightmares. The god Carnoccus calls out to him, taunting him to enter his realm, but Arlan knows that if he walks through the archway before him, he might not walk back out.

Gods Will Fall is an isometric third-person adventure game with roguelike elements. The player controls a group of randomly-generated Vikings who are shipwrecked on an island. There has been a struggle of power between these gods and mankind, and these survivors are the last hope humanity has of defeating the gods and getting out from under their power.

Each of these survivors has their own backstories, fears, and abilities. Some can run faster than others, while some thrive in certain climates like desert or water areas. They can use a variety of weapons such as swords, spears, and hammers. They even have relationships with each other — I had a pair of lovers once, and had two brothers another time. Unfortunately, none of them survived.

The island is a large, open area for the player to explore. There isn’t anything to find in this hub world, but the sights to see are pretty. From large trees and water pools to dry grass and desert sand, each area gives a hint of what the player will encounter when they enter a god’s realm.

These realms are accessed via stone doorways that are scattered throughout the hub. Each realm is thematically different, but ultimately the player faces off against the same enemy types. Foes all wear tribal attire, adorned with face masks and large clubs or spears.

Defeating these enemies can chip away at a god’s health bar before they arrive at the fight, but if the Vikings fall in a god’s realm, they will not return to the hub world. They either die outright, or become a prisoner. If captured, the only way to save them is to send in another Viking to beat the area and the god with it. The risk here is that there is also no way of leaving a realm partway through. If entered, the Viking must finish it or fall.

The formula here looks good on paper, but the issue is that combat in Gods Will Fall feels clunky. Characters have a light and a heavy attack, but every swing feels incredibly inaccurate thanks to the lack of a lock-on mechanic. There is a parry ability available by pressing the dodge button at the perfect timing while running towards an enemy, but I found it impossible to master.

I reviewed Gods Will Fall on PC, but using a controller is an absolute necessity as the game only gives keyboard support, with no remapping to the mouse at all — without a controller, my hand got cramped and it was a frustrating experience.

I was able to reach the end of each gods’ realm and faced off against each of them, but not once did I defeat one. Eventually, after a series of losses, I would be so low on available Vikings that I would end up having to abandon the run and start the game over again from scratch, which quickly killed any desire to carry on.

Gods Will Fall has some striking visuals and the randomly-generated characters with their varied stories and abilities are great, but the frustrating, sloggy combat, repetitive nature of play, and the lack of any sort of exploration or value in the hub area is disappointing. The developers have already released a road map for more content in the future, but let’s hope they polish the combat first. 

— Cody Bolster

Disclosures: This game is developed by Clever Beans and published by Deep Silver. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS4/5, Switch, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Blood and Violence. The official description reads as follows: This is an action game in which players control eight Celtic warriors as they explore dungeons and battle evil gods. From a ¾ overhead perspective, players explore cave-like dungeons while battling human-like enemies and fantastical creatures in melee combat. Characters use swords, spears, clubs, and special attacks to kill enemies and giant boss creatures. Some weapons can be thrown at enemies, resulting in impalements. Combat can be fast-paced and is highlighted by cries of pain, impact sounds, and blood-splatter effects.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered or resized.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers remappable controls, but on PC there is no basic mouse support. On a controller, it is fully remappable.

The post Gods Will Fall Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH The art style.

LOW The UI.

WTF The love of pumpkins.

Wartile is a strategy title attempting to do something different with the turn-based template by looking like something that should be turn based, while not actually being that thing, and also including a card-based element to boot. The approach is refreshing in a certain sense, but the end result isn’t as engaging as it might appear at first glance.

Wartile tells the story of a Viking village worried that they’ve fallen out of favor with the gods, so they send two warriors to sacrifice a goat. From there the two encounter aggressive Norse men, demons, witches and the like as they dig deeper into why their people have been forsaken.

Each level is beautifully rendered as a hex-based boardgame. When not in combat, moving characters (which look like miniatures mounted on bases) and performing actions is more or less a standard turn-based affair. However, once characters enter combat, a timer appears and controls how often a character can move. The pieces auto-attack enemies near them, and it’s up to the player to manage special abilities. Visually, it’s like watching a match of speed chess as the pieces trundle around and engage with each other in quasi-real time.

As in most miniature games of the kind that Wartile resembles, height differences and positioning matters, so there’s often a fair bit of jostling on the player’s part to find the most advantageous spot for each figurine, and higher ground is usually the wisest place to be. There are also a few other elements that allow the player to sway the game in their favor.

Each unit has a choice of special abilities that can be used regularly – things like stunning an opponent, drawing all units’ attention, or buffing all allies. And, as mentioned, there’s a card-based system as well – temporary cards can boost abilities, and in addition, there are other cards that can be bought with in-game currency and used to provide even more variety in support. On top of all this, there’s a leveling-up system for the units, gear to be bought or found, and higher-level challenges as the player’s group increases in capability.

So far, all the boxes necessary to create a solid game seem to be ticked, but Wartile just never comes together.

In large part, the combat struggles to find its own identity in a way that feels meaningful. Although it tries to incorporate a realtime element, it lacks the ‘plate spinning’ urgency of a true Real-Time Strategy while also sacrificing the measured, tense thoughtfulness of a deeper Turn-Based Strat. 

It can occasionally be exciting to see units scramble for position and hit anything that goes near them – they auto-attack, remember – but for a lot of the time, it was just me waiting for my pieces to cut through enemies while I occasionally popped a buff. There was one interesting horde-inspired map where my team was holding out against waves of enemies that had me moving back and forth trying to hold the best position, but that was a rare one-off when the mechanics were working in tandem with the level design to create something interesting. The majority of play, however, is walking along a linear path, triggering an encounter and then waiting to win.

Wartile also extends its length by reusing maps, which didn’t help the feeling that I was just drumming my fingers waiting for each encounter to be over.

Finally (and this might  seem to be a bit nitpicky) the UI design isn’t up to the standard set by the rest of the presentation. The text and box cut-outs look like placeholders, and text is often quite small. It might look alright played close to a computer screen, but when sitting on a couch several feet away, it’s hard to read.

It is a massive shame to feel like I can’t enthusiastically endorse Wartile – it has a winning visual style and the seed of a novel idea, but that seed doesn’t bear a fully-formed fruit.

Disclosures: This game is developed by Playwood Project and published by DECK13 Spotlight. It is currently available on PC, PS4, and XBO. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher, reviewed on the XBO-X. Approximately 9 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E10+ and contains Fantasy Violence. This game features characters portrayed as miniature figurines. Animation is minimal and there’s no gore, salty language or sexual content.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game is fully playable without sound. Text cannot be resized (it’s small!) nor can the color be changed.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. For a bit I thought there was no controls screen (don’t hide it in one specific menu guys!).

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