Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice received a next-gen patch this week, elevating the game further than ever before. While we noted some fantastic upgrades, we're no tech wizards here at Pure Xbox, so Digital Foundry has stepped in to deliver a full depth analysis of the Xbox Series X and Series S versions of the game.
The new version was actually handled by QLOC, the same developer who delivered the Nintendo Switch port. However, instead of downgrading the game this time around, they've been allowed to push it as far as they can go. Delving into all three modes (Performance, Resolution and Enriched Mode), it's clear each has its own benefits. Enriched is the one to go for when you want ray tracing, Resolution provides the best detail and a frame rate of 60fps, whilst Performance is more suited for 120hz TVs.
Out of these, Digital Foundry has noted Enriched Mode as being the "quality king", but Resolution offers the best balance between frame rate and visuals.
"Enriched mode is the quality king and as you would expect, performance and resolution modes see a reduction in overall scene detail. Texture filtering especially appears blurrier running in the performance mode - but this could also be due to the lower rendering resolution which does impact texture clarity.
Deciding on a mode is tricky, though - on Series X, the resolution mode seems like the best balance overall with 60fps gameplay and nice sharp visuals. Xbox Series S is a little more complicated, but the resolution mode is also a good choice."
It's also said that QLOC has taken the opportunity to deliver "cutting-edge" features to Xbox Series consoles, and this upgrade makes the game look "a whole lot better".
"In a nutshell: QLOC has taken advantage of the new Xbox hardware to offer more options, improved visuals and cutting-edge features. Hellblade was always a beautiful game, it worked well enough via backwards compatibility, but this upgrade is a whole lot better and well worth checking out."
With how great the original version looked on Xbox One, the upgrades don't seem as huge as some other titles, but that's just a testament to how amazing the backwards compatible version was. If anything, this has got us even more hungry to see how Hellblade 2 looks when it eventually launches on Xbox Series X|S.
Have you dived into the Xbox Series X|S version of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice? Let us know in the comments below.
[source youtube.com, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 4
I'll be diving back into this game as a pre-cursor to playing Hellblade 2 upon it's release (as I near my 60's, my memory isn't what it once was, and so I will need to replay the first game in order to remind myself of the story!) . I pre-ordered the first game, and as I recall, I found it to be a very visually enticing game. That it has now been improved is frankly impressive.
I'll play it again very soon, in enriched mode.
When I played it on One X, after trying the 60 fps mode, I decided to stick to quality (30 fps on One X) because I found that, for a game with such a beautifull cinematography, the 60 fps kinda deserved it, giving it a look that felt too much "videogame" for my taste (which is ironic, cause, you know, it's a... videogame).
So, once again, 30 fps for me. And so Enriched mode it is.
@Bobobiwan @Fiendish-Beaver
WARNING BEFORE PLAYING REGARDING GLITCH
If you plan to play hellblade please do not use quick resume or not quitting the game properly on whatever console. There is a glitch in the game that will make your achievements not pop.
Make sure you quit the game completely when you're done for the day.
I played this game on my switch nos that I have a series s I will play it again to see the différence just for the fun of it,and it’s such a good game!
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