Out of nowhere, the first hands-on previews for Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 began surfacing this morning, and based on what we've been reading so far, we're in for a truly special new Xbox exclusive this May.
The running theme across all of these previews is just how impressed each outlet has been with the game's visuals and overall use of tech, with Polygon even suggesting it'll "finally show us what an Unreal Engine 5 game can do".
Here are a couple of notable quotes we've picked out about this:
Polygon: "I wasn’t expecting to experience a next-gen moment... but I got one. It’s an astonishingly lifelike narrative action game that applies UE5’s tech, Microsoft’s resources and the unique processes of a smallish team of technical artists to create something at once grounded and vividly hyperreal. There’s nothing else quite like it."
GamesRadar: "From what I've played of Hellblade 2, it's clearly on track to be one of the most important exclusives that the platform has hosted this generation. Not only is it a fluid and responsive action-adventure game, boasting best-in-class visual fidelity, but it's also an experience with something meaningful to convey."
Not much has been concluded about the story yet because of the limited time these outlets have spent with Hellblade 2 (less than an hour it seems), but the fully mo-capped combat system also sounds extremely impressive so far.
Here are some particularly enticing quotes about that combat system:
IGN: "Every combat animation has been recorded through performance capture, meaning every swing of Senua’s sword is one of many skillfully executed by the talented stunt team... There’s a real heft and flow to combat in Hellblade 2 that wasn’t quite there in its predecessor, and that's largely thanks to this newfound approach."
GameSpot: "Senua's movements in combat look and feel more realistic, prioritizing the heft of her sword, felt through her tired desperation during lengthier fights. Whenever Senua clashes swords with someone, Hellblade II makes it feel tense, as if life itself is challenging Senua to earn her right to exist in this world."
There's a whole lot more to discover in these hands-on previews, so we highly recommend checking them out for yourself, but the general consensus seems to be that Hellblade 2 has every chance of living up to the hype.
Polygon does mention that the game's "slow pace" and "highly scripted, cinematic presentation" may not be to everyone's tastes, but otherwise there's an awful lot of excitement for what's to come, with GameSpot's previewer even mentioning that they can't remember the last time a game preview left them so excited. Is it May yet?!