Hellblade II: Senua's Saga

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Senua's journey through the myths and horrors of Viking Iceland.

Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (87% of 10,221 reviews); Metascore 81 on Metacritic; 4.46 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (4,431 ratings)
Length: about 6 to 7 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Ninja Theory
Released: 2024

No. 30 of the folklore horror games · No. 23 of the storm horror games · No. 20 of the cannibalism horror games

What frightens Senua, a Celtic warrior who hears voices, lets slavers carry her to 10th-century Iceland to free her people and finds a land of giants, draugar and grim rituals; the voices in her head comment, mock and warn on every step, and what is real and what is her psychosis keeps blurring.
Content: extreme gore, intense violence, strong language, partial nudity, psychosis and mental illness themes, optional permadeath mode.

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga is Ninja Theory's sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Senua, a Celtic warrior who experiences psychosis, journeys through 10th-century Iceland to save those taken by slavers, facing giants, draugar and her own voices in a story of six to seven hours that is cinematic and brutal. It is on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

About Hellblade II: Senua's Saga

Hellblade II was made by Ninja Theory and published by Xbox Game Studios. It came out on 21 May 2024 on PC and Xbox Series X|S, and is included with Game Pass. On 12 August 2025 a free Enhanced update added a 'Very High' graphics preset on PC, a 60 FPS performance mode on Xbox Series X, more photo mode features, over four hours of developer commentary and the optional Dark Rot mode. The PlayStation 5 version came out the same day, with a Deluxe edition that adds Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and its soundtrack.

Like the first game, it puts you inside Senua's experience. The voices she hears were recorded with a binaural microphone and speak around you, doubting, encouraging and taunting her; the game shows a message at start-up recommending headphones, and its audio director says any pair will do. The world itself may bend: faces in the rock, shapes in the fog, paths that shift. Its depiction of psychosis was made with the help of experts and people with lived experience, as with the first game.

The journey takes Senua across 10th-century Iceland, recreated from real places, from storm-battered coasts to camps of the draugar and the caves of giants. Between story scenes you solve puzzles of perception, finding patterns and aligning what you see, and fight brutal one-on-one sword battles that play out like choreographed film fights. Two sets of collectibles, hidden faces and Lorestangir posts, add lore along the way.

In Dark Rot mode the rot grows each time you fail, and if it reaches her head the quest is over and all progress is lost.

It is closer to an interactive film than to a classic game, short and intense, with very graphic violence. It suits players who were moved by Senua's Sacrifice and want psychological horror told with high production values.

How to play Hellblade II: Senua's Saga

Follow Senua through each area in third person, listening to the voices around her.
Solve perception puzzles by finding symbols and shapes in the world and aligning what you see.
Fight one-on-one battles with light and heavy strikes, dodges and blocks, and use focus when it is ready.
Play with headphones to hear the voices as they were recorded, all around you.

Screenshots

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: a misty path through a camp of stakes and torches hung with bones, a figure walking ahead

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: Senua, bloodied, raises her sword against a huge warrior in a horned skull mask by firelight

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: a close-up of Senua's wide blue eye and dirt-streaked face, a blurred figure in red light behind her

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: Senua seen from behind on a rocky rise, looking over a still pool and open land at sunset

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: Senua braces on volcanic ground as lava erupts behind hulking, rock-like figures

Hellblade II: Senua's Saga screenshot: Senua looks down a narrow gap between cliffs toward a tall carved post with the sea beyond

Tips

Listen to the voices; they often warn of attacks or hint at the way.
Watch the enemy's tells and dodge rather than trade blows.
Turn on the photo mode to take in the scenery; the game is short, so take your time.
The hidden faces and Lorestangir posts can all be found in one run if you look around each area; hunting them adds about an hour.
Dark Rot mode wipes all progress if the rot reaches Senua's head, so try it only once you know the fights.

Questions

Do I need to play the first Hellblade?

It helps to know Senua's story from Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, but the sequel tells a new journey that can be followed on its own.

Is Hellblade II a horror game?

It is psychological horror told through Senua's psychosis, with dark myths, monsters and very graphic violence, though it plays more like an interactive film than a game of scares.

How long is Hellblade II?

About six to seven hours for the story, according to HowLongToBeat as cited by TheGamer. Finding every collectible adds about an hour.

Is Hellblade II on PlayStation 5?

Yes. It came to PlayStation 5 on 12 August 2025 at $49.99, with a $69.99 Deluxe edition that includes Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and its soundtrack.

Do I need headphones?

The game recommends them when it starts, because its voices were recorded in binaural sound. Ninja Theory's audio director says any headphones will do.