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One of the best games of 2017 is headed to XBox One, and players can preorder starting next week. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a turbulent journey through mental illness, loss, penance, and the angry gods of Norse lore. Beautiful and haunting, the hours given to this journey are well spent. We gave Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice a 9.5/10 on review, and the game averages an 81/100 (or 8/10) on Metacritic. It won in three categories at The Game Awards, picking up wins for Best Performance, Best Audio Design, and the Games for Impact Award. As far as 2017 horror games go, it’s hard to do much better than Hellblade, and a single comment during the ending practically promises a series.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice follows Celtic warrior Senua as she ventures into the Norse underworld to retrieve her lost love. It is immediately apparent that her head is home to many voices, whispering away and commenting as she forges her path. Guardians and trials block the way, moving fluidly between puzzle solving and combat. The story and acting are excellent, but the combat is brilliantly balanced, making Senua a gratifying female character. Her story is well-rounded and her skills superb. There is very little to dislike about her or the game.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice making the jump to Xbox One allows for some performance enhancements, and standard HDR is sure to give players an even more stunning look at the gates of Helheim. Xbox One X will have two options beyond HDR, 4k high resolution that clocks in at 60 FPS, or an ‘enhanced’ mode with improved visual effects. For a game already lauded for its striking graphics, Xbox One X sounds like a perfect home. Because it is a triple indie title, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will only cost USD/Euro 30, though preorders offer a 10% discount if you want to save three bucks. It’s available for preorder on the Windows Store now and will release for download on April 11th.
