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Enslaved and DmC: Devil May Cry developer Ninja Theory has today released a developer diary about their upcoming game, Hellblade. Silly name aside, the English studio intends to make Hellblade a game about the subject of mental illness while giving it the respect and sensitivity that it deserves.
Teaming up with Paul Fletcher, Psychiatrist and Professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, and the Wellcome Trust foundation, Ninja Theory aims to tell a story about a protagonist that suffers from dark thoughts and delusions. Senua, a Celtic warrior on a quest through a hellish world formed by her own psychosis, has been crafted through the joint efforts of Ninja Theory and its advisers in order to make her a believable character battling with her own mind. How she perceives the world and herself is said to be inspired by existing medical conditions of the mind.
As with Ninja Theory games before it, Hellblade has striking imagery and environments. Today’s developer diary about the team’s careful approach to creating a game about mental illness has peaked my interest in the game as well. One of gaming’s biggest problems, especially in the horror genre, is painting mental illness as something evil – stigmatizing sufferers. If Ninja Theory succeeds at telling Senua’s tale with respect to the subject, Hellblade looks like it may be one of their best games yet.
Hellblade is due out on PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016.
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