Ninja Theory and Sony have finally nailed down a launch date for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice ; the third-person action adventure announced back in 2014. But it sounds like we’re going to get a much smaller experience than some fans probably expected after Ninja Theory’s highly publicized reboot of the Hellblade story and protagonist last spring.
According to a new post on the U.S. PlayStation Blog, from Ninja Theory Product Development Ninja Dominic Matthews, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will make its long-awaited debut on Aug. 8. The post included a new Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice trailer that should be popular with the game’s existing community, thanks to the inclusion of several enemies and environments not featured in previous Hellblade media. The trailer does leave us with some questions about the game’s structure, since most of the navigable environments shown aren’t much more than highly decorated corridors. But we’re mostly just wowed by Ninja Theory’s impressive new game engine. Matthews also confirmed that pre-orders are now being accepted on PSN, for $29.99, and those willing to buy Hellblade before launch will receive a dynamic theme for the PS4 menu screen.
We also learned a bit more about the story being told in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. We already knew the game would follow a Celtic warrior who lost her friends and family in a Viking attack. And we knew the game would explore trauma’s effect on a person’s mental health and the psychosis that any of us would experience in such dire circumstances. But now we also know Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will deal with the supernatural, sending the game’s protagonist into the depths of Hel, the underworld from Viking mythology. We also learned Hellblade will be much shorter than the average AAA game – about half as long, according to Ninja Theory. But the studio is also pricing Hellblade accordingly. So the game’s brevity shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers.
Matthews also took a moment to address Ninja Theory’s goals for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice . The studio is hoping to see more companies try to bridge the gap between modern indie games, which tend to be very low-res, and the multi-million dollar projects being churned out by the likes of Activision or Ubisoft. Games on par with the B-tier games that so many of us remember from the PS2 era. We’ll have to wait until August to find out whether or not Ninja Theory will achieve that goal. But assuming the plan works, is it too soon to start hoping for another Psi-Ops ?
For an early look at Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice , take a few minutes to watch the new Ragnarok trailer from Ninja Theory. Then head down to the comments section and let us know if you’re planning to pick up Hellblade when the game heads to PS4 and PC this fall.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is in development for PlayStation 4 and PC and debuts Aug. 8.