HellBlade 2 has better visuals but HellBlade 1 had more heart & a more satisfying gritty appeal to it. To put it simply, yes you must play HellBlade 1 before HellBlade 2. Senua’s Saga broke all the rules of AAA graphical standards and Senua’s Sacrifice introduced a unique style of story-based & psychologically driven gameplay to the gaming fanatics, so both games can uniquely hold their own. Let’s take a look at the reasons why you have to play HellBlade 1 before 2.
Reasons Why You Have to Play Hellblade 1 Before 2
1. An Acoustic Experience that Haunts You
Senua suffers from a unique condition called Psychosis, in which she hears noises in her head talking to herself. These voices are her guide, philosopher and biggest motivator. She keeps having a conversation with herself throughout the game. It’s a treat for the gamer’s ears to hear the hush-hush noise whispering wisdom into Senua’s ears when she’s screaming in agony or ready to give up – you will be transported to acoustic heaven as soon as you wear the gaming headphones. Hearing the villain’s bass-filled menacing voice, Senua’s panting after a long run or the suspenseful eerie background music will suck you right into the game – the audio aspect of this game elevates the overall atmospheric experience.
The hearing experience of HellBlade 1 will make your heart race with terror, instill life-altering inspiration, give you the ultimate creeps or spike up your adrenaline levels to new highs – the sound design of HellBlade 1 is near perfection. If you’re a fan of story-based games that go heavy on narration, then you are going to have a gala time playing this game.
2. A Psychological RollerCoaster Ride
Senua has colorful and confusing visions throughout the gameplay. It is impossible to comprehend what is real and what is not as she keeps getting short-lived hallucinatory visions that bend the concept of reality and imagination, representing the dazed & disturbed mental state of Senua. The villains she combats are her inner demons & insecurities that keep getting to her from time to time – HellBlade 1(Senua’s Sacrifice) is full of visual metaphors that represent the tumultuous & fluctuating mental state of Senua.
Seeing her mother die at a young age, being hated and constantly cursed by her father and taking the blame for her lover i.e. Dillion’s death – Senua is dealing with all of this while trying to bring back Dillion’s soul from the evil entity Hela as she can’t accept his death. It is later revealed that Hela is nothing but a representation of Senua’s guilt of not being able to save Dillion from a horrific death. The entire game takes place inside Senua’s disturbed psyche.
3. You Feel Deep Empathy for Senua
Seeing her mother being burned alive by her father at a young age tarnished her childhood – Senua never got the love she deserved from her father. A young boy named Dillion came into her life as her second chance at receiving the love that she didn’t get earlier but Dillion lost his life to a sacrificial fire killing done by the Northmen, who raided his village. Senua suffers from low self-esteem, which makes her believe that she is the root cause of all the suffering her beloved Dillion had to endure.
You will feel deeply connected to Senua after seeing her pity-inspiring lonely life. HellBlade 1’s storytelling is next-level – you are going to feel pity, exhilaration and heartbreak vicariously through Senua’s emotionally turbulent story. HellBlade 1 will make you root for Senua – you will become her biggest cheerleader as the gameplay progresses.
4. Satisfying Combat Sequences for fans of Gore
Blood splashing after each swing of Senua’s ferocious blade, villains trying to intimidate Senua with their massive weapons and masculine arrogance, clashing sounds of the weapons with a beautiful metallic clang, the murderous intent of the villains and Senua’s aggressive grunts while fighting make the combat in HellBlade 2 a visceral adventure that you are not going to regret. The passionate combat of Senua with the villains is a metaphor for the struggle she had with the authority figures in her life. The epic background music during combat elevates the visual storytelling to another level altogether – each battle in HellBlade 1 feels epic.
5. Immersive Graphics that look Incredible
The beautiful graphics of HellBlade 1 brings the Celtic Mythology back to life. Senua’s facial expressions look eerily real. Even the textures of her furry costume and hair look close enough to human quality. The visuals of contrastingly gorgeous neon puzzles, the dense jungles, the breathtaking water reflections, the mud patterns on the beach made by waves, and the gritty textures of wood and stone – HellBlade 1 has mindblowing realism infused into each frame. The blurry visuals combined with the hallucinatory visions create a hypnotic visual spell that every gamer would cherish for years – HellBlade 1 is a visual anomaly that you won’t be able to forget, just like your first high school crush.
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