Simulator’s Saga: Midblade II
Intro
Are you looking to watch your video games rather than play them, like one of those interactive DVDs from the early 2000s? Do you enjoy slow combat and non-existent boss fights? Do you like walking simulators? Well, get ready to rack up those steps, because that’s about all you’ll be doing in this “game.”
That’s right, everyone—I’m talking about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. This game is absolutely packed with… well, nothing. It’s a shame they forgot to add gameplay to the cinematic experience they created.
We’ll go over the gameplay (including combat and puzzles), the cinematography and audio design, and of course, the story—because what’s a review without it?
Cinematography & Effects
Despite the lack of substance in this six-hour feature-length presentation, the cinematography, visuals, and audio effects are on par with a Hollywood production. Honestly, this might be one of the best-looking games ever made. The emotion portrayed in Senua’s face, brought to life by actress Melina Juergens, is impressive. The acting, visuals, and sound design are all top-tier.
It’s immersive—but it’s also overwhelming. The cutscenes, gorgeous graphics, and pristine audio take up so much space that they overshadow the actual gameplay. It feels like two-thirds of the experience is just narration and cinematic sequences. It’s an impressive showcase of what the Xbox Series consoles can do… but unfortunately, that’s really all it is. A tech demo with an incredible production budget.
Gameplay
In this Norse drama disguised as a video game, you’ll mostly be pushing the left joystick forward. You may find yourself wondering, “Is there any actual gameplay in this extremely long cutscene?”
As you walk in a linear fashion that would make early NES titles proud, you’ll occasionally run into puzzles. Most of them require minimal thought—just line up symbols or focus on objects by holding RT. One particular puzzle involving a shared torch was mildly interesting, as it required you and a companion to light torches to progress. Still, the overall puzzle design doesn’t require much brainpower. Frankly, anyone could solve these “Where’s Waldo”-style puzzles.
Now for the combat—supposedly the highlight of most action games. Here, it's slow. Painfully slow. Every action feels delayed, from swinging your sword to dodging attacks. While this might be an intentional design choice to make combat feel more “realistic,” it ends up making it feel sluggish and unenjoyable.
Combat can be easily exploited early on. You receive an ability that slows down time (or enemies—it’s not really clear), and with this, nearly every encounter becomes a matter of locking on, mashing X and Y, and repeating. I didn’t even realize you could dodge until the end of the game. I spent most fights tanking hits or blocking until I could counter. The AI fights you one-on-one in arena-style segments while others stand around waiting their turn. While I appreciate not being overwhelmed, the combat quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.
And the boss “fights”? They’re barely fights. The first two major bosses are giants, and instead of battling them, you just run from point to point until they essentially collapse and die. No real confrontation, no excitement—just scripted sequences.
Story
I’m sure the story could be fantastic, if you cared enough to pay attention to it. I found the story itself to be a lot like the land it is set in: “Mid”-Gard.
The game picks up after Senua stows away on a slave ship—continuing the narrative from the first title. Storytelling is handled through a mix of narration and lore posts you can interact with along the way. These wooden posts require you to focus on a symbol to trigger some exposition.
For such a linear game, the story delivery feels poorly structured. In games like Dark Souls, lore is fragmented but intriguing enough to explore after playing. Hellblade II didn’t compel me to dig any deeper. I had YouTube playing in the background through most of it because the gameplay loop was so dull.
The voice acting is phenomenal, and the sound effects are crisp and powerful—but none of it was enough to keep me engaged in the narrative.
Conclusion
I can’t recommend this game. Six hours of walking, sluggish combat, and a disengaging story wrapped in pretty visuals just doesn’t make for a worthwhile experience. I understand that Ninja Theory wanted to create something “cinematic” and “lifelike,” but the result is more of a simulator than a game.
From the clunky puzzles to the lifeless combat, everything moves slowly. Every minute feels stretched out. I nearly uninstalled it halfway through out of boredom. You’ll spend more time watching than playing. Honestly, they should have just made this into a movie.
Don’t waste your time, money, or console storage space.
The Cons
Minimal gameplay
Slow, clunky combat
Extremely linear design
Feels like a tech demo
The Pros
Stunning graphics
Crisp, immersive audio
Excellent voice acting
The Captain’s Rating: 3/10
