Editorial | Hellblade: The fragility of the human mind.

By Sam Coles:

The first time I had played Hellblade in 2018 when Ninja Theory sent me the Xbox One version I wasn’t expecting much, however when the game started I was tense and almost scared with its thick atmosphere. It’s one of the few games where it has the main protagonist suffer from a mental illness, and it’s done in a respectful and convincing manner where it has stuck with me a year later. The game’s atmosphere is dark, oppressive and somewhat calm in some areas, I want to talk about Hellblade’s atmosphere and why the game is special. Not only that I want to take a look at Senua’s descent into madness.

Hellblade starts off slow and quiet it is almost relaxing before we see Senua appear in shot, then the gentle tones of the narrator cut in, but it’s not the narrator it’s one of the voices in Senue’s mind. It’s as if we are getting a look into her mind and are on this journey with her, the voices can be calm, soothing and helpful while at the same time they can be spiteful, hateful and can ridicule you for not performing a task to full capacity. It was one of the aspects that really got to me when I reviewed this game last year, the voices can really get under your skin as they talk to each other, laugh at you and scold you throughout your endeavours. I didn’t get a chance to play this game with surround sound headphones, but I have spoken to people who have and they said they couldn’t last 10 minutes due to the voices.

As you continue your journey with Senua we see her mind slow go on this downward spiral, as she slowly descends into madness as the voices in her mind are becoming more hostile as you progress. She starts to see old friends from a lifetime ago not as an antagonistic force, but instead they function as a guide throughout her endeavours. However as you slowly descend into the pit of madness that support dwindles, and they start to taunt and antagonise her where she suddenly shots stop! It’s this moment when the voices disappear and it’s this moment she doesn’t know what to do, up to this point she has gotten use to voices in her mind whether they are supporting or ridiculing her. Senua falls into a state of panic, as she is now truly alone and isolated on her journey to save her love’s soul.  

What sells this experience is the performance by Melina Juergens it is very convincing; you would think that she herself suffers from psychosis as she constantly looks at the screen with an intense stare and subtle twitches. Her acting ability really shines in this game as it really got to me, games don’t often get to me on an emotional level but this made feel things that would not usually feel in games. I felt disturbed, scared, sad and even happy by the end of the story, we see Senua go through so much in this journey and it is heart-breaking when she wants to end it all at one point. However her determination makes her pick herself up and carry on, all in the name of love for her lover who has long since pasted.

It’s not just the performance from Melina Juergens it’s also the atmosphere and environments, this game can go from dark and foreboding to sombre and calm. There are moments where you will feel the weight of oppression, as you can hear nothing but the distant moans and grows of entities unknown, it’s something that genuinely had my skin crawling with how terrifying the claustrophobic environments can be. However there are moments where the game becomes quiet and has a calmer and sombre tone, where you see the sunshine seep through the trees and you can hear nothing but nature going about its business. It’s a great breather from the more intense moments, where you hear the crickets chirp and the birds sing as you see the flora flourish.

I know I reviewed Hellblade last year, but I just want to express my emotions in an editorial format in a few paragraphs. It’s a game that has stuck with me ever since I finished it back in 2018 on Xbox One, it’s a dark and twisted look of how fragile the human mind is and Ninja Theory did a superb job of portraying mental health in a respectful and convincing manner. If you haven’t I implore you to play this game, it is easily one of the best interactive narratives of the generation, if not of all time.