Ninja Theory has confirmed Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will – like its predecessor, so not exactly a massive surprise – have a photo mode on release, meaning you can go wild recording its striking visuals for prosperity when it launches for Xbox Series X/S and PC on 21st May.
Confirmation of a photo mode in Hellblade 2 came via Ninja Theory’s social media channels, with the announcement being accompanied by four new images of the game taken using the same in-game camera that’ll be available to players. And yes, it still looks bloody lovely.
There’s not much more to report on the photo mode front, alas, leading us back to Microsoft’s most recent news dump, in which it confirmed Hellblade 2’s May release date alongside word the $49.99 digital-only release would be similar in length to the first game.
This time around, Pict warrior Senua is heading to Iceland on the trail of the Vikings who’ve enslaved her people in an adventure that, among other things, will feature reworked, and brutal, combat. “Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny,” goes the official blurb, “Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without.”
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And if it’s anything like its 2017 predecessor, Hellblade 2 will be worth waiting for. “Hellblade gives a sensitive depiction of psychosis without making any grand pronouncements about the nature of mental health,” Eurogamer contributor Johnny Chiodini said of the original game in his Essential review back in the day. “It shows simply and clearly that Senua’s psychosis makes her struggle greater; that she’s struggled with mental illness and the consequences of others not understanding mental health for years. Senua’s journey is a quest of stygian proportions, and yet she is a profoundly human heroine.”
