Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Interactive

"With too much focus on cinematics and too little on creating an experience that is engaging, Senua's Saga fails to reach the same highs as its predecessor--even if it does look stunning whilst trying." 

"Delivers a spellbinding adventure packed with cinematic spectacle and story surprises that maintains a surging sense of forward momentum and never wastes a second of its slender run time (...) Rating: ★★★★★★★★ (out of 10)" 

"Less personal, more spectacle (...) As with most epics, we only really get to see the broad strokes. We get the myth, but we lose the woman." 

"Right idea, good intentions, but the execution leaves something to be desired. As it turns out, that’s basically a perfect summation of this game (...) The first Hellblade is a focused, frightening masterpiece (...) Hellblade II feels like she walked out of her sessions with time left on the clock. 

"I enjoyed many parts of Hellblade 2 (...) that are going to stay with me a while due to the absolute crushing, horrifying, intense atmosphere paired with amazing audio. But as a game? Something I enjoyed playing? Generally speaking, no, it wasn’t really for me." 

"I just wish it had a little more to say, and gave us a little more to do." 

"The first game is a famous example of not needing to be fun in the traditional sense to be engaging. This sequel sprinkles more broadly appealing thrills while retaining the thoughtful storytelling and artistry few triple-A games possess. (...) Rating: ★★★★★★★★★ (out of 10)"