Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - What We Know So Far
The Game Awards premiered some pretty exciting announcements, including a trailer for a title we didn't know about previously in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. Ninja Theory's first foray into Nordic lore was an immersive, terrifying trip into the depths of the afterlife. Unexpectedly, we will be treated to another adventure alongside the first game's deeply conflicted protagonist, Senua.
The trailer was intense, filled with pagan chants and giants. Fans of God of War will get goosebumps, and evangelists of the first game will climb aboard the hype train. But when will you get to play? And what was that song all about? We have the answers for you here.
When does Hellblade 2 come out?
We don't have an official release date for the game at this moment. We can, however, make the educated guess that Hellblade 2 might be released sometime around or after Holiday 2020. This is the release window for the newly unveiled Xbox Series X, the next-gen console that Senua's Saga will call home.
Where is the Hellblade 2 trailer?
During the Game Awards, a strange new trailer showed a stormy sea and an ashy, erupting volcano. Then, ever so briefly, we saw her: Senua standing in front of some kind of conflagration. Her voice started in a whisper, before a demonic chant began. The scenery was a lot less peaceful and a lot more skull-strewn then. Facing the camera head on, Senua continued to chant as the trailer flashed to torch-bearing cultists and slowly creeping warriors. There also was some kind of art piece strewn with severed arms, and did we mention that the cultists were wearing masks made of branches?
Yeah, the trailer was pretty creepy. Senua's song ended with her looking dead into our souls as a fire spread, lighting up a kind of Ægishjálmr, or Helm of Awe. This Viking symbol is meant to be used by warriors as a sign of victory or protection.
Those warriors we mentioned earlier? They'll need all the protection they can get against the rocky giant they found.
What platforms will Hellblade 2 be on?
Although the original Hellblade is nothing more than a "triple A indie," its inventive, genre-bending gameplay and revolutionary sound design caught the gaming world's attention. This is perhaps why Microsoft decided that future iterations from Ninja Theory should be part of the Xbox family.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 will likely be an Xbox exclusive. That said, PC players can rejoice: Microsoft is wont to put its exclusives on the Microsoft Store and Steam for all you desktop gamers. Considering the first game's PC release, you'll likely find Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 on PC in the future.
What was the song from the Hellblade 2 trailer?
There is deep meaning to the song choice in the Hellblade 2 trailer. The song is In Maidjan by Heilung, an experimental folk band that bases their music on ancient texts. In Maidjan was taken from a Gothic runes that have an appropriately dark meaning, and the phrase "In Maidjan" roughly translates as "to corrupt."
The lyrics call upon the Norse god Tyr, son of Odin. Essentially, the chant is a part of a ritual used to prepare for battle. Maybe this was done before those warriors went off to face the giant in the trailer. We'll find out when the game is (hopefully) released in 2020.