Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an incredible game dealing with psychosis and mental trauma. It’s about a Celtic girl named Senua who is journeying to the Viking Hel to bargain with Hela for the life of her lost love. She literally carries his head in a cloth tied to her belt.
Throughout her journey, Senua is plagued by visions and voices, some helpful and some harmful. A narrator of sorts guides her, while a bunch of chatty voices in the background express her fears, desires, anxieties, etc.
Senua finds herself fighting monsters who spawn from thin air, intent on stopping her from her goals. Each time she dies, rot spreads from her limbs. If it spreads to her head, it’s game over.
Along the journey, you can find runestones that will explain some ancient Viking mythology and help you understand Senua’s intents. You don’t need to track them down to beat the game, but it’s a welcome world-building tool for us modern-day folks who may not know anything about ancient Viking mythology, geography, and traditions.
This game is beautifully designed and gorgeous to look at. The way cinematic cutscenes blend right into gameplay is amazing! I highly recommend playing with surround sound headphones because the voices in Senua’s head whisper from all different angles and distances from her. It’s incredibly immersive and gives you a sense of what it’s like to deal with psychosis.
I debated whether I should include this in my Halloween gaming marathon because I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a horror game. But exploring the mental trauma of a young girl who lost her love and has to battle invisible demons while trying to come to terms with that loss… it’s a haunting tale. Definitely on par with some modern day horror plots.
There’s a sequel that just released this year called Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which further explores Senua’s struggles as she attempts to save both herself and others. I own it, but it’s been so long since I played through Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice that I need to replay the original before I check out the sequel.
Although it’s very dangerous to play the game if you had mental illness history. Playing the game triggered a psychosis episode for my friend who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.