Dead Pixels

View Original

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice- Video Games As Art

Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice is the story of Senua, a Celtic warrior who is on a quest to save her lover’s soul from the underworld. So far so video game trope-y but what sets this protagonist apart is that Senua is traumatised and experiences frequent hallucinations and delusions during her journey, all symptoms of psychosis, a condition she has and one which is often poorly portrayed in pop culture as a whole.
Ninja Theory wanted to get the psychosis representation correct, not just to protect themselves from any backlash but also to bring to light the many misconceptions and misunderstandings people have with the condition. The result is a stunningly beautiful yet hauntingly empathetic game, which over 6 hours portrays well the journey of our heroine from fear to empowerment and finally acceptance.

This is one of the most gorgeous looking games I've ever played and I've got quite a few images from my play-through. Enjoy, but be warned there are some heart-rending and frightening images.