One Hellblade 2 Key Feature May Change Gaming Forever & Other Games Should Take Notice

isn't quite like most other games on the market, and there's one key part of its approach that definitely bears examination. As the follow-up to continues the story of a Pict warrior struggling with psychosis as she journeys into Iceland and faces new threats. Although the first game features plenty of combat and puzzle-solving, it's also very interested in being a cinematic experience, a concept that doubles down on.

The style of was the emphasis of promotional material for years before its May 2024 release, with the game making regular appearances at events like The Game Awards and being billed as a big draw for Xbox. Some gameplay reels for the game feel more like cinematic trailers, leaning heavily into immersive potential that might be more widely associated with the modern era of PlayStation exclusives. goes a little further down that right than similar high-profile games do, however, and its approach feels like something that can't simply be ignored.

Before the release of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, it’s been confirmed that Ninja Theory has another game approved on top of Project Mara.

is intent on delivering a truly continuous experience, and to this end, it fluidly merges cutscenes and gameplay in a way that makes it unclear where one ends and the other starts. It's not the first game to follow this general concept, but it's assisted by the complete removal of UI and button prompts. While games like feature no cuts between cutscenes and gameplay, they do bring UI elements back in when things transition, so there's always an obvious indicator of when it's time to watch and when it's time to play.

The control layout in can be checked by opening the menu, which breaks the immersion but delivers the requisite information.

Looking at the approach from a positive angle, it's possible to frame it as a big step in the long-running evolution of gaming as a medium. Relaying a detailed plot on a 8- or 16-bit console had to rely on blocks of text and the potential