Continuity error: the trouble with trying to build on a story with a natural ending (contains spoilers)
Reviewing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice in E310, we concluded that “what was intended as a thoughtful depiction of a terrible mental illness has ended up casting it as something of an asset: a helpful superpower that can give you the strength to soldier on through the darkness, so long as you can put up with the odd breakdown here and there.”
Ninja Theory has, for the most part, avoided repeating that mistake (though it has fallen into the same trap of using its protagonist’s psychosis as visual set dressing for stale puzzle designs). But if, as we suggested, that focus on Senua’s condition was such that the studio had failed to build much of a game around it, at least Senua’s Sacrifice had a clear vision for the story it wanted to tell. The same cannot be said for what feels less Senua’s Saga than A Saga That Happens To Feature Senua.
A major part of the problem is that Senua’s Sacrifice had an ending that felt conclusive. Senua had essentially made peace with her psychosis; her condition had not disappeared, but she had accepted the Furies would always be with her. They’re the most vocal presence throughout Hellblade II, but they’re less overtly hostile – still needling at her on occasion, but more often inquisitive or actively encouraging. This makes for an uneasy fit with the initial thrust of her quest, the reason for the story’s continuation: she is, after all, seeking vengeance, her (rather foolhardy) plan to get herself kidnapped by slavers marking our reacquaintance with her.
Revenge remains her ultimate goal, but she’s quickly waylaid, first by circumstance, and over time as she postpones her quest to help the companions she picks up and the tribes to which they belong. The story is at its most successful in its depiction of how mental illness can cause people to become withdrawn from – and suspicious of – others. (Though in the case of slaver turned reluctant ally Thórgestr, surely anyone would be wary.) There is a sense, too, that Senua is harnessing her own experiences for the good of others, leading to a greater understanding of the troubles they are facing, drawing the focus away from her own. Perhaps this time, then, it’s not psychosis but empathy that is her superpower.
If so, it has its limits. Though Th
