Hellblade

[BoboTheMighty]

I'm intrigued. Is it like interactive novel type of game? Heard its only about 6 hrs long to complete, I might wait till sale, I dont want to spend $30 for a game less than 10 hrs of content :/

It's hard to describe, it's unique game in it's own right...sort of Dark Souls+Last of Us+Dante's Inferno/E.A. Poe, all wrapped in celtic mythology/setting.

Anyway finished it, easily goes into my top ten. Intense experience throughout, at times more unnerving than strongest horror games. Game is a work of art ( headphones are absolute must for this), but it's more for people wanting a slow, soak-in-everything pace.
Lasts about 8 hours, but take into account there is no typical padding...you're in it, from start to end without distractions ( tutorial, collectibles, perk tress, loot, etc).

Flaws? Only a few...has that combat arena highlighting (otherwise it is incredibly immersive as it relies on visual/audio highlighting than UI icons) and a few "gamey" riddles, imo they could have added a few prey sequences( like Arkham Asylum Scarecrow segments).

Really great work by NT, something of this quality done by around 15 or so people.

 

[joxer]

Anyway finished it…
Lasts about 8 hours…

That short? Fastrun junkie reviewers must be praising it.

And I was spitting on new Doom that takes 10 hours to finish it. I'm sorry Doom!

 

[Aerth]

It is sold as a high production value but short duration because they did want a real focus on the story and no side quest, no filling fetch stuff.
It is advertised as this kind of game, short but full, an experience.
It is 100 % what they say.

You cannot complain about MMO designs and criticize a small company trying to avoid this, deliver quality and saying the whole truth about what they deliver.

That Celtic lady quest in the Viking Hell is a pure gem.

 

[joxer]

Okay, I guess I deserved a reply like this, but it's not what I'm looking for here.
I do want to be shut down in this discussion, but is it just me seeing why this release is very important exactly?

The game is an eyecandy on PC and on GTX 1070 (perhaps also on 1060 and RX 580) with everything maxed kicks 60+ FPS.

Put everything else about it aside. You may talk about story, eeryness, false savegame destruction, ending confusion, repetitive combat and repetitive puzzle system (dunno if any of it is true, it's just stuff I read in reviews)… You say 100%, no fetch, full experience… Let's forget all that for a moment and leave it for another post. Please.

Behind this game is an indie developer.
This game is a major proof indies can (and should) compete visually against AAA bland and shalow garbage. Even more imporant, unlike some other strong visuals hits from this year, namely Horizon ZD, Hellblade is not a console exclusive!

If it was RPG I'd probably buy it instantly. Even if bad, with those visuals I'd support every nail into RPGmaker coffin. But it's not RPG and it's shorter than a nonRPG I refused to buy because of the same finishable in one afternoon symptom - Doom.

Forget about my usual MMO/phone/scamware/etc ramblings here as I'd never go for it where it doesn't belong.
The game due to it's shortness and genre might not be something I want to have, but it is exactly what games industry needed. It's what Codex needed to see being possible.
It's antiNeoscavenger.

Hopefully it won't be the last graphics whores unite indie title, even more, here's hope the next one will be RPG.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

Honestly, have no idea what you're blubbering here.

 

[Aerth]

Well, I really hoped than someone would have helped me here. I thought it was my poor English who had died on me.
I really think than there are ideas I can agree with but I wanted to avoid to make a mess of the situation with a misunderstanding.

 

[joxer]

Honestly, have no idea what you're blubbering here.

What's confusing?
Simplified: an indie game has better visuals than AAA Binary Domain rubbish.

 

[redman5427]

Joxer Joxer. WTH.
It's a game that tries to tell a story about someone who is experiencing a psychotic episode due to an extreme tragedy and the horrors her mind experiences. Using a limited action game as the base. The game is all about her journey thru madness. It's not designed to be a turned base, gather loot, level-up,wash rinse and repeat. It's supposed to freak you out and that's not something the mind needs to be spending 40-60 hours doing. It's a short journey into the abyss, get in and get out.

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Bought it, gonna try it today. Seems very intriguing

 

[joxer]

Joxer Joxer. WTH.
It's a game that tries to tell a story about someone who is experiencing a psychotic episode due to an extreme tragedy and the horrors her mind experiences.
…
It's supposed to freak you out…

I despise the idea, execution, buzz and all positive critics on Sucker Punch. Do you still think this game is for someone like me?

Nothing can freak me out. Not even ransomware.
Instead of being freaked out by something, I'm extatic because an indie developer decided not to go phone graphics. The only ones who should be freaking out now are AAA publishers.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

This game is a major proof indies can (and should) compete visually against AAA bland and shalow garbage.

The sceneries are empty, everything is scripted. Apart from pushing forward graphics, there is nothing.

It's antiNeoscavenger.

Indeed. One could afford the graphics it has because its offer is not limited to graphics.
The other could not afford not having the graphics it has because its offer is limited to graphics.

 

[joxer]

Apart from pushing forward graphics, there is nothing.

Sorry man, but this is not a thread about Destiny and Destiny 2.

 

[booboo]

Not sure what kind of game this is? I saw mention of Dark Souls... hope that's not accurate. 5-8 hours is too short for $30 - and also forced/autosave? ugh. Maybe a bargain bin look for me at some point - I like story driven games, but not SHORT story driven games. I have not issue with the theme/atmosphere, but wouldn't spend $30. Good luck to them though - they clearly have talented people working there.

 

[purpleblob]

Watching hubby playing... I don't think I can play it cause of motion sickness.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

The game is eye candy, Senua's model is the best I've seen. But the real star here is motion capture and lighting from technical perspective.

Not sure what kind of game this is? I saw mention of Dark Souls… hope that's not accurate. 5-8 hours is too short for $30 - and also forced/autosave?

Only similar in sense of a bleak world( though much more "alive" here) and h&s combat. But really this game is entirely around her psychology...the story is actually one of the most fascinating I've seen in video games ( everything in game world are symbols/reflections of her own struggle).

Seems of perfect length, was worried they would unnecessarily extend it actually.

 

[purpleblob]

Hubby sunk in a few hours but at this point neither of us are very impressed… didn't like the fact they tell you upfront this is about woman losing her mind. Kinda kills the immersion cause we go in expecting hallucination etc.

Frankly, I think this game is getting more attention than it deserves for the fact its trying to show people what psychosis is. Thats just my opinion of course, not saying the game isn't interesting but quite underwhelming so far.

Both the combat and puzzle solving is getting really repetitive as well.

 

[redman5427]

Nothing can freak me out. Not even ransomware.

Joxer, just go two weeks without sleep and food, drinking only coffee and work nonstop in a high stress environment like an ER with constant demands. Won't be long and you will understand psychosis.
Just kidding, don't ever,ever try to enter that state.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

Sorry man, but this is not a thread about Destiny and Destiny 2.

Spot on. It is about hellblade.

 

[joxer]

Joxer, just go two weeks without sleep and food, drinking only coffee and work nonstop in a high stress environment like an ER with constant demands. Won't be long and you will understand psychosis.
Just kidding, don't ever,ever try to enter that state.

Actually I did something like that already when I was still experimenting with my body, but food was still on the table and it wasn't weeks, I don't see how someone can endure without sleep for two weeks.

The effect is similar to being stoned. Stoned by NATURAL MEANS. Not brain destruction caused by chems. Please, do not use chems. Never ever. If nature didn't provide something by itself, avoid it. When offered a laboratory slosh, always say no. Please.
Anyway, unlike constant stress or constant shock caused PTSD, the "broken brain" effect in this case is only temporal, you'll return to normal in a couple of days. In normal yourself of course, not in something the decadent society wants to be normal.

It's not the only thing I did to myself deliberately, and also I refused to experience some stuff from own experience trying to learn those from people who did those, for example I "befriended" a guy who was jailed for offing his girlfriend with 21 stabs, of those 19 too many as the second stab killed her - I wanted to learn what state of a mind can cause such switch from a person into a monster. Etc.

But this is all off topic. Or perhaps not?
Perhaps this game causes the same temporary effect tormenting yourself with no sleep does? Maybe I should check it up. When the price drops on $5, maybe I will.
Till then, I'll stick to what I've already said. With Hellblade, graphics whoring stopped being exclusively AAA thing.

 

[Ripper]

Just one thing Joxer - I wouldn't pursue those experiments any further. Sleep deprivation also damages the brain.