Is Playing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Necessary to Grasp Hellblade 2?

Do you have to have finished Hellblade to understand Hellblade 2?

The themes covered in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II are numerous and range from the responsibility of elders in the trauma of younger people to the alienation of human beings. Both intimate and extravagant, as we said in our review, Senua's Saga is ambitious in its subject and in the way of treating it. That being said, is it possible to understand the events of the game without having completed or even launched the very first Hellblade? The answer is simple: yes.

Without spoiling anything, the adventure begins in such a way that Senua is not attached to what she previously knew. You will therefore not hear anything (or very little) about the characters you meet or past events. New priorities are quickly given, and little by little, the game builds a new universe around Senua, with new locations, new adjuvants, and new mysterious threats.. But if you absolutely want to know the important points of the storyline of the first part, Ninja Theory has a solution.

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What is the story of the first Hellblade, according to Ninja Theory?

In the “Bonus” section of the game, you can find a video titled “Hellblade: The Story So Far”. The latter, which lasts approximately 5 minutes, is also launched automatically during a new game. Here is what is said:

Senua, the outcast turned warrior. The one who faced her demons and defied the gods in hopes of saving the soul of her beloved. She accepted the voices, the Furies, as a part of herself. Just like her mother Galena, she was different from the others. She heard things and saw the world differently. In the eyes of her father, Zynbel, she was nothing other than an evil being tainted by her mother's sin. Prey to suffering and fear, she isolated herself from the world. Until love comes to pierce the darkness like the light of a new dawn. Dillion accepted her as she was. She could live again. He brought the light back into her mind and awakened the warrior within her. But his father's voice was always present and constantly reminded him of his curse.

When the plague fell on her country, her people held her responsible. She took her darkness with her and went into exile. Thus, she was not present when the Northmen massacred her people and sacrificed Dillion to the goddess Hela. Senua's suffering was such that the world collapsed around her. She took the head of her beloved, the vessel of his soul, and swore to cross Hel to save him. She faced horror after horror in the heart of the mist until she found the secret path that would lead her to the gates of Hel. But this path was marked by flames and mirages. Senua had to fight the gods who guarded the path while resisting the rot that threatened to consume her mind and her life. Only victory would open the doors for him. Only blood would bring her before the throne of Hela. But Senua was defeated. Once again she was swallowed up by darkness, lost in a labyrinth of despair and confusion. Until Dillion's voice leads her to the key to her victory: a sword capable of killing a god.

To seize the sword, Senua had to relive her darkest memories in order to recover the fragments hidden in her flesh, her mind and her soul. She sank deeper into the underworld, resisting its hold and the heartbreaking screams that echoed there. She ended up finding what she had come for at the feet of the guardian of the gates of Hel. Senua unleashed her rage in a burst of unstoppable fury. No jaw, however sharp, could have stopped him, nor any army, nor even the grip of death itself. Defeated and desperate, Senua begged Hela to return her beloved. But a sacrifice had to be made to free her from her burden. Senua's destiny had never been in the hands of gods… but in his own. Only she could choose, out of love, to continue living. To continue her journey… and to take us with her.

If you played the first Hellblade, this text will surely refresh your memory. If you've never launched it, then you now have access to the words chosen by the developers of Ninja Theory to describe Senua's journey. All you have to do is try the Senua's Saga adventure without fear of not understanding anything about the story!