The sequel to one of the many incredible 2017 titles is coming with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, but can you hop on directly on this new adventure without meeting Senua first back at her first journey during Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice?
Should You Play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Before Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2?
Hellblade II is, as the name implies, a direct sequel to the first Hellblade, so you should play the older title first. However, the first game featuring Senua works perfectly as a standalone story, so the same will likely be true for its sequel. Team Ninja has repeatedly mentioned how they plan to expand more on Senua’s personal story (hence the name Senua’s Saga), so getting background from the first game is pretty much unavoidable.
Senua’s Saga brings Senua to Iceland in an attempt to save her people from a Viking invasion, still evoking some of the themes first presented in the previous entry. From this given description, it doesn’t look how the main events of Senua’s Sacrifice would affect Hellblade 2, but Senua’s personal growth is one of the game’s most important aspects before anything else. As the sequel has such a similar approach, playing it without at least peeking at the older title almost feels disrespectful.
Don’t have time for it? Don’t worry. Senua’s Sacrifice is a short game with around 8 hours of gameplay, and its sequel will not be very lengthy either. The game is frequently on very generous sales too, as well as being included in the Xbox Game Pass. There are almost no excuses not to give it a try, especially if you’re heavily interested in its sequel.
So yes, give Senua’s Sacrifice a go before going for Hellblade 2. The next chapter in Senua’s endeavors launches on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 21st, 2024. It’ll also be included as a Day One Game Pass title, so this is your chance to feel Senua’s struggles and internal conflicts closer than ever.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II releases on May 21, 2024, on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
