5. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Boss Run (Spoilers)

When the lover of the Pict warrior Senua dies, she vows to go all the way down to Helheim to retrieve him from the goddess Hela.

On the way, she struggles against obstacles, both physical and mental, that try to prevent her from her mission.

She fights dark monstrosities with her sword and along the way is assailed by voices and visions known as Furies.

This is an explorative, but beautifully, well done game that blends psychological horror and hack and slash elements all into one bundle.

Reasons to Play

• Beautiful Graphics and Sound: Stunning graphics and atmospheric sound bring an immersive quality to the game that is often lacking in other hack and slash titles.

• Combat: The move selection is rather limited in Hellblade but this adds to the immersion rather than hamper it. Every swing counts towards your survival and every move is life and death.

• The Voices: I don’t mean the voice acting per say, which is also good, but the actual voices that are in Senua’s head. They gnaw at your own mind and really get to you at times, doubting yourself despite your triumphs.

Here Doggy Doggy: Bosses like Fenrir often paint a macabre and death-filled scene for our main hero, reminding her of the lethality of her mission.

Survive At All Costs: Senua is often outmatched, overrun, and overwhelmed by her enemies but her perseverance is her golden quality.