Microsoft has brought a number of its first-party Xbox games to Sony's PlayStation 5 console recently, ranging from smaller projects like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment to high-profile (former) exclusives such as Forza Horizon 5. Now, another of the latter has come to the rival platform.
The title in question is Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 — Ninja Theory's cinematic follow-up to its acclaimed 2017 action-adventure game Hellblade. It's widely regarded as one of last year's best Xbox games, and was a major Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC release for Microsoft's globally popular Xbox Game Pass service.
It launched on PS5 Tuesday morning with an "Enhanced" version that has the game's original $49.99 price, with a free upgrade to this edition available for players on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam who already own the sequel. This version of the game was announced back in May and has now finally arrived.
Something worth highlighting is that a PS5-enhanced $29.99 edition of the original Hellblade — itself ironically exclusive to PS4, originally — has come out at the same time, complete with "enriched visuals and new features, including ray tracing, up to 120 FPS gameplay, and haptic feedback." If you're on PlayStation and never played the first game, I recommend picking up this rerelease and finishing it before moving on to Hellblade 2.
Though the "Enhanced" terminology makes this version of Hellblade 2 sound like something of a remaster, it's far less extensive than that, and is more of an upgrade that brings improved performance options and new features.
The most noteworthy addition made is a 60 FPS Performance Mode on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PS5 Pro, with this option notably absent on Microsoft's more affordable Xbox Series S. There's also a new "Very High" graphics preset on the Xbox on PC and Steam version that makes it easier to push for the best possible visuals on gaming rigs that can handle them.
Gameplay-wise, there's also a fresh Dark Rot challenge mode — named after the corruptive force that plagues protagonist Senua throughout her adventure — that ups the difficulty of combat and continues to progressively make the game harder each time you die. If you're craving a challenge, this is definitely a mode to check out.
Lastly, Hellblade 2's advanced Photo Mode has gotten additional features to aid those looking to capture Senua's emotional journey in the frame, along with a Developer Commentary mode in which Ninja Theory developers discuss the thought process behind crafting every part of the experience.
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Hellblade 2's arrival on PS5 is hardly a surprise given the recent success of Microsoft's Xbox releases on Sony's console. Last year, both Sea of Thieves and Grounded sold incredibly well on the platform — so well that Xbox briefly held top positions on the PlayStation Store.
Forza Horizon 5 then went on to become the best-selling PS5 game this year (so far, at least), with Playground Games' beloved open-world arcade racer selling twice as many copies as the PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding 2 in the same amount of time. It also outsold the PS5 title Astro Bot, which won 2024's Game of the Year award.
Admittedly, the best-performing Xbox games on PS5 have all been community-driven multiplayer titles, but given that PlayStation is famous for its highly cinematic, story-driven adventure games, Hellblade 2 is a perfect fit for the platform. I expect it will sell quite well on Xbox's rival system.
Notably, the game's PlayStation release comes just a few weeks before the hit PS5 and PC shooter Helldivers 2 is scheduled to launch on Xbox. Announced in July, the Xbox port has largely been seen as a sign that Sony is dipping its toes into the multiplatform-friendly strategy Microsoft has adopted, with developer Arrowhead teasing a Halo 3: ODST crossover.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 itself was a critical success for Xbox and Ninja Theory, with the game accruing a "Generally Favorable" score of 81 on Metacritic. In their review for Windows Central, my colleague Zachary Boddy called it "absolute art on every level" and awarded it 4.5/5 stars. Though typically $49.99, you can get the Xbox/Xbox on PC version for just $33.69 at CDKeys right now — a considerable discount.
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