The new gameplay footage and developer insights of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II from Ninja Theory show what we all knew, this is the Unreal Engine 5 game to beat in 2024. It truly looks like a technically and artistically outstanding game, and at times like playing a movie.
This week's Xbox Developer Direct impressed and put Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass on the map. As well as the new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle video game, which has some fans debating whether it should be first or third-person, Microsoft showcased Avowed from developer Obsidian, Oxide Games' Ara: History Untold and a surprise reveal of Square Enix's Visions of Mana, a new game in the long-running retro game-like franchise.
In many ways Senua's Saga: Hellblade II was the real star of the show; this fantasy narrative adventure narrative features unrivalled cinematic immersion. Developer Ninja Theory has adopted film VFX technology to bring its world to life, and has been one of the trusted developers to help trial and pioneer Unreal Engine 5's latest developer tools, including MetaHuman Animator demoed at GDC in 2023 that can render and animate digital characters in real time, even using an iPhone.
This game is a sequel to the BAFTA-winning Senua's Saga: Hellblade, with this follow-up set in a digitally accurate recreation of 10th Century Iceland. This time Senua, a unique character plagued by psychosis, confronts a band of Viking invaders who have attacked her village.
After the release of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory was acquired by Microsoft and went from being an independent studio to part of Xbox Game Studios. It's a move that has seen the developer become even more technically ambitious.
On the Xbox Wire blog Dom Matthews, studio head at Ninja Theory reflected: "Although this has seen change for Ninja Theory, particularly in terms of the support now available to us for striving towards our ambitions, what has not changed is our passion and commitment to our studio mission – to craft life-changing art with game changing tech."
Senua’s Saga Hellblade II looks incredible and features some of the most advanced tech in gaming. (Image credit: Xbox)
Actress Melina Juergens returns as Senua and her performance is more realistic than ever in Unreal Engine 5. (Image credit: Xbox)
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II will be digital-only (which has caused some fans to complain) and is planned for release 21 May on Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass and PC priced $49.99. If you want to see what Unreal Engine 5 is really capable of, get your pre-order in now (it's available for Wishlist on Steam).
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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
