Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
2017 action-adventure video game developed by Ninja Theory
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Ninja Theory. It is the first installment in the Hellblade series. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in August 2017, Xbox One in April 2018, Nintendo Switch in April 2019, Xbox Series X/S in August 2021, and PlayStation 5 in August 2025. Hellblade features support for virtual reality, which was added in a 2018 update.
Set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, the game follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela.
Self-described as an "independent AAA game", Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was created by a team of approximately twenty developers led by writer and director Tameem Antoniades. The game blends different gameplay mechanics and concepts like puzzle solving, psychological horror and melee combat. Voice acting is an integral part of the game, while its cutscenes combine motion capture by Melina Juergens, and live action performances by other actors. The game's narrative serves as a metaphor for the character's struggle with psychosis, as Senua, who suffers from the condition but believes it to be a curse, is haunted by an entity known as the "Darkness", voices in her head known as "Furies", and memories from her past. To properly represent psychosis, developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people living with the condition.
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