Almost a year later, PC VR users have just got a free update
Last years Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice from Ninja Theory lit a fire under many gamers. Self-described as in independent AAA title, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was a unique game for many reasons.
One of these reasons was a central narrative point of mental health. Without going into spoiler territory, a central element of the plot was Senua’s increasing psychosis. As the player, you see everything from Senua’s perspective, and you also have to decide what is ‘reality’ and what isn’t.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a strange one in my game collection. I have played enough of it last year to know I want to play all of it, but I am well enough into the story to believe I have a handle on everything that’s happening and am content.
My idea was to grab it on sale when I had a weekend to dedicate to it, probably on PS4 so I could play it on the couch. Also, the voice effects from the controller are an incredibly immersive touch.
But then while I was looking through GoG.com and Steam to buy a completely different game (I will tell you about that one Monday), something caught my eye. There is an update for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice a year after launch. But it’s not DLC, or performance tweaks, or additional story.
Simply put – Ninja Theory have put the finishing touches on playing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice in VR on PC, and it looks amazing.
The announcement trailer is shown below:
Talk about an immersive experience. The amount of messing with the player that can occur in VR is almost limitless. And unlike other games that have been essentially rereleased in VR mode, Ninja Theory have elected to make an almost standalone game experience completely free!
So much for my plans on waiting and spending quality time on the couch – it looks like I will be sitting upstairs on my PC in VR!
Even if you don’t have VR, this is potentially a game worthy of your time. By all accounts, it is an amazing experience on every platform even though I have only played about 3 hours on PS4 Pro.
Just look at the praise it has received to date – not to mention a BAFTA-winning game to boot. Well, five to be specific: Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, British Game, Game Beyond Entertainment and Melina Juergens winning the Performer category for her role as Senua.
Playing a game you have finished in VR may not sound like much to a lot of people. I can tell you after playing Resident Evil 7 in both VR and 2D modes that it really does make for a different experience entirely.
If you are interested in getting Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice for yourself, you can pick it up from the following places:
PlayStation Store AUD$44.95, but on sale for $26.95 until 9/8/2018. Ninja Theory has confirmed no PSVR Support will be coming, as it is ‘designed for high-end PC’s’. It does include PS4 Pro support though.
XBox AUD$44.95. Also includes XBox One X Enhanced support, but also no VR.
Steam – USD$29.99 (Approx AUD$41) including free VR update.
GoG.com – AUD$33.99 including free VR update. This is probably the best deal (excluding PSN sale pricing) if you have a higher end gaming PC, even if you don’t have VR.
If I get around to playing it in the next couple of weeks, I will let you know how it goes!
Until Next Time,