Hellblade 2 developer says the first game will "look like an indie game" compared to the sequel

The studio behind Hellblade 2 has said that the sequel is so much bigger, it makes the first game "look like an indie game."

In an interview with NME, Hellblade creator Tameem Antoniades said: "The goal with Hellblade 2 isn’t to perfect it, but to create an experience that feels more believable and more refined. Its ambition in terms of scale is bigger. I think Hellblade 2 will make Hellblade look like an indie game."

Later in the interview, Antoniades revealed what extent the studio, Ninja Theory, has gone to in order to create the desired real-feel of Hellblade 2. "The idea is believability," the video game designer revealed, "making things look real or believable – and the best way to do that is to base everything on real things."

So real in fact, it was also revealed in the interview that Ninja Theory scouted forty locations in Iceland to scan into the game’s engine, and didn’t let its level designers invent new pathways or structures in the locations. 

Elsewhere, real costumes were made and scanned into the game - which we got a behind the scenes glimpse at last year - and the team even employed a combat trainer so that Melina Juergens, the actor who brings Senua to life, could perform all of the game’s combat herself - something we also got a glimpse of last year when the Hellblade 2 star shared how she learned to sword fight for the sequel.

If this is one of the first times you’re hearing about a Hellblade sequel, here’s everything you need to know. Officially unveiled at The Game Awards 2019, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 has been built entirely in-engine for the Xbox Series X. 

We don’t have a secure release date for this sequel yet - in fact, in summer 2021 Ninja Theory revealed that the game wasn’t even in "full production" yet. Here’s hoping this has since changed and that we will hear more about this highly anticipated sequel soon. 

To find out what else you can look forward to playing this year, take a look at our upcoming Xbox Series X games list.