Although developer Ninja Theory originally made a name for itself through development of stylish action games with high production values like Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Journey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry, the studio really came into its own with the release of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Taking a step back from big budget productions, Hellblade was positioned as a game between AAA and indie style games with only 15 developers working on the title.
The game focused on the character Senua, a Celtic warrior from the 8th century struggling with mental trauma and psychosis believed to be a curse as she attempts to save her lover's soul from the Norse goddess Hela. The studio worked with mental health specialists, those suffering from psychosis, as well as neuroscientists to really capture what it is like to struggle with the disease. Ultimately the attention to detail paid off as Hellblade was largely praised and went on to win numerous end of the year awards.
In fact, the game's success not only allowed the studio to start creating a sequel called Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 which was revealed at The Game Awards 2019, but help catch the eye of Microsoft who would go on to acquire the studio outright. This partnership has led to the studios finally optimizing Hellblade: Senua's Saga for the next generation Xbox systems, allowing owners who may have missed the award winning title to experience it on Microsoft's most powerful console.
The trailer highlights the latest features to get added to the Xbox Series X/S optimization including showing off the enriched visuals and DirectX Ray Tracing. In addition, the game now features a resolution mode, which presumably allows players to experience the game in 4K as well as even more upgrades. The upgrade is complete free for current owners as well as Xbox Game Pass users where Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice can be downloaded.
The Next-Gen upgrade should be a boon for those who want to experience the first game again, as well as provide a way for fans to pass the time while waiting on news of the sequel. While Hellblade 2 was only briefly shown off at an E3 2021 after show, most have begun to turn their attention to the rapidly approaching show at Gamescom. This week, Microsoft not only confirmed that it would be attending the annual Gamescom event, but it would have another showcase on August 24. While no games were specifically mentioned, many have begun to assume that Hellblade 2 might finally get detailed.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and XBox Series X/S.