Summary
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2has a much different story in store for Senua that introduces new elements not seen in the first game. There are giants, Hiddenfolk, and companions, yet not all is as it seems, given Senua’s psychosis and psychological trauma coming back to haunt her. Thus, the lines between reality and Senua’s mind get blurred, leaving you with plot points that raise more questions than they give answers to.
The other part of it is that Hellblade 2 is an extremely short and linear experience,which may not be worth it in the end, because there is very little room for major characters to become well-developed or storylines to be expanded on. Here are some of the most pressing questions from the sequel.
Warning: Contains Major Plot Spoilers From The Start
8What Was Senua’s Plan If The Boat Didn’t Crash?
Like the first game, Senua’s Saga begins with the titular protagonist on a boat, though this time, she’s a slave being held captive by the Bjorn and bound for Iceland, not the Underworld. It was Senua’s plan to get captured and dish out revenge on the Northmen who razed and slaughtered her village, but how would she have been able to accomplish it without the mercy of the storm that crashed the Viking slavers' boats?
The storm demolished the Bjorn fleet and led to a significant loss in numbers, leaving Senua with only a few remaining slavers to put an end to and allowing her to capture their leader, Thorgestr, to use him as her way into his clan. Had Senua made it all the way to Thorgestr’s heavily guarded camp still as a slave and not gone through her entire journey, would she have gotten out alive? What was her plan?
Though the game strongly suggests Senua wouldn’t kill Aleifr in the end, it’s never shown what Senua does next and is ultimately left up to the audience’s interpretation. As much as she wants revenge and justice for all the innocents the Borgarvirki Godi had slaughtered, there are shifts in Senua’s character, along withpowerful words of advice from the deceased soul of Thorgestrto dissuade her.
Especially since she just witnessed Thorgestr get brutally stabbed through the chest by his own father, Senua has a stronger motive than just hate-filled rage and a desire to smash his face with the rock. Aleifr even calls her “your father’s daughter,” which Thorgestr firmly refutes and says Senua has the choice to not go down the same path as her father, that she can be better, and you’re led to believe that she won’t.
6What Exactly Are The Hiddenfolk? Why Were They Deceiving Senua?
As their name suggests, the Hiddenfolk are this enigmatic and unseen force propelling Senua into her confrontations with the giants.You must first solve a series of their puzzlesthat serve more like trials and listen to their voices narrating the backstory of the giants, which is complemented by simulations that play out right before Senua’s eyes.
While the Hiddenfolk sound helpful, it’s hard to distinguish if they’re a real supernatural element or are just messing with Senua in her head, since the holographic simulations seem to closely follow the rune symbols Senua sees. There’s also very little of their mythology explained in the game and this is something you have to research more about on your own if you want to know what Hiddenfolk are.
These are ultimately elves in Icelandic folklore that live in a parallel dimension, which is reflected in the game when Senua’s environment shifts into another dimension as she completes the stone and orb puzzles.
5What Did Senua’s Companions See In The Jarnvior Forest?
While on the trail bound for Borgarvirki to confront the Godi in Chapter Six, Senua and her companions must pass through the eerie Jarnvior Forest that’s fabled to be cursed by a malevolent presence that takes hold of everyone who passes through. Surely enough, the warnings proved true, and Senua must help Astridr, Fargrimr, and Thorgestr make it out alive from their trances.
The final chapter ended up feeling the weakestbecause of this section, which could’ve been infused with a lot more gameplay. Senua doesn’t go into the minds of Astridr, Fargrimr, and Thorgestr to fight their figurative ‘demons’ and free them. Everything happens in one long interactive cutscene and their traumas are left unknown, which also hampers some of the character development.
4How Did Others See The Giants If They Weren’t Real?
The giants live up to their name in Hellblade 2, not only in their character designs but also by leaving you with one giant question. How could other people see and attack the giants if they were revealed to not be real and the made-up fantasies of the Godi as a way of instilling fear in his subjects?
The Draugar could summon Illtauga, Fargrimr and Thorgestr encountered Illtauga and saved Senua from her, Fargrimr led the rituals, and Astridr and her people helped lure Saegeirr, throwing multiple spears at the giant in the process. This was quite a twist to throw in the end, but also one that ended up ruining the game and leaving you with only more questions and confusion. Was it truly only Senua who could ‘see’ them and others just believing her?
3How Does Fargrimr Know So Much?
One of the best parts of Hellblade 2 is the added characters and deeper worldbuilding, and Fargrimr is an important part of that. From the very beginning, when you rescue him after an intense fight with Draugar, it’s as though he’s been mysteriously waiting for Senua all this time to find him, even saying as much when they first meet.
In a later conversation, Fargrimr will be the one to tell Senua to seek out the Hiddenfolk, but even more surprisingly, Fargrimr is aware of Senua’s Furies and claims their names are Verdir and Gandir, and that this is tied to Senua being a Seer, the Norse version of a clairvoyant. It’s never deeply explored as to who Fargrimr is and how he comes to know so much about Senua and her destiny.
2Is Senua Finally Free From The Shadow?
If you recall at the beginning of the game, Senua was still being tormented a lot by the Shadow, a dark manifestation of her father Zynbel that is the source of the condescending negative thoughts playing tricks on Senua and impeding her progress. While Senua constantly fights off the darkness personified by the Shadow, the entity claims she’ll “never be free.”
Given that the game ends on such an abrupt note, it’s not explicitly clear what happens to Senua and how her character is affected by the finale. It seems she has a newfound perspective and is reaching the end of her journey to self-discovery and overcoming her trauma. Will the Shadow now finally stop following her and penetrating her head as a result? We may never know.
1Was Anything That Happened To Senua Real, And Is Her Psychosis Now A Supernatural Power?
Similar to the feeling you’re left with in the first game, you leave Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 unsure of what was real and what was Senua’s beautiful haunted mind. Was everything that transpired not real and all in Senua’s head, or was it indeed reality, and (like Fargrimr suggested) Senua’s psychosis happened to be more supernatural than either we or Senua thought?
Ninja Theory doesn’t give you the satisfying story conclusion you’re looking for, which might seem like an even further disappointmentto an already six-and-a-half-hour-long gamethat’s underwhelming in its gameplay. If the giants weren’t real and neither were any of the characters Senua met and helped, her entire arc in this game would seem worthless because it wouldn’t have happened.
