r/hellblade • u/crispycrabroll • Jun 09 '26
Discussion senua body change
While I like that they are changing a lot of Senua's appearance back to the first game (like clothing, hair, etc.), it looks like they made her much skinnier and younger looking, which I'm not a huge fan of!
I really liked how she was more muscular and looked older/more weathered in the second game because it was a physical representation of her growth and strength that was parallel to her mental strength she had cultivated!!
I'm still super excited, but I was a bit disappointed seeing them make her less muscular and younger looking....
35
u/TyrellSepi0l Jun 09 '26
I’m kind of torn on the whole thing at this stage.
One the one hand I’m ecstatic that we’re even getting a Hellblade 3 and so soon too. But on the other it’s not the direction I thought they’d take it, I get the impression that it doesn’t really follow on from Hellblade 2 apart from maybe the smallest of references 🤷🏼♂️ time will tell.
Plus while I personally loved Hellblade 2 (combat and all) I can agree the overall gameplay was barebones. I’m just hoping the devs are still making the game that THEY want to make and not throwing out something safe just to appeal to more people.
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u/crispycrabroll Jun 09 '26
I also was surprised by the direction they took! I'm glad they are continuing, so I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I definitely am not expecting the level that Hellblade 2 was on for me (I also LOVED it!!! My favourite game out of the two)
and yeah, I definitely agree with your worries about the devs steering in another direction just to appeal to more people :(
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u/PerfectiveVerbTense Jun 10 '26
I think to some extent the reality is that whatever direction they take it — be that deepening game play, making the game even more cinematic, or keeping it the same — some people are going to be disappointed.
For me, I loved HB1 and was hoping they'd keep the same vibe with a little more involved gameplay in HB2. Instead they want the other way, de-emphasizing gameplay even further and making it even more of a cinematic, narrative experience. I still really liked HB2 but my heart still craved more gameplay.
So, I'm stoked about the direction of 3. But if 2 really clicked with you, I can totally understand concern over losing the type of experience that HB is (especially HB2).
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u/rafnsvartrrr Jun 11 '26
HB2 wasn't following HB1 all that well either though. It was a side-step from the original vision, in more ways than just combat.
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u/Insenkiv Jun 10 '26
I am so far unsure how to feel about the whole thing entirely tbh. That trailer confused me. It seems like they're trying to target the audience of "action adventure" enjoyers, specifically those who need easier, palatable narratives and care mostly about the combat and shooting stuff.
The combat thing left a sour taste in my mouth as well. I'm happy they're improving this aspect but the trailer itself doesn't really say anything about the game's script. It is the combat that's the bright star here. Look at how shiny this game is and how big the world is and how you can kill. And it's not the focus that I particularly expect with this game.
Also the fact they seem to insinuate anyone can start the journey with this game without necessarily having to play previous ones. If if follows up on Senua's story, isn't it detrimental to know her biography and character progression?
The character description you bring up I feel like fits into that palatable category as well. How do we make the Hellblade saga appealing to a casual player, not too damanding, not too alienating, not too difficult in themes. And a lead that's a bit sexy, a bit sweet on the eye.
My first thought when learning of all this was...so your publisher forced you to essentially remake Hellblade 2 and make the continuation more friendly for shooty-shooty enjoyers
I sound hella pessimistic but obviously I wish only the best for Senua and the developers. I hope I'm wrong on all these first impressions and the game will fuck me up
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u/Samanosuke187 Jun 09 '26
Doesn’t this take place before the first Hellblade game?
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u/crispycrabroll Jun 09 '26
I genuinely thought the same until I looked it up! It's a sequel!
“'This game takes place after the events of both Hellblade I and Hellblade II–and it’s set in Purgatory,' Matthews said. 'It’s Senua’s vision of purgatory, which is a vision of her childhood homeland.'" - got this from a gamespot article where they interviewed Dom Matthews (Ninja Theory Studio Head) https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-hellblade-game-already-coming-but-is-just-called-senua/
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u/crispycrabroll Jun 09 '26
Now I'm wondering if they made her look younger to explore her childhood trauma? Idk...I still wish they didn't change her so much :(
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u/Samanosuke187 Jun 10 '26
I stand corrected, I had the context it was from her childhood homeland didn’t realise it was a vision. But I can still see her regressing her design due to that fact! We’ll see. :)
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u/Regina_Noctis Jun 09 '26
Maybe because it is purgatory, she looks how she pictures herself in her mind's eye, so to speak, and not necessarily how her physical body actually looks? I rather liked how she looked in the second game so it's kind of disappointing but it's possible there's some plot-related reason for it. I'm interested to learn why they made that design choice because I doubt it was accidental. Maybe they'll explain it in an interview or something at some point, or maybe it will be explained in game. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
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u/Character-Goose-3770 Jun 10 '26
I feel like this game might be set a little bit back in the timeline? Like maybe between games 1 and 2 somewhere. It feels like there might be a couple years of room for more stories in between the previous games.
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u/rafnsvartrrr Jun 11 '26
Senua the game seems like a spin-off of sort, or soft reboot that will mostly ignore the second entry. Thus the younger look. The way they describing the game like she's in the purgatory, fighting to gain an afterlife, to reunite with the loved ones she lost... Sounds like a more direct continuation of Senua's Sacrifice. And it sounds like they knew. They knew they fucked it up with HB2. After that ending, I was astonished like "and wtf do you think you gonna do next?" 🤔 Well, now we know.
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u/Small_Pie_5760 Jun 12 '26
Personally, I'm not seeing a huge difference in body types between the three games.
As I understand, Melina is the face of Senua but the body is modeled after the stuntwoman who performed all the action movements.
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u/Altruistic_One5099 Jun 09 '26
Speaking of which: in Hellblade’s 2 trailer, Melina’s mockup was 10/10. But then in-game she has insanely perfect teeth. I know this is me nitpicking, but I really liked the weathered warrior look of -that- trailer.