Hellblade. Senua's sacrifice

I don't particularly like "medieval" games. Which I thought this was. It isn't. But I played it because I heard somewhere it was a psychological game. It is.

It also was cheap when I bought it. Like $10.

I really like it. I ended up watching all the dev log videos on it. I have a background in psychology and was rather impressed by how many things in the game are based on the perception distortions common in schizophrenia.

Like the mask thing is part of that too. The pattern matching from perspectives. Seeing faces in trees or rocks (paraedolia). That's all part of the condition.

The story itself was also very good and it is a personal story of her journey.

However that said. Hellblade 2 was awful in every way that made the first one good. Bad puzzles. No real personal journey. Story was garbage. And very little player autonomy. No exploration. Fixed speeds and at the start of every single enemy encounter, the enemy, a man, beats the piss out of you.

Almost to the point it felt exploitive, and for people who like watching men beat up women.

Sad to see the 2nd so terrible. But the first is brilliant. It's also the perfect length. Not too long.