• TWEAK
• Games

Hellblade II developer: shorter games wanted

Translate from : Hellblade II udvikler: kortere spil ønskes

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II" is set to follow in its predecessor's footsteps as a digital exclusive, and as a shorter experience. Ninja Theory's sequel to the psychological horror action game from 2017 will last around eight hours and cost only around 350 kroner compared to the 500 kroner most big games cost for the Xbox Series X/S If you prefer longer experiences, this may be too much money for too little game.

In an interview with IGN, Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews said that Hellblade 2's shorter gameplay was a conscious choice, as a more streamlined game was in line with the story the developer wanted to tell, and it came naturally as part of the development around the main character Senua's ark in the sequel.

"It's not really about making shorter experiences," Matthews told IGN. There's a story we want to tell here with a beginning, middle, and end, and what's the right shape and size of experience to tell that story? So that's kind of where we start.'

The success of the original Hellblade is a testament to this as it also lasts around 7-8 hours. Matthews told IGN that the studio has established an audience for shorter games. He also believes that digital stores and alternative pricing to the typically more expensive physical copies have "opened up the gaming industry to games of all shapes and sizes". " I think there's a lot of pressure on people's time today, and I think our fans, from what we're hearing from them, they're enjoying a shorter game where our intention is that every part of that journey is meaningful," said Matthews.

Personally, as a person with many other things in everyday life that steal my time and hobbies other than gaming, I am happy that there are games like the Hellblade series, which can be completed relatively quickly. On that front, I'd rather throw myself into a shorter game that I can actually complete and experience the whole story than big Open World games that end up being too extensive. Often, an abundance of things means that you can end up losing your breath and in the end still only end up playing a handful of hours before everyday obligations take over the time.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II releases on PC and Xbox Series X/S on May 21 and will be available to Game Pass subscribers from day one.