This game is rated PEGI 18
Our review includes potentially triggering words:
Delusions, Gore, Illness, Mental Health and Trauma.
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Posted: 3 years ago, last updated 11 weeks ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
Created in partnership with neuroscientists, mental health specialists and those with lived experience of psychosis, the experience aims to share something of what it’s like to live with this kind of illness. The voices, confusion and delusions weave in and out of the action as Senua struggles to come to terms with the trauma and guilt of her past.
For adults, the game can provide a different window on the experience of someone close to them who struggles with mental illness. Some parents have played the game with older children as a way to engage with this difficult subject. The game succeeds by avoiding reducing its rendition to a literal or journalistic recreation. The story of Senua’s struggle is as much about resilience, persistence, bravery and dealing with guilt or failure as about any specific medical diagnosis. In this way it offers a deeply relatable experience.
Game Details
Release Date: 08/08/2017, updated in 2018
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Content Rating: PEGI 18
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Adventure (Fighting and Narrative)
Accessibility: 21 features
Developer: Ninja Theory (@NinjaTheory)
Lists
View our choice of games like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. This game is good if you want to:
Duration
Play Style
Age Ratings
Rated for younger players in Australia. Rated Mature Accompanied (MA 15+) for Violence, Strong Themes.
Accessibility
The game provides audio of the voices that your character is hearing in her head. This offers a degree of assistance. For example, if you needs to jump off a ledge you can hear voices arguing "why isn't she down there" followed by "its because she's afraid". This is useful and important assistance information. Because of the overlapping nature of this audio it is not completely covered in subtitles, although the loudest voice is provided.
The game has an adaptive combat difficulty option so that combat isn't the barrier between success and failure. Spoiler: The game auto-saves, and tells you that if you fail too often you will have to start again from the beginning. This is a device to make the player feel the weight of dying in the game and it never actually forces you to reset.
Diversity and Inclusion

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