Hellblade's Senua Gets A Realistic Look & A Raw Mind

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

If you've ever wanted to see what game development looks like behind the scenes, here's your chance. Ninja Theory Ltd., the UK based indie game developer behind Heavenly Sword, DmC: Devil May Cry and Fightback, has released a development diary video today.

But it isn't like those pathetic "journal entries" on YouTube! In Ninja Theory's, they give insight into the creation of the lifelike body of Senua, the lead character in the upcoming Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

In case you're unaware, the game tells the story of a warrior's journey in a Viking clan, and her experiences with psychosis.

Taboo Subjects?

Sounds pretty original. A character that is out of touch with reality, due to a mental disorder? That's not a common subject at all in games. The only real comparison we can think of is Neverending Nightmares, developed by Infinitap Games, a 2014 horror game about OCD and depression.

That begs two questions: should there be more games about mental illness? And if so, is it a subject that AAA games could handle making, and genuinely making decent sales from?

The Human Body

As if that wasn't enough progression in games, Ninja Theory used a real woman model as inspiration for the character. Their objective wasn't to just make a game. They were trying to convey as realistic of a character as possible, for the sake of both art and player immersion.

We think they succeeded.

Take a look at Ninja Theory Ltd.'s video journal: