Ninja Theory released the latest trailer for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, detailing the release date and the price for the game. Hellblade will launch on August 8th, 2017 for $29.99 on Steam, PS4, and as a DRM-free offering on GOG.com.
Ninja Theory had revealed previously that Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice would only cost half as much as an AAA title (and this is true, given that it’s only $29.99 instead of $59.99) and they also revealed that it would only be half the length of an AAA title. According to the FAQ it’s expected to be around six to eight hours worth of play-time.
This information was revealed with a new trailer that popped up over on the developer’s YouTube page, which you can check out below.
While most gamers admit that Hellblade has superb graphics and the performance capture is absolutely top notch, the major issue is that there’s still a lingering segment of the community levying criticism at Ninja Theory for not showing enough gameplay.
Fanboys have fired back claiming that people complaining about the lack of gameplay can go surf through Ninja Theory’s YouTube feed to find videos featuring gameplay.
Outside of the typical fanboys praising Hellblade to the high-heavens, the people actually interested in the game asking questions beyond the price and release date (which is $29.99 and August 8th), there are people still asking about the gameplay.
This has been an issue since the original developer diaries began airing years ago. Infrequently people would ask about the gameplay and oftentimes they would be told that Hellblade isn’t a traditional hack-and-slash game, or that Ninja Theory has showcased the gameplay already.
We got to see the most gameplay during the combat developer diaries, but then after that it was kind of pushed to the back burner. We did learn that there are some puzzle-solving mechanics, and exploration themed segments in the game, but majority of it seems to be an on-rails story experience.
I have no idea how well Hellblade will do once it releases. Will the audience looking for a hack-and-slash game be disappointed that it’s more story-oriented? Will the word of mouth be positive or negative for the game? Will it be able to carve out a niche as a more story-focused experience with a small side-order of gameplay? How well will hardcore gamers react and will casuals actually give it a try?
Gaming is a volatile market, and perception plays a huge part in how well the audience connects with a title. We’ll see if gamers connect with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice when it launches on August 8th, 2017 for $29.99 on Steam, GOG.com and PS4.