We've been waiting a while for Hellblade to have some gameplay to show off and now the wait is over. The first gameplay trailer is here just in time for E3 and to go along with it and its amazingness Ninja Theory is also giving a taste of what the game's story is going to be all about. I have yet to be let down by a single game that they have brought to market and given what is shown below and talked about Hellblade does not look like it is going to end that streak. I think it has to do with the team always seeming to try and have some thought provoking elements in their games, even if the original story is lifted from other sources, and Hellblade is looking to actually tackle one of my favorite issues with humanity: Mental Illness.
We'll talk more on that in a minute. For now just sit back and have a look at the new Hellblade gameplay trailer that has been released. It is all in-game and real time here. Or at least that is what is being claimed in the trailer and I can't wait to see more and get my hands on it next year on the PS4 and PC.
Hellblade — E3 2015 Trailer
I'll be completely honest here, Hellblade does look like it needs a bit more work but for a team of 15 working on it that still places it in the insanely impressive category for me. This is also very early footage and there is still at least another year to go on its development cycle so there is still time to completely blow us all away when it comes to gameplay and visuals. Visuals being the one thing I an sure Ninja Theory is going to be focusing on give the mental health issue with the character and needing to have some great effects in Hellblade to completely demonstrate this to a crowd that may not have a full understanding of what Senua is experiencing. They do have Wellcome Trust ad some big heads in that area of study helping out here for Hellblade after all.
This is where that mental illness thing I mentioned above comes in. At least if you didn't catch on to that from the Hellblade and all of the other words thrown out there. Bringing some kind of awareness to the situation seems to be the secondary goal here for Hellblade. At least that is how it sounds from the horse's mouth here:
From George Orwell’s 1984, to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, the best fantasy breaks down barriers and lets us see the world without prejudice. This is what we want to do with Hellblade. To see the world through Senua’s eyes, and in doing so, address a subject that is still considered taboo.
Developing Hellblade independently gives us the freedom to tackle a subject as challenging as mental health. It is a subject that we are handling with all the respect it deserves, ensuring that our portrayal of Senua’s condition is both accurate and sensitive. To help us with this we are working closely with Professor Paul Fletcher, a professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, as well as arranging to consult directly with people who have experience of mental health difficulties. We are also very proud to say that Hellblade is being supported by Wellcome Trust, which is a global charitable foundation which aims to build a greater public understanding of science and in particular health.
Gods hearing all of this about Hellblade has me even more interested to see what Ninja Theory has in the works. What about you though? Does this look like the game you were expecting here or has Hellblade become something you didn't expect? Do you see another Heavenly Sword or Enslaved: Odyssey to the West here; social commentary included in the background? Let's discuss down in the comments here because we all want to know what you think. You can also be sure that we will have all things Hellblade updating right here on the site so keep checking back as you will not want to miss a thing.
