While it wasn’t shown at all during Xbox & Bethesda’s E3 Game Showcase, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 did make a short appearance during the Xbox Games Showcase Extended. However, the video shown wasn’t a trailer or gameplay reveal, according to Tameem Antoniades, the chief creative ninja at Ninja Theory. Instead, it was a “montage of the kind of work we’ve been up to.”
Antoniades says that the game is still very much in development at Ninja Theory. “What we’re doing right now is building a good, chunky slice of the game before we then move into full production to build out the rest.” He went on to say that, despite its name, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is not a “straight sequel,” but rather “something extra special.” The game will still follow the same character in the same setting, ninth-century Iceland.
The team at Ninja Theory has been flown out to the country to photograph land to recreate in the game and has been building costumes to scan into the game. Players should also expect some high-quality animation from the game, with Milena Juergens, the actress for Senua, undergoing two years of training. The game’s animators have also been undergoing combat training, to get a better idea of the movements that come with swinging a sword or ax.
While, today’s video shown at the Xbox Games Showcase Extended didn’t show any real gameplay, there were some snippets here or there of Senua walking. Otherwise, it was filled with sparse footage of combat being filmed, along with trippy visuals. The trailer did have a voice-over from Senua that may hint at the game’s story. The video ended with the line :”They may see them as gods, but we will show them what lies behind our eyes.”