Hellblade 2 Debuts on PS5 with Upgraded Features: Is the Excitement Justified?

Wow, so I just heard Microsoft is pulling the ol’ switcheroo and sticking some of their Xbox games onto the PlayStation 5. It’s like a tech high-five between rivals or something. So, there’s this game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and it’s leaving its comfy Xbox home to shack up with PlayStation. Which is kinda wild if you ask me.

You know, it’s the sequel to this game Hellblade from back in the day—2017, I think. Anyway, people loved it… or at least some pretended to. And now, out of the blue, it’s on PS5, jazzed up in an “Enhanced” edition. Fancy, huh? Price tag is still $49.99, but hey, you get a free upgrade if you already bought it elsewhere. May was when they blabbed about it. Took ‘em long enough to actually drop it.

Speaking of old charms, the original Hellblade also got a PS5-friendly makeover. Ironic, right? It was once a PS4 exclusive, and now it’s back with the bells and whistles like ray tracing and 120 FPS. I can’t do tech talk, but apparently, that’s a big deal. If you’re a PlayStation peep and missed the boat the first time, now’s your chance to play catch-up.

Quick tangent here: Thinking about these “Enhanced” versions always reminds me of remaster hype. But, nah, it feels more like a facelift than a whole body transformation, if you get what I mean. Xbox Series X|S and all their graphics mumbo-jumbo – yeah, they get this slick 60 FPS Performance Mode. But, sadly, Xbox Series S users are left out. Like being the only vegan at a barbecue or something.

The new graphics preset on the PC version? Allows your rig to strut its stuff – if it can handle it, of course. Oh, and brace yourself for the Dark Rot challenge mode — sounds gnarly, doesn’t it? If you’re into hair-raising difficulty spikes, check it out. It’s got this death penalty thing that just gnaws at me. Literally, die and the game hates you more each time.

Random side note: there’s this whole Photo Mode add-on, and it’s packed with goodies for snapping Senua’s intense little moments. Plus, some kind of Developer Commentary thingy now exists. Like DVD extras for a game. Sweet nostalgia.

Honestly, Microsoft’s recent love affair with PlayStation doesn’t surprise me anymore. Sea of Thieves and Grounded wanted in on the action, too — sold like hotcakes on PlayStation. And Forza Horizon 5? That was like the prom king of PS5 games this year. Managed to outsell some of Sony’s big dogs. Craziness.

Anyway — was I talking about Hellblade 2 selling well? Yeah, safe bet it’s gonna do fine on PS5. Fits right in with all those epic, story-focused PlayStation adventures. Oh, and don’t let me forget Helldivers 2 strutting to Xbox soon. It’s like a weird game exchange program between Sony and Microsoft lately.

Hellblade 2 got decent reviews. People talking about it as a piece of art or some high-brow stuff. Metacritic gave it an 81, if you care. Windows Central peeps seem to love it, too. You could snag it on Xbox for cheap now, if you’re into discounts.

So yeah, that’s the scoop on Hellblade 2 and its world tour on next-gen consoles. Not that anyone asked… but now you know!