Microsoft Studios dropped a new trailer for Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga at The Game Awards 2019. The game is a sequel to 2017’s critically-acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which featured a young Pict woman, Senua, with a mental illness who is attempting to bring her lover back from the dead. Her journey takes her through the depths of Helheim, where she encounters objects and creatures from Pict and Viking lore.

Not only was Hellblade a hit with critics, but it also received praise from the industry for its depiction of mental illness. Ninja Theory worked closely with professionals in the mental health industry to create a realistic portrayal of a character dealing with mental illness. On World Mental Health Day in 2017, Ninja Theory even donated proceeds of sales of the game on that day to the Rethink Mental Illness organization. The game debuted first on the PS4, but later made its way to PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Now that game is getting a sequel. Senua will return in Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga. A new brutal trailer shows that her struggles are far from over and that her battle has just begun:

One thing that sets Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice apart from other games that use motion capture is that Ninja Theory animated its actors in real time: the game created each scene as they acted them out. It seems that the developer has continued to expand upon that technology in the trailer, which has developer and actress Melina Juergens reprising her role as Senua. This technology was a game-changer in 2017, and it’s likely that it will look even better by the time that Hellblade: Senua’s Saga releases. The developer will also likely share its process along the way on social media, much like it did with the first title.

Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga was introduced with the Xbox Series X, suggesting that it may be an exclusive on that console, something Microsoft needs to stay competitive in the next-generation console cycle. In 2018, Microsoft Studios acquired Ninja Theory, along with several other studios, to begin working on new projects for its next generation console. It seems that this is one of the new projects Microsoft tasked Ninja Theory with, which should please fans who wanted to see a continuation of Senua’s story. Still, this announcement surprised a lot of fans, especially considering that there has been no rumors of a second game in the franchise.

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Source: Xbox/YouTube