In a 3-minute segment recently published on YouTube, Ninja Theory has relayed some spellbinding info on the setting and design process of their major sequel, Senua's Saga. Touted as the second episode in their ongoing Dreadnought Development Diaries, the brief glimpse into the design process awarded to Hellblade II is enough to excite every single fan of the original, while also reeling in those just now discovering this newfound masterpiece in horror gaming.

This upcoming sequel will see Senua off on an adventure through Iceland in her fight against, potentially, the Vikings of this sprawling landscape and the Furies still wreaking havoc within her mind.

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Co-founder of Ninja Theory, Tameem Antoniades divulges on how the first Hellblade was a "difficult project," necessitating some much-needed vacationing after the game's release. An area of major interest to him amid his travels was Iceland, a continent teeming with otherworldly landscapes and rich ancient history. Following his downtime, Antoniades decided Iceland was the perfect setting for Senua's Saga, thereafter scouting 40 varied locations and narrowing it down to a more linear path for Senua to take in-game.

With the aid of Saga Film and Ninja Theory's audio team, the developers are utilizing real-world locations and their subsequent soundscapes to capture an ever-lifelike experience in their sequel project. The band that collaborated with them on the first game, Heilung, also traveled with the group and helped to imbue ancient ritual music into these various locales, taking these realistic approaches only a step further in engineering an experience unlike any other. Not to mention the streamlined aHessistance that will come later in the development process thanks to Quixel's environmental asset scans and Unreal Engine 5.

Antoniades says it best himself:

"So the goal from here now is to capture that sense of awe and epic of Senua's journey as she travels hundreds of miles seamlessly across Iceland and reproduce it, recreate it. A ninth-century version of Iceland that is as real and immersive as possible and this is the approach we're taking with everything in Hellblade, everything should be based on something real, whether it's a sound, the trickle of a stream, the sounds of the forest, the lighting, the clouds, the landscape satellite data, all of these things we're developing."

Even the very design and development behind Senua's Saga itself is as captivating and compelling as its own story is, which should say a lot about their dedication to this forthcoming project. Much akin to their first game, for which the team actually met and learned mental psychoses via neuroscientists to bring alive and awareness to this very mental trauma rarely touched upon in gaming, this next title will only push said bounds even further.

It's unclear when fans can expect the game, though hopefully, Senua's Saga will debut sometime in 2021. It is known, however, that Hellblade II will be an Xbox Series X and PC exclusive. Stay in the know by following Ninja Theory on YouTube and Twitter, while also tuning in to each forthcoming Dreadnought Diary to see the game burgeon into the mind-numbing magnificence it's destined to be.

Source: Ninja Theory

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