Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks and gamers! As I posted before, I enjoyed playing Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II on my Xbox Series X and eventually I managed finish it. It was indeed a short game (less than ten hours was my play time) and to my surprise, the levels were really linear (which made exploration very limited) and the puzzle-oriented challenges were less challenging compared to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
What really impressed the most about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II were the visuals which had high levels of photo-realism, really detailed facial expressions and astounding cinematic look. Developer Ninja Theory proved itself to be great in using Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) technology and fusing their artistry and all motion-captured performances onto their work.
While I enjoyed Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and I can say it was worth the long wait, I don’t find the game replay-worthy at all. I don’t feel like wanting to repeat an entire playthrough with it right now. Perhaps in the next six months, I just might consider playing it all over again.
That being said, I really want Ninja Theory to prosper and keep on making more great games that will keep gamers entertained. I think it is also time for the Xbox studio to pause from the Senua franchise of games and start making something new that is also enjoyable to play.
What I’d like to see Ninja Theory make under the Xbox banner is a new action-adventure game that is less cinematic but more focused on large environments, platforming, deep exploration and having a new approach to action.
To understand what I’m saying, check out Ninja Theory’s past works on Heavenly Sword and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Watch the videos below…
Of course, there are other genres that Ninja Theory could daringly work on such as role-playing games (RPGs) much in the style of BioWare’s works specifically like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Star Wars KOTOR) and Jade Empire. They can also add their cinematic approach when making RPGs.
When it comes to zombie-oriented video games, the team behind the Senua games could make a Dead Rising-like game featuring open-world environments, varied missions and objectives, and emphasis on shooting and explosions with regards to action.
Another genre that I think Ninja Theory can challenge themselves with is turn-based tactics gaming. I believe that the Xbox first-party lineup of games is sorely lacking in this type of game. While XCOM already cornered the sci-fi realm of turn-based tactics, perhaps Ninja Theory could do a fantasy oriented game that plays well and carry the team’s cinematic touch.
The way things are right now, it remains to be seen what Ninja Theory could make next under Team Xbox and Microsoft. There is that thing called Project: Mara but there are no details as to what kind of game will turn out from that. I really want Ninja Theory to keep on making more fun-oriented games which would also feature their artistic approach that would really stand out.
Here is hoping Microsoft would not commit the error of closing down the team behind Senua games. I am watching your moves, Team Xbox and Microsoft.
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