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Unforgiving games that erase save data after dying, thus causing actual permadeath is nothing new. Titles like The Witcher 2 have such a feature and it would seem that the horror/fantasy offering by Ninja Theory called Hellblade has something similar. Then again, this may have been just a bluff as the feature was put to the test and no such save data erasures occurred.
In Hellblade, players take on the role of the protagonist Senua who is slowing sinking into the depths of insanity. Along with this descent is the inevitable visions and hallucinations to compliment her journey in trying to free the soul of her lover from hell. Based on the game’s reviews such as those from Kotaku, it would seem that gamers can expect a grand old time of repeated deaths.
Aside from the fact that the enemies themselves present an overwhelming amount of challenge, the game itself seems intent on being as frustrating as possible. Right out of the bat, Senua is forced to fight an enemy without any instructions whatsoever. As it turns out, however, players are supposed to lose this round in order for them to learn a valuable lesson; don’t die or else.
One of the most noteworthy challenges that publishers have associated with playing Hellblade, however, is the fact that it also causes players to start questioning their own sanity. The mechanics and atmosphere are taxing to the senses and it’s difficult to approach the title in the traditional video game manner.
Then there’s the matter of the permadeath hanging over the players’ heads. Basically, if Senua dies too many times, the rot engulfing her body will reach her head. Once this happens, the saves will apparently be corrupted or erased.
Fortunately, PCGamesN put this to the test and it would seem that the developers were just bluffing. After intentionally getting killed upwards of 50 times, Senua’s rot certainly progressed but never to the point that the saved games were in trouble of getting erased. That’s one thing players won’t have to worry about, at least.
