Ninja Theory Shows off Character and Technology for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

During the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo, game developer Ninja Theory debuted their upcoming project Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The game has been supported by Wellcome Trust, an association for the support of tackling mental health issues. While we haven't seen much gameplay footage since then, plenty of other developments have been published. Recently, Ninja Theory released a new-and-improved trailer which showcases Hellblade's main character, as well as the technology that made her.

The upcoming Hellblade will follow Senua, a Celtic warrior who has been traumatized by a recent Viking attack on her home. Senua suffers from serious mental illness, including psychosis and dreadful hallucinations. She is being hailed as one of the most believable characters in recent years. She is anxious, depressive, and seems to realistically portray a person suffering from a mental ailment. The studio heads at Ninja Theory say that Senua's story will be "a journey to hell." Not surprisingly, the idea of a game played through the eyes of a mentally ill character has fascinated audiences since E3.

A lone woman stands in front of a crooked tree covered with hanged bodies. Hushed and agitated voices swirl around her from every direction. Some of the voices fear for her, while others mock and degrade her. "Their gods can see into your mind" a demonic and unique voice argues with Senua from within her in a booming whisper. Through impressive visuals and sounds, the scene shows some ominous displays of serious issues going on in this badass-looking woman's head.

On the technological side, Ninja Theory calls their mad Celtic warrior the "first virtual human." This cutscene was rendered in a very impressive way - the motions of Senua's actress, Melina Juergens, were captured in real-time. Emotion, facial expressions, even breathing were instantly translated from Melina's movements and expressions into the already digitally-rendered game environment. Outstanding live motion-capture aside, Melina's approach to her character is haunting and wildly impressive.

While we're still not exactly sure what Senua's journey through hell will entail, the video does shed some light on the plot. It seems that these "Northmen" who attacked Senua's home may have killed or kidnapped her lover, which seems to be tormenting her without end. Her quest may very well revolve around a physical mission to reclaim him, as well as a mental mission to find peace.

Overall, Hellblade's thematic approach to exploring the nature of mental illness is so enthralling that we're going to keep tabs on this one until its 2016 release date. An independent project that attempts to tackle a subject such as this should have close attention paid to it.