The fact that Senua's response to her lover being blood eagled was to remove his head and take it with her is the most Icelandic folklore thing I can conceive of
The tale of Sigmund and such is a real contender. It's one of those stories I keep forgetting about, and then every time it's told I'm on the edge of my seat going "What could POSSIBLY come next?!"
The idea that Senua suffers from schizophrenia while living in a semi-fantastical setting is such an exciting concept by itself. Imagine being unable to trust yourself and what you see while magic is real to some degree.
the first game spoke to my soul and my messed up brain... schizophrenia runs in my family both sides my mom and my dad and their mother and fathers and going backwards many many suffered from mental problems... i guess i am just lucky... or cursed as Senua was.. most of the time i dont feel lucky... nothing lucky about anything in my life and i just lost half of my support system... my mom passed away last month... sorry for over sharing just couldnt help it... anyways awesome comment!
Her dad's/darkness' voice was amazing. I watched my husband play the game, and got goosebumps every time he spoke. Did anybody else notice that Garm's voice was also the voice of her father? Not sure if you touched on it yet, I'm only twenty-seven minutes in. Definitely my favorite aspect of the game, despite how amazing the game was otherwise I just can not get over homeboy's voice. Also Druth, loved that character.
Good job, my good sir. Old Norse and Celt culture can be tumultuous and contradictory, depending on when the source was written, but you stuck to the task, and delivered it in lock-step with the game.
Little tidbit I read about Draugr is that some people where beheaded and the head placed at their feet so they did not know witch way is up or down. There are also other versions of this tale regarding how to prevent people from rising from the grave. Excellent work as always good sir.
I believe the act of placing their head between their legs was possibly so they’d dig downwards deeper into the earth or into Hel. Think it was done as a precaution so potential Draugr wouldn’t rise again
Didn't play the first game and probably won't play the second game, but I've watched lore videos of these two games and it's so damn fascinating and relatable in a way with the goings in my own life. Truly a work of art.
I love ur use of basically occum's razor the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. I believe also that the 1st game is completely inside her head where as the 2nd would be a shared delusion as it where
I really struggled to play the first game and never picked it up after putting 2ish hours into it. I love the concept, the story line, and the design. Thanks for posting this with a good bit of gameplay and audio with it, I can appreciate both games as phenomenal games even if I don’t get around to playing them
Fear and insecurity can lead normal people to become monsters. Game 2 checks out. This series is stunning, both visually and storywise. Gameplay was cool too.
Norse and Celtic mythology is always so fascinating to me ☺️ I love how in the second game Senua seems more funtional and in balance with her voices, it is good to see that the lessons and the growth from the first game is taken into the second game ☺️ I always hate it when progress is completely reset in a sequel.
Senua looks like my ex who suffered from psychosis and died. Every time I see those eyes it hurts. I still played through the first game but it almost broke me.
I don’t mean to pry or open up old wounds, but did she forget or simply reject, taking antipsychotic meds like Haloperidol, Olanzapine, Risperidone, Quetiapine etc. As these would of course reduce someone’s life expectancy by a couple years, but make life, even though there are many straining side effects, much much more bearable as well, as help them maintain family, familiar and romantic relationships. To reduce or fully suppress her psychotic break(s) or even schizo-typical symptoms? But besides that I must say, I am sorry for your loss and pray that you never have to go through something like this again. Much love.
@@nsnl_ it was her second time suffering from that. The first time was before we knew each other. While I kept pushing her to seek help she distanced herself from me. Her best friends stayed with her for days but instead of reinforcing the need to find professional help, they just listened and told her what she wanted to hear so she doesn't distance herself from them like she did with me or other people in her past. Her family wouldn't listen, the friends wouldn't listen. In the end she took her own life because it made sense in her mind. I did what I could, I blame those who let her die. But it's been ages and I've been mostly over it. I learned now that you have to force them even if they and everyone around them hates you for it. Thanks and all the best to you
I’ve never played these games but I just wanted to let you know this video is beautifully made and you are a wonderful storyteller. I love the extra research you put into the folklore that aspects of the games are based on. This is by far my favorite lore channel because of how much care you put into telling the stories of all these games.
This game got me hooked! After how awesome the first game was, I was worried for this one when I saw so many mixed reviews but boy did this game prove them wrong! Ninja theory set out to tell a terrifying tale about mental struggles in the most beautiful way they know how and they did a spectacular job! I can’t wait for the next one. I’m glad that I’m alive to be a witness to this masterpiece
I thought the giants were interpretations of the conditions within mother nature tied to the stories of people of suffered during those conditions. Like the volcano and the mother who lost her child. He used those natural disasters against his people telling them they were giants?
i think the first game understands mental illness way to well.. as a person who suffers from something similar to Senua... hearing voices and seeing random things that cant be real... the game spoke to me... i wont get a chance to play the second game anytime soon (only have a Ps5 its not on the system yet) thanks for making a video about both games... i have been watching your channel for a long time now you are my favorite video game lore UA-camr... thanks again and keep up the awesome work!!
Great job man! You always cover games I love or REALLY want to play too, which is nice. Lore and story are a big part of why I game in the first place……. So now where’s Rule of Rose!!! Haha
It took me about 14 to 20 hours to beat the 1st game. I played it on the highest difficulty. I was not disappointed with the story or gameplay. The sword combat mechanics was the best.
A couple of random things, 1 both games are very much stories of mental health, the team even hired on mental health consultants specifically to get that aspect as correct as they could. Secondly I think the devs missed some history. Iceland actually used to be dense forests until the norse came and logged the entire thing to ship the lumber back home, so the iceland in the game is actually very much post "being tamed".
I would LOVE to watch this video. Looking forward to do so. I want to play Part 1 and 2 myself without spoiling... so... Just want so say: i love your videos ❤ i'll be back
I love the hell blade franchise, even if i don’t make it through the first simi boss fights at the first door in the first game😅 the story is so powerful and there are so many ways you can look at it. What is real, what is in her mind? Your video was great, as always 😉😄
Someone mentioned at some point that Aleifr might have caused a case of mass hysteria, which is enforced by the default narrator right after the first encounter with Illtauga: wills so strong conjure a reality of their own (or smth of the sort) so I truly believe that the giant only appear in Senua's perspective. To the others, it would be a respective element: a bursting of lava or a thunderstorm. Even for Tyrant, Aleifr says something during his fight, that draugr would come in the wake of the giant to take the sacrifices. So to regular people, it would appear as if they were taken by the giant itself. I think that the only real thing happening in the second game be the draugr/cannibals and all the rest is made up by what Senua hears and take as truth. As for the people, it would make sense for them that the elements are gods/giants asking for a tribute, back in the day sacrifices were common after all to appease whatever to get good crops or good weather.
I think that the giants are outcasts that Aleifr lied to the people that they are giants. You know like crazy people that you want to avoid on the street. You can say that the first giant was a mad woman with grief that chases people and the 2nd was a crippled traitor who tried to self-delet but failed and came back scarred.
Them being giants only from her perspective(which doesn't make sense since they literally call them giants but whatever) and being real aren't mutually exclusive, seeing the world differently doesn't mean everything she experienced was in her head
I think while the theme of the first game was schizophrenia, in the second one is Mass Psychosis since everyone believed in the giants to be real and interacted with them. There are documented cases of Mass Psychosis were a large group of people all saw the same thing.
Haven't played the second one yet, but the whole "people are the real monsters" and "you don't have to become your parents" seem like the themes. That just disappoints me because those feel like tired themes. The first game and the portrayal of mental illness through mythology and a quest that starts with trying to undo the past and leading to accept loss and yourself? God, that was a great game. It was such a unique experience and felt so honest and real about living with a mental illness and trauma. It felt refreshing and new. I felt like I could choose multiple ways of interpreting the story and all were valid. The second game doesn't look quite as groundbreaking storywise. Still gonna play it, but I can see why it didn't get quite the same fanfare as the first game.
YESS! 🙌 Maybe I'm OCD but I cannot stop playing a game until I've found everything it has to offer! It's kinda a waste of money if you don't! I LOVE this channel for that! 🙏
Played the first one on PS4 and loved it. But because of this console exclusivity crap, i watched this to understand the second game after watching a full playthrough. End exclusivity BS
38:57 she says: I've killed a God..... But didn't she LITERALLY HAD A HALLUCINATION AND DREAMT ALL THOSE FIGHTS ... THAT SWORD.. AND KILLING DEMIGODS??😅😅😅🤯🤯🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Before I ever watched this video, I watched all the cut scenes from the first game and the second my belief is when. Senua claimed that she had killed a god. If you looked closely after she drops the head, you can see where she had previously been lying. Hella is lying there instead, or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Also, in a way she did slay a God that may have just existed in her head though. My theory which I may be completely wrong, after the volcano erupted all the famine and sickness that spread I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised, if a lot of peoples mental state was unhinged, and that ended up in tangling with their beliefs, and because the Norseman were imposing their gods on to others through torture conquest, you name it there may have been more people at that time suffering with mental illness. And also, I won’t be at least bit surprised if there may have been something in the air that was causing like mass hallucination. Don’t quote me on this, but there are documentation from the past where mass hallucinations did happen either from pollutants in the water or pollutants in the air. It just takes one suggestion that could spread this madness. Yet Senua was the only one who really was able to get through this fog and in away she had already conquered that part of herself that was controlling her before. When people are scared, it is easy for them to fall to manipulation as well. Makes it hard when it comes to something like this. What can you truly believe? Apologies I got off of one of the topics that I was gonna talk about. Forgive my spelling the Drager I figured right away or cannibals with all the famine going around some had to obviously resort cannibalism and group too much of a liking to it. I do rather like how Senua gave some of the giants piece like helping lost spirits find their way. You can take what I said here with a grain of salt take it or leave it. It’s up to you.😊 thank you for doing this video all the same. I truly enjoyed it as I always enjoy your videos.❤
Being schizophrenic and playing hellblade 1, it made me wish there was some journey leading to a conflict that ends with resolution. This life isnt like that unfortunately and instead of a desired conflict helping you to recove, you get medications that are as bad for your body as the delusions are for sanity.
Imo Ninja Theory has a story to tell so let them cook and tell it! Senua's Saga Hellblade II is my GOTY for 2024 so far i give it a 9 to a 9.5, lots of amazing and masterful parts in the game but i do understand the criticisms. For me the Gameplay was a big highlight i thought it was an afterthought in the first game but the everything is about as even from Senua's Sacrifice.
Thank you for this. I played the first game but lost interest during the pit of bodies parts. I game was a lot to take in so i didn't get the full experience of the Norse lore richness that was in the story, and so I chose not to play the second. Thanks to this video i got to experience the story and really understand it. It really is steeped in Norse myth and actual pretty cool. I still won't play as the game isn't my taste, but at least i got to see how it all plays out. Thanks.
I think that the Giants never existed. Even Senua confirms this What happened was ancient people needed religion and folklore to explain the cataclysm that was happening to them. Every time there was a Giant, it would be actually be a natural disaster, that was so big, that it looked like a giant person for some reason.
The letter ð is not a d, it makes the same th sound as in "other" (oðer); Goði = "gothi" Also, the letter ö is not an o, ör sounds like the er in "other" (othör); Björg = "byerg"
Senua has some form of psychosis - that isn't a theory, it's actually confirmed by the writers and developers - there's a whole section in the Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice wiki page that details a ton of very, very interesting information regarding it.
@@dutchvanderbilt9969 It's absolutely worth looking into! I believe they even explained in some videos that I've watched previously. It was genuinely impressive, the amount of care and research they put into the proper representation - Senua's father, for example, wasn't JUST a religious fanatic and an abusive asshole, but also represented the isolation, fear, and misunderstanding that individuals with mental health struggles, especially with something like psychosis, go through in every day life. The whole game is definitely rooted in Celtic and Nordic mythology, but it's also a story about the struggles of people with psychosis and the related mental illnesses that lead to it.
Probably will seeing as High-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves have. Also the first game was a timed exclusive for playstation. So it'd be kinda funny if the second is essentially a timed exclusive for Xbox lol
I just hate how modern games are intentionally made overdemanding with system specs as a form of tech demo and story is just super ambiguous. The first Hellblade was really good with the story and everything and it had really good graphics that didn't require a 1080ti lvl gpu to run. It was enjoyable enough on moderately high settings with solid 60fps even on a 1070 lvl gpu but this new hellblade 2 is nothing more than a techdemo in my opinion and good luck getting it running with a 3070 on high settings without dlss. I don't even know what purpose does this sequel serve other than making some dough.
It's so hard to continue a fantastical game like this one when the very facts of the player's actions are up for debate, I think that the first game works incredibly well as a metaphor, but if you want to take in the second game, you need to settle on the first being at least mostly real.
PHEW! I saw a *now I realise* sarcastic tweet that the final battle of Hellblade 2 was with her psychiatrist. I'm not joking, I watched the entire video bracing that, at any second, it might cut to live action footage of Senua's actress whilst a psychiatrist explains every symbol and metaphor in her story. I'm genuinely glad that's not the case.
Great video, but I admit I am a little disappointed that you didn't mention a key part of the character of Senua that even the devs have confirmed - Senua has a mental condition, namely psychosis (possibly, as mentioned by @NosferatuWickedTTRPG, schizophrenia). They worked very, very closely with neuroscientists, with the non-profit Wellcome Trust, psychologists, and even individuals who suffered from psychosis. I feel like telling the story of Hellblade and of Senua without taking this into consideration is doing a real disservice to the beautiful worldbuilding and storytelling of Tameem Antoniades & Ninja Theory.
I mention it at the start. That Senua inherited the condition from her mother. I’m not informed enough on the condition so I’m not gonna make an idiot of myself. Mental health is a tricky subject to tackle for someone who doesn’t have any mental health problems, so I just focused on the Norse lore and Senua’s journey of self-acceptance. People who play the game know what Senua’s condition is, so I don’t really need to deep dive into the workings of psychosis.
@@GamingHarryYT Honestly fair enough and I appreciate you owning to your own lack of familiarity with it and not trying to address something you don't know much about (trust me, researching it leads you down one heck of a rabbit hole too). Even without explicitly mentioning the inspiration from individuals who suffer from psychosis, I really enjoyed the video - it was a great breakdown of the story and the Gaelic & Nordic lore. Your lore videos are always so well written and they're some of my absolute favorite video game lore vids on youtube!
THIS TYPE OF GAMES/STORIES SUCKKKK AND MAKE LITERALLY NO SENSE..... AT ALLL IT was aalllll in her mind🤷🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ That part really makes even actual good writing look bad (or it was bad ALL along) If it's alllll in her mind ... Then why bother us with puzzles and Doors that cannot be opened.... HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE ? I would've been pleased that instead of her being Schizophrenic and having psychosis... The Furies were actually aiding her and giving her strength......and Odin was actually Helping her too (via the Sword) And what's with Getting revenge for her Husband ? She literally DECAPITATES HER DEAD HUSBAND...THEN She goes on a psychedelic Dream "in her mind" after his death, KICKS HER HUSBAND'S HEAD INTO THE ABYSS....and is like ... Yep... Time to let go .. can't do anything about it😅😅🤷🤷🤷🤡🤡🤡
Both games were trash and over hyped. It wasn't the expectation WE had. It's was the expectation of what the creators explained is what we were expecting and we didn't get it.
Just like Alan trash wake 2 this game forgot about its physical fans, so no go. Part 2 will flop just like Alan wake 2. Care about your customers or lose money.
Hellblade 1 is just a Psychonauts level in which Senua enters Senua's own mind. The fact that she never interacts with another person is what makes the story of the game be more interesting to me. One of the things that I hate about the second game is how many times Senua interacts with other people. The second game is a more straightforward "epic" story about a hero with lots of mental issues. It's just not what I was expecting. I just wanted more "Psychonauts" with Senua.
I mean, the second game is more like Psychonauts because you "enter the giants' minds", but it's not as interesting as the first game or Psychonauts did.
The fact that Senua's response to her lover being blood eagled was to remove his head and take it with her is the most Icelandic folklore thing I can conceive of
The tale of Sigmund and such is a real contender. It's one of those stories I keep forgetting about, and then every time it's told I'm on the edge of my seat going "What could POSSIBLY come next?!"
The idea that Senua suffers from schizophrenia while living in a semi-fantastical setting is such an exciting concept by itself. Imagine being unable to trust yourself and what you see while magic is real to some degree.
Why stop there? Plot twist: Senua is actually a man named Don Quixote running around the countryside, terrorizing peasants.
@aoi8653 Damn it Don Quixote stop attacking my windmill!
the first game spoke to my soul and my messed up brain... schizophrenia runs in my family both sides my mom and my dad and their mother and fathers and going backwards many many suffered from mental problems... i guess i am just lucky... or cursed as Senua was.. most of the time i dont feel lucky... nothing lucky about anything in my life and i just lost half of my support system... my mom passed away last month... sorry for over sharing just couldnt help it... anyways awesome comment!
@@punishersnake4888hey I'm sorry to hear that, brother. Remember to take care of yourself in this trying time.
@@punishersnake4888better days are always on the way just keep trucking and it gets easier!
Her dad's/darkness' voice was amazing. I watched my husband play the game, and got goosebumps every time he spoke. Did anybody else notice that Garm's voice was also the voice of her father? Not sure if you touched on it yet, I'm only twenty-seven minutes in. Definitely my favorite aspect of the game, despite how amazing the game was otherwise I just can not get over homeboy's voice. Also Druth, loved that character.
Druth was intriguing.
Always looked forward to hearing from him.
Good job, my good sir.
Old Norse and Celt culture can be tumultuous and contradictory, depending on when the source was written, but you stuck to the task, and delivered it in lock-step with the game.
isn't the issue is both that no one written any of the stories until hundreds of years of christianization.
Little tidbit I read about Draugr is that some people where beheaded and the head placed at their feet so they did not know witch way is up or down. There are also other versions of this tale regarding how to prevent people from rising from the grave.
Excellent work as always good sir.
I believe the act of placing their head between their legs was possibly so they’d dig downwards deeper into the earth or into Hel. Think it was done as a precaution so potential Draugr wouldn’t rise again
Walking around with severed head on the waist, Kratos approves! 🤣
Didn't play the first game and probably won't play the second game, but I've watched lore videos of these two games and it's so damn fascinating and relatable in a way with the goings in my own life. Truly a work of art.
Totally worth playing. They're relatively short romps and on game pass, so they're low commitment
I love ur use of basically occum's razor the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. I believe also that the 1st game is completely inside her head where as the 2nd would be a shared delusion as it where
I really struggled to play the first game and never picked it up after putting 2ish hours into it. I love the concept, the story line, and the design. Thanks for posting this with a good bit of gameplay and audio with it, I can appreciate both games as phenomenal games even if I don’t get around to playing them
Fear and insecurity can lead normal people to become monsters. Game 2 checks out. This series is stunning, both visually and storywise. Gameplay was cool too.
Norse and Celtic mythology is always so fascinating to me ☺️ I love how in the second game Senua seems more funtional and in balance with her voices, it is good to see that the lessons and the growth from the first game is taken into the second game ☺️ I always hate it when progress is completely reset in a sequel.
Dunno how someone from an era long before psych meds were a thing managed by all by themselves, though.
@harmonetheanimationaddict4419...
Yet somehow people did it in reality.
@@harmonetheanimationaddict4419 because psych meds do nothing but destroy your soul
I'm on my second playthrough today with alternate narration.
By far my favorite game this year.
Senua looks like my ex who suffered from psychosis and died. Every time I see those eyes it hurts. I still played through the first game but it almost broke me.
Digital hugs from a random mom on the internet, my friend 🧡
@@sarasunshinemt4444 thank you, you're very kind.
I don’t mean to pry or open up old wounds, but did she forget or simply reject, taking antipsychotic meds like Haloperidol, Olanzapine, Risperidone, Quetiapine etc. As these would of course reduce someone’s life expectancy by a couple years, but make life, even though there are many straining side effects, much much more bearable as well, as help them maintain family, familiar and romantic relationships. To reduce or fully suppress her psychotic break(s) or even schizo-typical symptoms?
But besides that I must say, I am sorry for your loss and pray that you never have to go through something like this again. Much love.
@@nsnl_ it was her second time suffering from that. The first time was before we knew each other. While I kept pushing her to seek help she distanced herself from me. Her best friends stayed with her for days but instead of reinforcing the need to find professional help, they just listened and told her what she wanted to hear so she doesn't distance herself from them like she did with me or other people in her past. Her family wouldn't listen, the friends wouldn't listen. In the end she took her own life because it made sense in her mind. I did what I could, I blame those who let her die. But it's been ages and I've been mostly over it. I learned now that you have to force them even if they and everyone around them hates you for it. Thanks and all the best to you
So excited to watch a other one of your excellently lore story & lore explained ❤ Also love the intro explanation about the 2nd games explanation 😂
I’ve never played these games but I just wanted to let you know this video is beautifully made and you are a wonderful storyteller. I love the extra research you put into the folklore that aspects of the games are based on. This is by far my favorite lore channel because of how much care you put into telling the stories of all these games.
This game got me hooked! After how awesome the first game was, I was worried for this one when I saw so many mixed reviews but boy did this game prove them wrong! Ninja theory set out to tell a terrifying tale about mental struggles in the most beautiful way they know how and they did a spectacular job! I can’t wait for the next one. I’m glad that I’m alive to be a witness to this masterpiece
I have a suggestion, how about the lore of Madness Combat: Nexus Project. The Madness franchise is one of my favorites and I love the games
Krinkles reading the fan made wiki while making the game to figure out what the lore even is was the funniest reveal to me
yesss finally, I was waiting for you to do this.
Awesome work. Thanks for all the hard work. Hellblade is certainly an intriguing story.
So excited! Thank you for all your hard work! ❤ I do hope you do a full lore dive on Elden Ring with the DLC releasing soon!
Yes!
hello gamingharry i was waiting for your Lore video Sweeet!
I thought the giants were interpretations of the conditions within mother nature tied to the stories of people of suffered during those conditions. Like the volcano and the mother who lost her child. He used those natural disasters against his people telling them they were giants?
And the sea and storms and the last was the cold and barren mountain. Yes sounds good
i think the first game understands mental illness way to well.. as a person who suffers from something similar to Senua... hearing voices and seeing random things that cant be real... the game spoke to me... i wont get a chance to play the second game anytime soon (only have a Ps5 its not on the system yet) thanks for making a video about both games... i have been watching your channel for a long time now you are my favorite video game lore UA-camr... thanks again and keep up the awesome work!!
Great job man! You always cover games I love or REALLY want to play too, which is nice. Lore and story are a big part of why I game in the first place……. So now where’s Rule of Rose!!! Haha
Hell yeah harry🎉🎉
Thanks dude you made my evening.
Love from South Africa, keep it up dude much love mate.
i heard "burned at the stake" as "burned as a steak" lol
😂
You must have been hungry then
Don't put ketchup on it.
Please!
Considering she kept talking to the main character, I'd say she was cooked rare lol
It took me about 14 to 20 hours to beat the 1st game. I played it on the highest difficulty. I was not disappointed with the story or gameplay. The sword combat mechanics was the best.
A couple of random things, 1 both games are very much stories of mental health, the team even hired on mental health consultants specifically to get that aspect as correct as they could. Secondly I think the devs missed some history. Iceland actually used to be dense forests until the norse came and logged the entire thing to ship the lumber back home, so the iceland in the game is actually very much post "being tamed".
great narration/summary
I never clicked on a video so fast
I would LOVE to watch this video. Looking forward to do so. I want to play Part 1 and 2 myself without spoiling... so...
Just want so say: i love your videos ❤ i'll be back
I like how you explain everything
I love the hell blade franchise, even if i don’t make it through the first simi boss fights at the first door in the first game😅 the story is so powerful and there are so many ways you can look at it. What is real, what is in her mind? Your video was great, as always 😉😄
Someone mentioned at some point that Aleifr might have caused a case of mass hysteria, which is enforced by the default narrator right after the first encounter with Illtauga: wills so strong conjure a reality of their own (or smth of the sort) so I truly believe that the giant only appear in Senua's perspective. To the others, it would be a respective element: a bursting of lava or a thunderstorm. Even for Tyrant, Aleifr says something during his fight, that draugr would come in the wake of the giant to take the sacrifices. So to regular people, it would appear as if they were taken by the giant itself. I think that the only real thing happening in the second game be the draugr/cannibals and all the rest is made up by what Senua hears and take as truth. As for the people, it would make sense for them that the elements are gods/giants asking for a tribute, back in the day sacrifices were common after all to appease whatever to get good crops or good weather.
I think that the giants are outcasts that Aleifr lied to the people that they are giants. You know like crazy people that you want to avoid on the street. You can say that the first giant was a mad woman with grief that chases people and the 2nd was a crippled traitor who tried to self-delet but failed and came back scarred.
Them being giants only from her perspective(which doesn't make sense since they literally call them giants but whatever) and being real aren't mutually exclusive, seeing the world differently doesn't mean everything she experienced was in her head
Surprise release, nice.
I think while the theme of the first game was schizophrenia, in the second one is Mass Psychosis since everyone believed in the giants to be real and interacted with them. There are documented cases of Mass Psychosis were a large group of people all saw the same thing.
OMG harry has uploaded, I dont care even if the world stopped spinning woooooo hoooooo.
I miss the 5 second countdown it makes your videos feel like movies
Honestly i just utterly adore these games. I thought the second was a huge upgrade
Every time you tell about Senua fighting new wave of norse warriors, this vision is evoked:
"Three hundred Northmen for only two pounds?! Yes, sir!"
Haven't played the second one yet, but the whole "people are the real monsters" and "you don't have to become your parents" seem like the themes. That just disappoints me because those feel like tired themes. The first game and the portrayal of mental illness through mythology and a quest that starts with trying to undo the past and leading to accept loss and yourself? God, that was a great game. It was such a unique experience and felt so honest and real about living with a mental illness and trauma. It felt refreshing and new. I felt like I could choose multiple ways of interpreting the story and all were valid. The second game doesn't look quite as groundbreaking storywise. Still gonna play it, but I can see why it didn't get quite the same fanfare as the first game.
Now I know how to correctly pronounce draugr
Can anyone tell me what is this music starting in 59:09?
I played the first one and loved it the rune puzzles though is kinda frustrating at times
YESS! 🙌 Maybe I'm OCD but I cannot stop playing a game until I've found everything it has to offer! It's kinda a waste of money if you don't! I LOVE this channel for that! 🙏
I would love to see a lore video on Ninja Gaiden Black.
Was waiting for a gaming harry video also a hellblade recap cause I don't understand it
Played the first one on PS4 and loved it.
But because of this console exclusivity crap, i watched this to understand the second game after watching a full playthrough.
End exclusivity BS
So that's how you pronounce it!!!
Never played the games, just always down for some good Lore talk.
Let’s go!!
38:57 she says: I've killed a God.....
But didn't she LITERALLY HAD A HALLUCINATION AND DREAMT ALL THOSE FIGHTS ... THAT SWORD.. AND KILLING DEMIGODS??😅😅😅🤯🤯🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Before I ever watched this video, I watched all the cut scenes from the first game and the second my belief is when. Senua claimed that she had killed a god. If you looked closely after she drops the head, you can see where she had previously been lying. Hella is lying there instead, or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Also, in a way she did slay a God that may have just existed in her head though. My theory which I may be completely wrong, after the volcano erupted all the famine and sickness that spread I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised, if a lot of peoples mental state was unhinged, and that ended up in tangling with their beliefs, and because the Norseman were imposing their gods on to others through torture conquest, you name it there may have been more people at that time suffering with mental illness. And also, I won’t be at least bit surprised if there may have been something in the air that was causing like mass hallucination. Don’t quote me on this, but there are documentation from the past where mass hallucinations did happen either from pollutants in the water or pollutants in the air. It just takes one suggestion that could spread this madness. Yet Senua was the only one who really was able to get through this fog and in away she had already conquered that part of herself that was controlling her before. When people are scared, it is easy for them to fall to manipulation as well. Makes it hard when it comes to something like this. What can you truly believe? Apologies I got off of one of the topics that I was gonna talk about. Forgive my spelling the Drager I figured right away or cannibals with all the famine going around some had to obviously resort cannibalism and group too much of a liking to it. I do rather like how Senua gave some of the giants piece like helping lost spirits find their way. You can take what I said here with a grain of salt take it or leave it. It’s up to you.😊 thank you for doing this video all the same. I truly enjoyed it as I always enjoy your videos.❤
Finally, I played first one and have no clue what's going on
Being schizophrenic and playing hellblade 1, it made me wish there was some journey leading to a conflict that ends with resolution. This life isnt like that unfortunately and instead of a desired conflict helping you to recove, you get medications that are as bad for your body as the delusions are for sanity.
Imo Ninja Theory has a story to tell so let them cook and tell it! Senua's Saga Hellblade II is my GOTY for 2024 so far i give it a 9 to a 9.5, lots of amazing and masterful parts in the game but i do understand the criticisms. For me the Gameplay was a big highlight i thought it was an afterthought in the first game but the everything is about as even from Senua's Sacrifice.
Whenever I think of these games I just think of some crazy chick running around swinging a sword at nothing
This Lore video is more entertaining than the game itself😂
Thank you for this. I played the first game but lost interest during the pit of bodies parts. I game was a lot to take in so i didn't get the full experience of the Norse lore richness that was in the story, and so I chose not to play the second. Thanks to this video i got to experience the story and really understand it. It really is steeped in Norse myth and actual pretty cool. I still won't play as the game isn't my taste, but at least i got to see how it all plays out. Thanks.
I think that the Giants never existed. Even Senua confirms this
What happened was ancient people needed religion and folklore to explain the cataclysm that was happening to them. Every time there was a Giant, it would be actually be a natural disaster, that was so big, that it looked like a giant person for some reason.
Wrong.
The letter ð is not a d, it makes the same th sound as in "other" (oðer); Goði = "gothi"
Also, the letter ö is not an o, ör sounds like the er in "other" (othör); Björg = "byerg"
just in time for bed
I don’t like they changed her walk on the 2nd game because it is definitely bad ass on the 1st. ❤
I remember hearing somewhere about a theory that Senua may or may not suffer from some kind of schizophrenia.
Senua has some form of psychosis - that isn't a theory, it's actually confirmed by the writers and developers - there's a whole section in the Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice wiki page that details a ton of very, very interesting information regarding it.
@@MagikMoony616 I'll have to look into that.
@@dutchvanderbilt9969 It's absolutely worth looking into! I believe they even explained in some videos that I've watched previously. It was genuinely impressive, the amount of care and research they put into the proper representation - Senua's father, for example, wasn't JUST a religious fanatic and an abusive asshole, but also represented the isolation, fear, and misunderstanding that individuals with mental health struggles, especially with something like psychosis, go through in every day life. The whole game is definitely rooted in Celtic and Nordic mythology, but it's also a story about the struggles of people with psychosis and the related mental illnesses that lead to it.
It’s not schizophrenia it’s psychosis. Two very different things
@@jessieschutz922 I did say theory for a reason ya know.
Loved the first game. A shame the second’s just on Xbox. Hopefully it goes multi platform eventually.
Probably will seeing as High-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves have. Also the first game was a timed exclusive for playstation. So it'd be kinda funny if the second is essentially a timed exclusive for Xbox lol
I just hate how modern games are intentionally made overdemanding with system specs as a form of tech demo and story is just super ambiguous. The first Hellblade was really good with the story and everything and it had really good graphics that didn't require a 1080ti lvl gpu to run. It was enjoyable enough on moderately high settings with solid 60fps even on a 1070 lvl gpu but this new hellblade 2 is nothing more than a techdemo in my opinion and good luck getting it running with a 3070 on high settings without dlss. I don't even know what purpose does this sequel serve other than making some dough.
left it there 53:14
It's so hard to continue a fantastical game like this one when the very facts of the player's actions are up for debate, I think that the first game works incredibly well as a metaphor, but if you want to take in the second game, you need to settle on the first being at least mostly real.
Wait ..... the slaver has the darkness creeping up his arm too ????
PHEW! I saw a *now I realise* sarcastic tweet that the final battle of Hellblade 2 was with her psychiatrist. I'm not joking, I watched the entire video bracing that, at any second, it might cut to live action footage of Senua's actress whilst a psychiatrist explains every symbol and metaphor in her story. I'm genuinely glad that's not the case.
Dillion as in Dillion Harper
"...lofty expectations..."
People were expecting the video game to be a video game.
The lore video almost as long as the second game 🤯
Oh dam bro you vaati posting now.
Great video, but I admit I am a little disappointed that you didn't mention a key part of the character of Senua that even the devs have confirmed - Senua has a mental condition, namely psychosis (possibly, as mentioned by @NosferatuWickedTTRPG, schizophrenia). They worked very, very closely with neuroscientists, with the non-profit Wellcome Trust, psychologists, and even individuals who suffered from psychosis. I feel like telling the story of Hellblade and of Senua without taking this into consideration is doing a real disservice to the beautiful worldbuilding and storytelling of Tameem Antoniades & Ninja Theory.
I mention it at the start. That Senua inherited the condition from her mother. I’m not informed enough on the condition so I’m not gonna make an idiot of myself. Mental health is a tricky subject to tackle for someone who doesn’t have any mental health problems, so I just focused on the Norse lore and Senua’s journey of self-acceptance. People who play the game know what Senua’s condition is, so I don’t really need to deep dive into the workings of psychosis.
@@GamingHarryYT Honestly fair enough and I appreciate you owning to your own lack of familiarity with it and not trying to address something you don't know much about (trust me, researching it leads you down one heck of a rabbit hole too). Even without explicitly mentioning the inspiration from individuals who suffer from psychosis, I really enjoyed the video - it was a great breakdown of the story and the Gaelic & Nordic lore. Your lore videos are always so well written and they're some of my absolute favorite video game lore vids on youtube!
Schizophrenia is not the same as psychosis. What Senua suffers from is psychosis
Spoiler :the end she says we all have a choice ends there
Indika was great...
The intro was wild but the ending was so poignant, it was great
Hi
Gosh the voices in her head are so insufferable to listen to - but I guess that's the point lol
Ahh schizophrenia the game
It’s psychosis not schizophrenia
@jessieschutz922 close enough
@@Sharticus94 from someone who experiences psychosis no it’s not
@@jessieschutz922 eh close enough
@@Sharticus94 coming from someone who knows everything 👍🏻 great job
Stellar blade lore next?
Game looks great, but definitely not for me
I got 20 minutes into this.
I cant play it or watch it.
Im schizophrenic and it’s similar to this, you cant understand the hell
I'm a hellspawn and it triggers me too
Bababooey
Damn it Harry have you never played Skyrim!? It annoyed me to no end the way you pronounced *draugr* !!!
The pronunciation varies.
@@GamingHarryYT true... It still bugged me lol 🤣
1:05:45 💖.
Draugr, pronounced drah-ger
this lore is so boring I can’t even fall asleep to it.
I played the first game but I gave up very quickly. The game wasn't scary nor difficult but very depressing.
so it's just a story about a woman with schizophrenia cool I guess
Can u explain about crying pony ?
The second was boring and lackluster compared to the comprehensive story of the first.
THIS TYPE OF GAMES/STORIES SUCKKKK AND MAKE LITERALLY NO SENSE..... AT ALLL
IT was aalllll in her mind🤷🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ That part really makes even actual good writing look bad (or it was bad ALL along)
If it's alllll in her mind ... Then why bother us with puzzles and Doors that cannot be opened.... HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE ?
I would've been pleased that instead of her being Schizophrenic and having psychosis... The Furies were actually aiding her and giving her strength......and Odin was actually Helping her too (via the Sword)
And what's with Getting revenge for her Husband ?
She literally DECAPITATES HER DEAD HUSBAND...THEN
She goes on a psychedelic Dream "in her mind" after his death, KICKS HER HUSBAND'S HEAD INTO THE ABYSS....and is like ... Yep... Time to let go .. can't do anything about it😅😅🤷🤷🤷🤡🤡🤡
It’s not schizophrenia it’s psychosis. Different things
I am guessing the whole female warrior thing is based on the writings of Netflixius, the greatest of Roman historians!
Both games were trash and over hyped. It wasn't the expectation WE had. It's was the expectation of what the creators explained is what we were expecting and we didn't get it.
Trash to you, of course, and that’s fine. But what kind of game were you expecting?
@GamingHarryYT something better than this. The combat is just not there
Its clearly not game for most people and we need to all just accept it
If it’s trash to you, why are you watching this and spending time commenting on it. Get a life
Just like Alan trash wake 2 this game forgot about its physical fans, so no go. Part 2 will flop just like Alan wake 2. Care about your customers or lose money.
Amazing analysis
@@GamingHarryYT😂😂
Bababooey
This game has never appealed to me. I dunno she just creeps me out.
Sutr?
Do Stellar Blade next, mate. I doubt that many people even care about Hellblade lore
Are you kidding me? There’s plenty of people who want this lore don’t bring that negativity to this awesome channel
Boobs the end
Ooooh do Wolfenstein plz I always wanted to play it but never got a chance
Hellblade 1 is just a Psychonauts level in which Senua enters Senua's own mind. The fact that she never interacts with another person is what makes the story of the game be more interesting to me. One of the things that I hate about the second game is how many times Senua interacts with other people. The second game is a more straightforward "epic" story about a hero with lots of mental issues. It's just not what I was expecting. I just wanted more "Psychonauts" with Senua.
I mean, the second game is more like Psychonauts because you "enter the giants' minds", but it's not as interesting as the first game or Psychonauts did.
as a dane i have to mention how every pronunciation was butchered. Maybe the game does the same, but still...
Sorry my Icelandic wasn’t up to scratch. I guess not being Icelandic doesn’t help