Xbox has announced Senua, a continuation of Ninja Theory’s Hellblade series. Once again starring the Celtic warrior Senua, it promises to be a more gameplay-driven experience that expands on the narrative foundations of the previous two Hellblade games.
Revealed as part of the Xbox Games Showcase, Senua is set to be released in 2027 on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5. The debut trailer will no doubt feel familiar to fans of the series, with its grounded, earthy aesthetic and violent, strugglesome combat. It depicts Senua emerging from a strange gold substance before trekking across a beautiful world full of dangerous enemies and eerie lights. As ever, Senua is accompanied by whispering voices – the manifestation of the psychosis from which she suffers.
Considering this is a continuation of Senua’ Saga, it’s interesting that Ninja Theory has chosen to call it simply “Senua” rather than Hellblade 3. Discussing the decision as part of a new interview posted to Xbox Wire, Ninja Theory’s studio head Dom Matthews said “The title of just Senua really reflects that this is something fresh and new and different. It is a different style of game.”
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that Senua’s combat skills appear to have been deepened, with the ability to throw weapons and attack from stealth. Compared to the relatively stripped-back Hellblade games, Matthews explained that Senua has been designed to be more of a full-fledged action-adventure game. It seems we can expect more exploration, more puzzle solving, and more robust combat encounters.
“The key phrase for us has been ‘tactical choice’,” explained Matthews to Xbox Wire. “So as a player, you can go into fights and you have options as to how you approach that fight, how you engage in that fight, even whether you want to take on those enemies in the first place. Even in today’s trailer, you see Senua choosing to stealthily sneak up on enemies so not to alert the others, as opposed to wildly running into the fight – which you could also choose to do. This is the type of choice we’re excited for players to have fun with.”
Senua will also have access to “Focus Abilities”, such as the reality-shattering skill that can be seen in the trailer. Matthews revealed that players can use these abilities “as and when they wish, across traversal, puzzle solving and combat.” For example, that shatter skill will open up new spaces in the world, but it can also be used to push back enemies in combat.
Despite this deeper combat system, though, Matthews noted that Senua is “not a combat-action game. People shouldn't expect that this is like two-thirds combat. We're really thinking about it as being a fairly even split between combat, traversal, and puzzle solving.”
The Xbox Wire post provides a little more context on the game’s size, which takes place on a map “about twice the size of what we had in Hellblade 2”. There’s now more verticality, with more environmental elements to interact with, he promised. But while the map and the way you interact with it has been pushed past the boundaries of Senua’s previous adventures, those games’ more focused form still seemingly acts as the bedrock of this new journey. “To be clear though, this isn’t an open world game,” said Matthews. “It is a linear story told through a map built of interconnected locations.”
This bigger world is Senua’s vision of purgatory, which has manifested as her childhood homeland. Trapped between life and death, Senua is on a quest to be reunited with the loved ones she has lost. But while this is clearly connected to the story explored in the Hellblade games, Senua has been designed as something of a standalone sequel.
“It’s all very much presented in a way that, if you haven't been there , then you're fully going to understand and get what's happening in this title,” said Matthews.
This announcement confirms previous rumours of a new Hellblade that's more of a “game”. It also proves that the series was able to defy the apparent death knell sounded by low sales and middling Game Pass performance at launch.
For more, be sure to check out IGN's roundup of everything announced at Xbox Showcase 2027.
Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.
