Microsoft's strategy in the video game sector has been shaken up in 2024 after announcing that some of its exclusive titles would be coming to other platforms such as PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush were responsible for opening the door to this new business model for the American brand. However, there are many other projects floating around, and whether or not they’ll follow this same path remains a mystery.

The 2024 Xbox catalog is truly promising after years of drought in terms of exclusive videogames. The buying of studios has been the brand's main reference point over the last decade in order to provide an attractive line of releases that could compete with its two big rivals. All this without forgetting the quality of the productions, investing large sums of money to add giants such as Bethesda or Activision to its catalog. However, they’re not the only studios with baggage that make up part of the Xbox Games Studios portfolio.

A few years before Microsoft made a move to purchase some of the biggest names in the industry, the Redmond-based company made some very interesting moves, snapping up small studios that were making a splash with very different works and had managed to carve out a niche for themselves in the indie market. One of them was Ninja Theory, shortly after impressing the world with Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Psychosis as a catalyst for unique gameplay

One of the main strengths of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was the conception of its protagonist, Senua, a young woman with psychosis who must enter the hell of Norse mythology in an attempt to rescue her beloved from the clutches of Hela, the goddess of death. A perilous path where entering the mind of the player-controlled character is a complex journey, listening to the voices within and all the thoughts that crowd in as the story progresses.

Bound by a small budget, the team at Ninja Theory decided to put the gameplay premise on the back burner, with linear construction and combat without a great deal of depth, relying instead on puzzles to explore the environment and reinforce the idea of the protagonist's confinement. The concept of going deeper and deeper into the darkness, not only of Hell's abyss but of her own mind, was one of the most impactful concepts in the title, crowning it as one of the best indie games.

While its proposition could prove to be self-contained, Microsoft's confidence in buying the studio led Ninja Theory to develop the sequel to show even more potential in its bid for an atypical, one-of-a-kind title. Under the umbrella of an industry giant, Senua's adventures have all the ingredients to be one of the big stars of 2024. In fact, it was the title that was unveiled alongside the current generation console, Xbox Series X, a strong demonstration of confidence and technical prowess that made an impression right from the start.

A sequel that takes the strengths of the first game to a new level

Although Ninja Theory's resources are much more varied and they have had a bigger budget to develop the sequel, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a game that breathes the essence of the first title. The studio's idea is for the player who enjoyed the first game to feel like they’re in a close and familiar environment, without the gameplay changing too much. Therefore, from the length of the game to the concept of combat, the second installment of the saga follows a continuous line.

The big draw in this regard is that Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is set to push the technical capabilities of the Xbox X Series to the limit. It's a game designed to impress the player from the very first minute and to achieve the same impact as some of the competition's biggest blockbusters. To achieve this, Ninja Theory has once again paid special attention to the audio design, one of the key elements of the previous game, so that the experience is much more immersive and allows you to put yourself almost directly in the shoes of the protagonist.

In addition, the technical capabilities offered by Microsoft's own system allow the development team to go a step further in building the environment and the world around Senua. While combat will remain one-on-one against enemies, there are things going on constantly around the action, something the developers claim is inspired by the "Battle of the Bastards" from Game of Thrones, one of the best-produced episodes of the HBO series.

As such, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a game set to deliver the higher quality expected from Xbox exclusives. With a technological splurge that provides players with what are probably the best facial captures and photorealistic environments, which are hard to distinguish from an image of the world around us, Ninja Theory's title wants to carve a niche for itself in an environment dominated by giants. This further demonstrates that video games are more than just a means of entertainment where new experiences are always possible.