What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 303 sampled Steam reviews (250 positive / 53 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing40% mention it
- Combat26% mention it
- Visuals & art22% mention it
- Music & audio19% mention it
- World & exploration17% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Combat40% mention it
- Story & writing34% mention it
- Visuals & art28% mention it
- Grind & repetition19% mention it
- Music & audio11% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
53%
64 reviews
5-15h
89%
216 reviews
15-40h
100%
23 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 84 | 31 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 88 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 80 | 116 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 81 | 73 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 208 reviews sampled · 188 total reviews in window · weighted 133 up / 19.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (160)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
- 80
“While the main appeal of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Psychosis and mental instability, was not for me there is still plenty of fun to be had with the game.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice evokes the strongest feelings of empathy thanks to a great production, deep character development, animation work, special effects and unique sound. Unfortunately, boring tasks with runes and too simple fights in limited arenas with waves of enemies are not the best elements for an original and emotionally strong project. I hope that with good sales on PSN and Steam big publishers gonna work with Ninja Theory again and studio will release a game of DmC level or something even more great.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice can drive you mad. These voices in your head, you can't stop them, they're everywhere, always talking, always alongside you. Ninja Theory did an astonishing job representing psychosis in a game and bringing sound design to new heights.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice‘s strongest sequences mirror specific physical symptoms or psychological fears.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Hellblade's greatest achievement is that it treats a very sensitive subject with subtlety and respect, delivering an above-average action game that is extremely well-crafted in its details. Ultimately, the game is about Senua's struggle to overcome her illness. In the midst of all this, she learns to find the strength to move forward and accept her past. We follow Senua on her journey and go through the difficulties with her, and in some way, we understand a little bit what it's like to go through a problem that many in our world go through. Understanding, accepting, and helping is part of what makes us more human.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is definitely not just a story about retrieving a dead lover from the underworld, nor is it an epic tale of revenge. Rather, it's about experience, upbringing, and contextualizing psychological difference in the age of the Vikings and Celts. Almost every aspect of the game, be it combat, puzzling, exploration, is deliberate and points to the theme of what people at the time called "the curse". The game very successfully weaves metaphors of grief and loss into the core gameplay mechanics and rich folklore. And is there a happy ending at the end? Will Senua save her beloved Dilion? Well, you'll have to find out for yourself.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Marrying combat, narrative, and strong characters, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is greater than the sum of its parts, making it well worth its asking price. It might not be the sequel to DmC: Devil May Cry, but it's a tense, dramatic experience that's worth the price of entry.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Despite familiar echoes and mechanical touchstones from other games, Hellblade’s psychological bent and the constant voices in Senua’s (and therefore your) head give it an identity very much of its own.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a beautiful and unusual game for a very select audience. If you want to rest from various open worlds and focus on a very personal and linear story with tons of cool little details, this is something for you. I don’t think there ever was a game that displayed the madness of a troubled mind in such a way. Hellblade is a great single-player adventure!”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Truthfully an amazing experience and this will be the second game for me, which if I can get amnesia and forget all about the playthrough, just to feel it again, I’d totally go for that. I can, without a doubt, recommend Hellblade to everyone. It’s definitely one of those rare gems out there on the market that I am absolutely happy to have.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is the massive project developed by Ninja Theory, a team of British developers already recognized for several very popular videogame projects such as DmC Devil May Cry (2013) and Heavenly Sword (2007). The project, which was released on August 8, 2017 for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC, was an instant hit, thanks to the exceptional work done in the narrative, technical, and sound sectors.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
GameFM
Gaming Professors
Gadgets 360
Nintendo Life
GRYOnline.pl
Invision Community
Indie Games Devel…and 148 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Enhanced on PCNov 16, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.02 Released!Sep 6, 2017
- Patch 1.02 Released!Sep 6, 2017
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Patch 1.01 Released!Aug 17, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Patch 1.01 Released!Aug 17, 2017significant · resets scoring window