Hellblade Trailer: Exploring Hell and Mental Illness at the Same Time

Ninja Theory's blockbuster/indie hybrid, Hellblade, takes a unique path as it intertwines mental illness into its heroine's fight.

Ninja Theory, known for Heavenly Sword and DmC: Devil May Cry, has released a new trailer for Hellblade, its upcoming third-person action game. This 13-man development team is trying their hardest to give Hellblade the appeal of a major blockbuster title while giving it the unique approaches to game design found in indie titles. Now, we get to see the Celtic warrior Senua and her latest fight through Hell. Surprisingly, this Hell resides within Senua's mind, as you'll will have to control her actions during her delusions and hallucinations. Throw in some anger, anxiety and depression into the mix, and you can tell that this isn't your average third-person hack-and-slash experience.

Here's what the Ninja Theory team had to say about this unique tale:

From George Orwell’s 1984, to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, the best fantasy breaks down barriers and lets us see the world without prejudice. This is what we want to do with Hellblade. To see the world through Senua’s eyes, and in doing so, address a subject that is still considered taboo.

Developing Hellblade independently gives us the freedom to tackle a subject as challenging as mental health. It is a subject that we are handling with all the respect it deserves, ensuring that our portrayal of Senua’s condition is both accurate and sensitive. To help us with this we are working closely with Professor Paul Fletcher, a professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, as well as arranging to consult directly with people who have experience of mental health difficulties. We are also very proud to say that Hellblade  is being supported by Wellcome Trust, which is a global charitable foundation which aims to build a greater public understanding of science and in particular health.

We have to admit that we're intrigued by Hellblade's premise, but we just hope that it doesn't become too gimmick-y in its overall delivery. We have enjoyed Ninja Theory's previous works and have faith that they'll deliver. Many eyes are going to be on this game to see that these mental health issues are portrayed in a tasteful, accurate, sensitive and representative way.

Hellblade will be heading to PlayStation 4 sometime in 2016.

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