Much has been made of the Unreal Engine 5 tech powering Ninja Theory's Hellblade 2, but that focus so far has largely been placed on the Xbox Series X and PC versions of the game. However, in a new video from the folks over at Digital Foundry, lower-end devices like the Xbox Series S and Steam Deck have been put through their paces.
And, generally speaking, Xbox Series S seems to hold up really well in regards to Hellblade 2. Sure, there are some cutbacks — namely the overall resolution and some different reflection techniques — but this still very much looks like the full Hellblade 2 experience on Microsoft's cheaper console.

Here's how DF sums up those Series S cutbacks:
"You can expect a softer and less coherent image on Series S. Expect to find more little pockets of aliasing and artifacting, like on the specular-rich rocks here. Detail overall in the image is quite blurred, to the point where the game almost looks a bit out of focus on a 4K set. Neither console is ideal [when it comes to image clarity] but the Series S is obviously less clear."
The slightly 'blurry' look seems to apply to both Xbox Series X and S then, with it simply being a bit more pronounced on Series S. That's mostly down to the overall resolution on that system, which DF reckons is coming in at around '1536x643' compared to Series X's '2304x964' - these are slightly unusual figures due to the game's letterboxed presentation.
Performance is solid across the board, too. The target is 30FPS on both consoles - and neither Xbox Series X nor S dip much below that target. What's clear then is that Hellblade 2 is a game that was designed for both current-gen Xbox consoles, and the Series S version has been appropriately handled by developer Ninja Theory. Bravo!
Have you played the game on Xbox Series S? What are your thoughts so far? Tell us down below.
Comments 37
Yeah right. Low resolution, 30fps and black bars top and bottom.
Not even bothered to download with game pass.
Actually I could take all the above for a great game, with great combat and puzzles and lots more action and about 20 hours long.
Waste of 6 and half years and will do nothing for Xbox brand and momentum.
Series S is a great console! I'm glad they took the time to make the game great there as well.
@OldGamer999 speak for yourself. I belive they are many player including me that are enjoying this game
@DarkCvrle25
Correct it’s personal opinion that’s all.
But I’m right in it won’t do anything for the Xbox brand momentum and that’s what they need.
@OldGamer999 i agree but its made as small game for gamepass and that is okay. They are more things coming this year and with cod day one i think xbox is good
I've beaten "the game" (used very loosely here) on Series S, and can tell you it does not look great. Resolution is just too low, which is a shame because through grain you can see quality art.
However, what helped me was playing on the OLED TV. I've started playthrough on a 27" LCD gaming monitor and that looked terrible, full of noise and shimmer. TV meanwhile produced a more blurred but pleasing image.
@OldGamer999 one has to wonder what the game would actually look like in a non godforsaken aspect ratio and 60fps eh
Although I will say I luckily didn't find the 30fps to be too grating.
@DarkCvrle25
I know but keep making small games for GP that take about 6.5 years that do nothing for the brand or sales being honest don’t help.
There was an article on another site saying this is not the game Xbox needs right now, developer time and money wise and brand momentum wise.
@Cherip-the-Ripper
Like I said I could take all that if it was.
Actually I could take all the above for a great game, with great combat and puzzles and lots more action and about 20 hours long.
It’s the gameplay that counts I would rather the graphics be say at 70% of hell blade 2 but have all of the above any day of the week.
And in my opinion that’s what the game should have been with some good advertising to get some Xbox brand momentum.
@OldGamer999 It's not about the complexity or challenge of the Combat, that is just there really to 'feed' the Psychosis, the 'voices' that some may say are 'too much' or 'too distracting'.
Its the back and forth of the voices, the conversations the combat is generating more than the Combat itself, the 'animations' and expressions on their faces during that fight, the Brutality of them etc all Contribute to Senua's Psychosis and why it's recommended to play on Headphones because those 'voices' are what the game is more about than 'Combat/Puzzles'
From a Narrative perspective, Senua is far more practiced and experienced in seeing these shapes etc and as such, are similar and perhaps easier than they were the first time. Again its not about the 'Game-play' of the Puzzles, its the voices in your head that those 'situations' Senua faces is creating for her Psychosis.
They want you to feel what having that Psychosis is like, What it's like for Senua and how those situations make her Psychosis react. They want you to 'experience' her Journey, not spend hours trying to work out a Puzzle or look up guidebooks, don't want people giving up because its too 'complex/frustrating', but still wanted to 'immerse' you in with such visual detail, such Audio clarity and detail, the 'interactivity' is what I would call 'functional' to present that 'Story' in a way a Movie can't.
I would NOT call this an 'Action' game at all, and I don't think they have ever referred to it as an 'Action' game, its an Interactive Narrative focused Experience that also has a Lead Character with MH issues front and centre, put's you in 'her' head from an Audio perspective suffering 'her' Psychosis with her.
Maybe not what some wanted or hoped would be different, but its the 'same' as the first in that respect too. Everyone I see complaining, generally hoped they focus on Combat this time, do something different with the puzzles, but the reality is, they still are 'consequences' of the Situation in BOTH, and BOTH were more about the 'Psychosis' and how those 'impacted' Senua...
@BAMozzy
It’s just my preference and was hoping Hellblade 2 was gonna be more for me.
But you can’t win them all.
Fingers crossed for Avowed and Indy.
And of course Gears 6.
@OldGamer999 OK that's fair enough - but to say it was 6yrs Wasted, I think that is a bit harsh.
Maybe try it again, with headphones, and instead of focusing on the Combat, try listening to the voices, how they change when you are struggling and shift 'focus' to how that, combined with the visuals add to the immersion and 'experience' of Psychosis.
Still a LOT of games coming too but I do think this is unique and a worthwhile experience - even if it's not for 'everyone', I'm also glad it exists...
@BAMozzy
Just thought it may have become something different and bigger, more grander and big AAA, like GOW but of course not GOW but in its own sort of way but with more action.
Glad you’re enjoying though, and one day I might download it and give it ago.
Just set display on series s to 720p in the settings it helps a lot
@OldGamer999 "Yeah right. Low resolution, 30fps and black bars top and bottom."
It really is sad all those cut corners, can't believe we got a spiritual successor to The order 1886. I could have forgiven all those if it had great fun gameplay, unfortunately no is a snoozefest more so than the first one. If they wanted to make a movie they should have just made it, I will pray for the return of DmC Ninja Theory 🤞
@OldGamer999 Disagree with you on that one. Found the game and story to be very enjoyable.
@BIG3
Glad you enjoyed.
Definitely extreme left and right opinions for this game.
Don’t think it’s a mass appeal game but it’s great some like it.
Is it me or does it have a fisheye lens effect?
@CutchuSlow All or most wide screen games have a fisheye effect. The wider, the more pronounced and noticeable.
@theduckofdeath oh that's not good.
@OldGamer999 Do you ever actually play and enjoy games or you just analyze them to death until you're pissed off? Unless you work for them none of that is your job, so don't worry about it.
@ZYDIO
Just want games to be at their very best and the best they can be, even more so for Xbox.
I see games get released and see so much time and money wasted when they are not that good and think what was the point.
If you going to do something then make it 100/100 or almost that, don’t mess about.
I work in aerospace defence industry, since I was 16, so for 38 years where lives matter, so that does rub off on me in that world of 100% perfectionism.
While this game is not for me, I appreciate the variety it brings to the Xbox ecosystem.
The reality of the industry is that a platform needs to have unique, high-quality (sometimes referred to as "prestige") titles for it to thrive. Blockbusters will come, but people will remember these other titles too.
And who knows, maybe one day my tastes will change and I'll enjoy it. It's happened before.
@ZYDIO
@OldGamer999 posted on another thread that he watched a walkthrough on Youtube instead of playing the game included in his Game Pass subscription, so I guess it's the latter.
@Banjo-
No have not played the game and never said I did.
The pure Xbox review was enough and after watching the walk through was definitely not a game for me.
And not up to combat and puzzle standards that I would like.
Xbox gamers including me need to get Xbox and their game studios to realise they should be releasing top AAA game and not a game with clunky combat and repetitive puzzles.
And just 5 hours long.
If you want Xbox to keep making half arsed games for game pass then you keep giving them kisses and cuddles for anything they attempt to do.
@Banjo-
What you all forget these are Xbox own studios they should making the best ever top quality games for their own console and leading the way.
Third party studios that make for multi consoles etc produce far better quality than Xbox own studios do, on Xbox own consoles, it’s a joke and stop letting them off.
Else all we will get for game pass if half baked Xbox studio games, hell blade 2, Redfall, Forza even Starfield to a point.
@Banjo-
My point when say Nintendo make games for their own console they produce critically acclaimed games.
BOTW, TOTK, Mario kart, Mario Odyssey, metriod etc.
The when Sony do it, GOWR, Uncharted, Last of us etc.
ok they don’t always get it right, but you get my point.
Xbox studios should be leading the way in their own console and producing top AAA that get critically acclaimed.
It’s such a waste of resources, money and time when they keep releasing plan average all the time.
@OldGamer999 All I said is that you posted on another thread that you watched a walkthrough on Youtube instead of playing the game included in your Game Pass subscription. The review is just someone's opinion and his reviews are usually too subjective. If Hellblade II is 5 hours long, then why didn't you try it? It's not 5 hours long, all games can be speed-run, but it took me 8h 43m, not looking for collectibles. The reviewer said it's a solid 8 hours adventure. Are games not worth playing because they are 8 hours long? It doesn't make any sense, especially if you are subscribed to Game Pass.
Combat is not clunky, it's semi-scripted and the manual parts are brutal and challenging like a Souls game. It's not a "half-arsed" game either, but the most impressive game of the generation. According to you, all Xbox games are, even those that haven't been released.
OldGamer999 wrote:
You are free to not play Xbox games or criticise those that you have played, but why do you bash games that you haven't played? Why do you write games off that haven't been released like Avowed and Indiana Jones? It doesn't make any sense. Nintendo and Sony don't make better games, they make games that you apparently like more, that's all. The only solution to your problem (you post everyday the same thing) is selling your Xbox since you're not playing Xbox games and don't intend to, because you think that they are awful, even though you haven't played them or have not been released.
@Banjo-
Nintendo and Sony make critically acclaimed award winning games.
Stop letting Xbox and their piss poor studio management off the hook.
You must remember the xbox360 days when their studios made some of the most critically acclaimed award games like, Halo, Forza and Forza Horizon and gears of war and fable the list goes on.
Xbox made the best console my series x but forgot about making top quality AAA games.
I shall be their when Avowed and Indy are released and use my series x mainly for third party quality AAA games whilst I wait for Xbox studios to release some big AAA, quality and up their with the best games.
@Banjo-
The hell blade 2 walk through I watched was 5 hours 23 minutes long.
I have GPU until March 2025.
I have been with Xbox day one original Xbox.
@CutchuSlow I think it is there even in 16:9 ratio games, especially 1st person games. It has to do with the way the 3D view is calculated for the camera (and peripheral vision). There is curvature/distortion at the extremes. Changing the FOV may alter how noticeable it is.
@OldGamer999 Did you actually watch the entire walkthrough?
@theduckofdeath ok yeah, if it's noticeable, I don't like it. But if I don't notice it, then it's fine.
@theduckofdeath He probably watched 30 seconds at a time and skipped ahead 20 or 30 minutes after every 30 seconds.
@Banjo- Probably.
@OldGamer999 It's even worse if you haven't played the game.
@OldGamer999 I get what you're saying but games aren't always supposed to be like that. Games are an artistic expression first and when humans are creating art they're not always thinking about technical things. I do understand that these are products that they sell to people and unfinished crappy games are not acceptable, but there is a balance in there somewhere that needs to happen.
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