Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is likely to be one of the most interesting console exclusives to release on Xbox platforms this year, but per the latest news, playing it on the Xbox Series X/S is going to come with a major compromise. As the sequel to the acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Hellblade 2 returns to the story of a Celtic warrior as she pushes into the world of 9th century Iceland. Trailers and showcases for the game have been appearing for years, so the final release date of May 21, 2024, comes at the tail end of some serious anticipation.
As revealed in an interview with GamePro and translated in a tweet from IdleSloth84_, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will run exclusively at 30 FPS and a dynamic resolution on Xbox Series X/S. Unlike many modern games, there will be no option available to decrease the resolution in favor of a 60 FPS framerate.
PC players will still be able to get more performance out of the game, assuming their systems can handle it, but the console version will be locked to the singular graphics setting.
The justification for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2‘s frame rate is apparently the age-old one – 30 FPS is close to the 24 FPS standard for films, so it can consequently be billed as “cinematic“ (or in this case, “filmischer“). It’s not an absurd thing to say about Hellblade 2, a game that’s definitely going for a film-like experience in some key regards and prioritizing graphically-stunning photorealism. It doesn’t account for the difference in watching and playing when it comes to frame rate, however, especially for a game with plenty of action.
Balancing performance and resolution is a matter that’s heavily dependent on personal preference, as some players will be more sensitive to one compromise than the other. It’s easy to see why the Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 developers would want everyone to experience it with the most graphical fidelity possible, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a choice available. Playing the game on the less powerful Xbox Series S will already be more compromised in this regard than the Series X release, so there’s not exactly anything sacred about its Series X resolution.
It’s possible that hitting a 60 FPS target just wasn’t possible without severe compromises, but if this is the case, it would be nice to hear more about it before launch. For now, it seems like a rock-solid 30 FPS and impressive visual clarity is the most that Xbox users can hope for. Ideally, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 should be one of the best reasons to own an Xbox Series X/S, but it looks like playing it on PC is ultimately going to come out on top.
Sources: GamePro, IdleSloth84_/Twitter