What are the best games like Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice?
So you’ve already played Hellblade and you’re not quite ready to move on completely. Maybe there’s something in the revenge story, the well-crafted mythology, the visions of hell and demons or the tough combo-based combat. Whatever it is you need, here are twelve games that take some of those elements and handle them in their own way.
12. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice gameplay
Sengoku Japan - a desperate time full of death and destruction. You play the one-armed wolf, a man who has returned from the edge with a purpose. The young lord you are bound to protect has been captured and it’s up to you to find him and win back your honor, no matter the cost. Enemies swarm you but you must push on, even in the face of death.
Soaring over Sengoku Japan: use vertical travel to enhance your stealth strategies
Like a dream: explore new locations to unlock more characters and quests
11. Code Vein
Code Vein gameplay
The world as we know it has collapsed and is now an empty husk, a reminder of a lost lifestyle. You too have fallen, but wake up reborn into one of the revenants known as Vein. In your new life you have powers to fight the enemies that come at you, but also a craving for blood. As you drink, your powers become stronger, but the more you do, the more you lose touch with your humanity.
Murder machine: upgrade your anime vampire alter-ego
I’ve got your back: keep an eye on your NPC companion, she will save your life
10. Hellpoint
Hellpoint gameplay
When you wake up on the Irid Novo, nothing is as it should be. The space station is in orbit around a supermassive black hole, and becoming a place of horror. Parallel universes have started to seep through, intertwining with the world and letting in powerful beings better left in their own dimensions. As you play, the space station moves in real time, creating shifts in the levels of terror and insanity in the enemies depending on the orbit position.
Insanity on the Irid Novo: discover unsettling scenes and find out what happened to your crewmates
Not from here: larger-than-life entities from other dimensions crawl into your own reality
9. Ryse: Son of Rome
Ryse: Son of Rome gameplay
In this story of revenge, you play Marius Titus, a Roman soldier whose family was murdered. The visuals are stunning, offering a detailed world steeped in history. While the story is rich and compelling, the battles steal the show. You engage in brutal assaults to rise through the ranks and become a leader, experiencing the violence of war and vengeance. The combination of hack and slash combat with execution sequences creates scenes of complete carnage that reflect the ruthlessness of the Roman Empire.
An end worthy of the crime: chain together your moves and trigger execution quick-time events
A leader of the Empire: experience the violence of the Romans, both in and out of the colosseum
8. For Honor
For Honor gameplay
Offering a selection of mythologies and histories, For Honor allows you to pick different paths to explore. You can take on quests as a Samurai, Viking or Knight - each with their own stories, fighting styles and even languages. Whichever faction you choose, you must fight to come out on top.
Honed techniques: access special weapons and fighting styles for your class
All is fair in war: kill or capture, PvP or solo, it’s up to you
7. Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor gameplay
After a vicious attack from Sauron’s Uruk forces, Talion is left with nothing. His family is ritualistically slaughtered and he ends up possessed by the wraith of Celebrimbor. Now united into one entity, they set out on a quest - to uncover the past and identity of Celebrimbor, and to seek vengeance for Talion’s family. Fight your way through enemies, forming unique relationships and rivalries with them, and uncover the truth about the Rings of Power, leading you to the true evil.
Survive assaults: slash your way through hordes of orcs
Nemesis system: your enemies now remember what you did and who you killed before
6. The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 gameplay
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher - a highly skilled and trained monster hunter - who is on a quest to find a child that holds the power to change the world forever. Following him, you explore a stunning open world that takes you through islands, cities and mountains, killing monsters, spirits and ferocious beasts terrorising the people. Here, the decisions you make truly count and affect the story you build. Morality is not black-and-white here, but remember that the decisions you make have consequences.
Creatures of the wild: fulfil your contracts and slay massive beasts
The traveler: journey through a vast fantasy world of beautiful nature and morally questionable towns
5. The Surge 2
The Surge 2 gameplay
Following on from the events of The Surge, developers Deck 13 promise to take us to a new area in the sequel. Create your own character and leave the grey, industrial setting and venture into Jericho City which contains plenty of greenery for a change. There are of course threats around every corner, and you will need to be strategic to make the most of the game. Like in the first game you can target limbs, but here the specific parts can have special properties so planning your attacks has an extra layer. The enemies are more developed and are able to communicate with each other to develop their own strategies - cloaking themselves, stalking you and setting up ambushes. If the first game was hard, The Surge 2 looks to be even more of a challenge.
No exo-suit: defeat mercenaries and other enemies and scavenge their upgrades
Welcome to Jericho City: enter a new world of destruction
4. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance gameplay
This extremely fast-paced game sends you hurtling face-first from challenge to challenge. You play as Raiden, a half-cyborg child ninja, who as the title suggests, is out for revenge. He has been sent on a mission to take down a terrorist cell that has been kidnapping children, and uses his High Frequency katana to chop down anything in his way. The story is weird and fascinating, as expected from Kojima Productions (although PlatinumGames took over development) and stands up well against the equally impressive combat. Develop more combos as you play and find yourself elegantly moving seamlessly from move to move.
No task too big: go up against a massive robot and many other bosses
Practice makes perfect: master your combos and your dismemberment will be much more fluid and impressive
3. NIOH
NIOH gameplay
Another game set in the Sengoku period, NIOH is full of blood and war. William, a lone samurai arrives in Japan and finds himself slicing and bludgeoning his way through areas overrun by enemies with a wide selection of weapons. Each type of weapon has its own combination of attacks which lets you experience various authentic fighting styles. Famous for its punishing combat, NIOH is definitely something to consider if you’re looking for a challenge.
The stranger, the better: encounter nightmares in physical form
Master them all: experiment with a variety of weapons to discover new strategies
2. Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World gameplay
In this action RPG, you play a monster hunter, and take on contracts to kill or capture beasts. You explore their habitats in a large fantasy world and choose your own methods of completing the tasks. The creatures are fantastic and creative, but the best part about Monster Hunter: World is the crafting system. For each monster you slay, you are rewarded with loot and parts that you can use to create gear that will give you an edge in the future.
New environments: seek out the monsters in their own locations
So much customization: create gear made from the beasts you kill
1. Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 gameplay
It would make no sense not to mention Dark Souls 3, the game that inspired most of the titles on this list. It’s not a stretch to say that Hellblade is heavily influenced by the series in more ways than one. Using a rich mythology and an oppressive, hellish atmosphere, you fight demons and spirits and die over and over until you learn how each monster acts - until they start changing their patterns and you’re dead again. If you haven’t tried it yet but crave a dark, twisted story that provokes fear and paranoia, pick it up and take a few days off work, you’ll need the time.
Nightmare fuel: encounter visually amazing hellish monsters
More than just fighting: the visual landscape is just as stunning and well-designed
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