Recent reviews by Dr. "Trotsky" Mandrill

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I have to say, I have never reviewed a game before. This game made me change my mind in terms of sharing a review. There is a bit of controversy surrounding the game mechanics of Senua's Sacrifice, which I totally see both sides of. However, the artistic quality of the cutscenes, story, audio design, and visuals of this game really elevated my view of what an indie game can aspire to be.

I love big crazy adventure games and RPGs, which this game is not. I played 150 hours of Witcher 3 and thought I had seen a real height in games as art, but Senua's Sacrifice delivers an altogether different experience. At around 10 hours tops, even if you play "completionist" (there is very little to be completionist about besides some lore hotspots), this video game is the tightest story telling I have ever experienced in an indie game that is not stylistically simple like a sidescroller or text-based in nature. In fact, it is one of the most gripping stories I have ever experienced in a video game when all the elements such as graphics, themes of psychosis and Norse mythology, audio design, and story are all evaluated together.

At times I did find some puzzles frustrating, there are low intensity sections that somewhat miss the mark and can be a bit boring or tiresome, and I had one total crash throughout my playthrough. These downsides are present in many games, though.

On the upside, Senua's Sacrifice has some of the most exciting and emotionally trying combat sequences in any game I've played. There is also a set of two levels, without getting into spoilers, that were one of the most terrifying levels in a game I have ever played (granted proper gamma adjustment) followed by a grotesquely beautiful hellscape battle that goes incredibly far in demonstrating Senua's burning motivation in progressing through to her goal.

This game is not for people who want a huge grinding RPG/adventure game, it does not set itself up for an epic trilogy or series, and I believe it is best approached as a kind of interactive cinema. Do not purchase this game if you want something like Witcher 3 or Assassin's Creed or, even more foreign yet, a sort of game that lets you jump online and scream at 15 year olds. All those kinds of games exist explicitly or in spirit on Steam. So, don't be lame by purchasing this game and complaining about it not being like those listed. I would compare it in many ways to playing Shadow of The Colossus, though.

Do purchase this game if you want to experience an interesting perspective on the nature of mental illness. Do purchase this game if you can see the intrinsic good in supporting the arts in video gaming and want to go through a story seemingly too long for a movie, but too short for a novel. And, I believe most importantly, purchase this game if you want a break from the pot being boiled that is massive AAA games with B movie scripts and themes.

I have played a whole bunch of games in which a character must triumph over evil or defeat some epic enemy in general. Being a gross, smelly RPG nerd I have even played games that were both well written and huge. Senua's Sacrifice, however, is unique and I can say that the last 30-40 minutes or so had me nearly in tears constantly due to the emotional intensity displayed and croscendo-like design of the build to Senua's goal.

My purchase of this game was nearly blind and could be described as stress consumerism. I just wanted something to play that didn't require a hundred hours of my time like a Bethesda or Bioware game. In the end, I was pleasently surprised with discovering I had pruchased a video game that will likely stick out in memory above (almost) all else. I will never forget Senua and her tribulations.