LogFAQs > #884784289

obviously i can't speak for people who deal with mental health issues

so for me, a person who doesn't have those issues, the intent in tackling such a topic is to build empathy with people who do have those issues. that hellblade has AAA-level production value with fairly simple gameplay and half the price of your typical retail release makes me believe that ninja theory wants it to reach a wide audience.

yes, the fact that it's in a fantasy setting with concessions to some video game tropes like combat encounters and puzzle-solving automatically makes it not the most grounded take on mental illness. we do need more video games that show the effects of mental illness in the mundanity of life. we need more stuff like depression quest and actual sunlight.

but that kinda stuff is a hard sell right now for an audience that leans a bit more towards the mainstream, which is the audience that ninja theory is trying to reach with hellblade. maybe the whole concept of making mental illness more "palatable" is already fundamentally questionable!

and yet the game's handling of a particular mental illness is accurate and sensitive enough that maybe it's okay for it to be delivered in a more... digestible(?) manner. if it gets people who might not be aware or are dismissive of how taxing mental illnesses can be to learn this and just be more considerate of such issues, then it's worth some of the design compromises.

the economic space ninja theory is working on with this game is a crucial one too. if it does find commercial success, then this can influence other similarly sized devs and maybe even actual AAA studios to take bolder risks.

i'm optimistic enough to believe that we'll eventually have a true AAA walking simulator with zero combat and spectacle. hellblade's success would just make it happen sooner! seeing neil druckmann praise it already makes me even more positive about that outcome.

and lastly, gonna veer a bit close to spoiler territory here so imma tag this even though it's not anything specific, senua's arc is uplifting and not at all cheap or exploitative with how it reaches its highs and lows. probably doesn't mean as much coming from a dude who has no major mental health issues, but the whole thing just worked for me.
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