Heavenly Sword and DMC: Devil May Cry developers Ninja Theory return at Gamescom with their new title ‘Hellblade’ for PS4.
In what looks like pure nightmare fuel it is likely that Hellblade will follow suit in the same vein as Ninja Theory’s previous Hack’n’Slash titles. Self proclaimed ‘Product Development Ninja’ at Ninja Theory, Dom Matthews, had this to say over at Playstation Blog;
Over the course of the last 14 years we’ve developed three key strengths that define our games: ninja-class combat, strong character stories and a unique art vision. In our new digital game, Hellblade, we want to take these three key strengths to the next level. Hellblade will be an experience focused on delivering a deep character in a twisted world, with brutal uncompromising combat.
We’re calling Hellblade an “Independent AAA” game, by which we mean that it will be developed and published independently but with all the quality and production values of any AAA game on the market.
Why have we chosen to self-publish this game? Certain types of game are very difficult to make for AAA retail without being watered down or otherwise compromised for a mass audience. This is especially true of sword-based combat games or games of a distinctive style or unusual subject matter. We want to make a smaller, more focused game experience that is uncompromising in its combat, art and story, and deliver this digitally at a lower price.
The announcement trailer that we’ve just released is intended to give you a taste of the AAA quality that we’re planning on delivering and to also introduce you to the Hellblade world, which is based on Celtic myth. The trailer is focused on Senua, Hellblade’s protagonist as she embarks on a very personal journey through a hellish underworld.
While a lot of the in-game features are still under wraps it’s certainly likely that the game will be more similar mechanically to their previous titles rather than Demon’s Souls or Lords of the Fallen, however only time will tell and considering Ninja Theory’s bold self publishing strategy it’s unclear when or if Hellblade will actually resurface again in the future.
