Let me start this one off by saying I really did not know what to expect going into this game. In fact, my wife was the one who got the ball rolling when she got about 30 minutes into the game, handed the controller to me and said, “I can’t handle this anymore!” (She has a similar reaction when she tries to drink scotch!) I had generally heard it was a good game and won some gaming awards, but I didn’t really know anyone in my direct circles who had actually played it. Really the fact that it was set in Norse mythology is what drew me in (I’m an absolute sucker for anything Norse related). But I will say that this is a game that I am really, really glad I played, because it has left a lasting impression on me for various reasons, I’ll get into those in a second. I’m pairing this with Aberfeldy 12 year single malt scotch, made by the Aberfeldy distillery in the town of the same name in Scotland. I equally had never heard of this scotch and most anyone I brought it up to was not familiar with it either, and as such it also surprised me and left a lasting impression.
I’ll start this all off with the Hellblade review! *Some spoilers ahead* Now, I got this through the Xbox Game Pass service and I\’m not sure that I would have gotten it if it weren’t for my existing subscription to that service, but I am very glad I did. The game follows Senua, a young Norse woman who is traveling into Helheim in the hopes of striking a deal with Hela to gain back the soul of her dead love, Dillion. Great setup and the visuals of the game are gorgeous with bleak cliff-sides, lush forests, and occasional trips into otherworldly landscapes. I was constantly looking around every inch of my screen at all of the attention to detail that was put into this game and I was blown away. Even more than the visuals of this game, the voice acting was incredible, but not always in the straightforward way that it is usually presented. This is where I and the game make a strong recommendation of using good headphones to play the game, because there are binaural effects of the many voices that plague Senua’s mind that she calls Furies, which she believes originate from a curse that has infected her with darkness her whole life. In reality these voices are more along the lines of symptoms of psychosis brought about by a truly tragic and haunting upbringing, which is revealed piece by piece throughout the game in a series of hallucinations. All of this is accompanied by a fantastic performance by Melina Juergens, who brings Senua’s pain and emotion onto the screen with gripping realism that makes your heart go out to her with each defeat and victory, both large and small.
One of the side things about this game that really captured my attention was the optional Norse mythology stones that would recount various stories from Norse mythology ranging from the Norse creation myth to the end of the gods brought about by Ragnarok. I absolutely loved finding these stones and hearing the stories told with the emphatic voice of the other character from Senua’s past, Druth, a man who was captured and enslaved by the Norsemen and subsequently learned all about their myths. I highly recommend just finding the YouTube or audio recordings of him telling these stories because it is so enjoyable. Honestly, I wish every textbook from every class I had in college was read to me by this guy! His deep voice and thick accent made the stories that much more enthralling.
The gameplay in Hellblade is a sort of hack and slash mixed with parrying strategy type of combat. It’s one of those systems that is relatively simple and easy to learn, but takes a good amount of practice to master (and I would not claim that I have achieved mastery of it by any means, though I may have spent the requisite thousand hours to do so). It is visceral and brutal, just like the story which makes it perfect for this game. I won’t lie, it had me ducking and weaving a bit in real life on my couch! In between sessions of combat the world has exploring and puzzle solving sections that really encourages exploration.
All in all, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is one of those experiences that may not be something I play on a regular repeat like Jak and Daxter or Halo, but it is a game that is absolutely worth experiencing at least once and I don’t think anyone would come out the other side and regret having played it. I highly recommend this game, it was a great surprise for me and I am looking forward to the next installment in Senua’s Saga!
Moving on to the scotch review! I’ve paired this game up with Aberfeldy 12 Year singe malt, because I also had never heard of this scotch previously, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. This is a highland scotch and as is typical of highland scotches has a nice rounded flavor that doesn’t lean as far into the smoky, peaty flavors but offers up a smooth finish and a nice sweeter flavor combined with elements of fruit and some mild oak flavor. Really nice whiskey overall that is good for those who are not a big fan of the intense smoky flavor found in other regions of Scotland.
The story behind Aberfeldy distillery is pretty interesting. The distillery was started by the sons of John Dewar back in 1896. Dewar’s was already wildly popular at the time and highly reviewed as a great blended scotch. The Dewar’s needed more single malt for the flavoring of their blend so they started this distillery to create what would become one of the major flavoring components of their blended scotch. Now as to why they made the distillery in the location they did has a few possibilities. One, there is a great natural source of spring water used to make the whiskey in that area and the location had great transport links to nearby Perth. Two, there was possibly sentimental reasoning that the nearby town of Dull was the birthplace of John Dewar, so there was a sort of homecoming for the Dewar brothers to build this distillery just a few miles down the road from their father’s home.
Both Hellblade and Aberfeldy 12 were great overall experiences that leave a great impression (albeit Hellblade has a much more emotional reaction than the scotch) and both were surprises that left me wanting more! As always, please leave a comment and some feedback on these reviews or let me know if you have any suggestions moving forward, thanks!
Story Mode Scotch 