Over the past year, Ninja Theory has been busting its talented, brawny buttocks developing Hellblade, an independently published, AAA quality, narrative-driven skilled-based hack ‘n’ slash that has a female protagonist I like to describe as “a sturdy yet appealing powerhouse.” Today, the studio has released a new development diary that offers us a glimpse of the components that most dictate how the game looks, feels, and plays: the camera, controls, and combat.
In the following video, you’ll cup your face with your palms in fascination as the team of design and programming ninjas talk about the benefits of Senua’s over-the-shoulder perspective, a viewpoint more common in shooting games that is rare for titles with a focus on third-person punching and impaling, from a coding, programming, and gaming point of view. Unlike traditional brawlers comparable to, say, God of War, which has an on-rails camera system, or Ninja Gaiden, which has a free-roaming camera, Hellblade’s camera stays focused over Senua’s shoulder, zooming out during lock-on to frame the enemies as you strafe and size up your opposition.