I Hope Hellblade 2 Can Match Alan Wake 2’s Mastery Of FMV

Whether you liked Alan Wake 2 for what it is, or felt it was a bit too slow-paced and that its combat could have been executed better, there is no denying that Remedy really shook things up creatively. In particular, the devs totally nailed in-engine graphics with full-motion video (FMV) blending, weaving a dense, dreamlike and twisted vibe, especially in those episodes where Alan’s stuck in the Dark Place.

From the outstanding musical segment you won’t find anywhere else, to the in-your-face jump scares with a spooky granny, Alan Wake 2 is a celebration of fresh ideas and their uncompromised execution, not often seen in other triple-A projects today.

What’s more, it is not just a neat trick the game throws in just for the sake of it. Displaying real-life actors on screen alongside their in-game counterparts in Alan Wake 2, as well as playing around with the whole concept of who’s creating whom, significantly contributes to the game’s central ‘spiral’ idea, blurring the line between life and art. To its credit, Remedy has been experimenting with this direction for years in both Quantum Break and Control. But only in Alan Wake 2 have these techniques finally hit that sweet spot, allowing the team to create a meta-narrative and a sense of experiencing realities within realities.

Such artistic devices might feel a bit out of place in other games with a more traditional, straightforward narrative. However, there is at least one area, aside from survival horror, where they fit like a glove. When portraying mentally troubled characters, like Hellblade’s Senua, mixing visual styles becomes invaluable. It’s a key element in achieving believability when exploring themes of distinguishing what is real from what happens just in a character’s head.

Hellblade Already Made The First Step

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice by Ninja Theory successfully embraced mixing FMV with in-game graphics all the way back in 2017, masking its tight budget and compact scope with clever tricks and experimental flair. Now, with the team being busy with the much-awaited—and far more ambitious—follow-up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, I’m rooting for them to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with FMV. It may be challenging to match Alan Wake 2’s current achievements in that department, but if anyone can pull it off, it is Ninja Theory.

Blending real-life footage with in-game graphics in the first entry was used to dig deeper into Senua’s troubled mental state. However, unlike the voices in Senua’s head, the team used FMV rather sparingly in the original, mostly to portray characters talking to Senua through her memories—such as her Irish friend Druth (Findan), her father, the druid Zynbel, and her deceased lover Dillion. Each of these scenes felt incredibly intimate, providing a sense of Senua’s anxieties and inner struggles, all while adding to the dreamlike feeling of an otherworldly realm filled with gods and their trials.

While the creators admitted to using this particular approach primarily for budgetary reasons, it ultimately transformed Hellblade into an even more unique and immersive experience about trauma. It heightened the complexity of its themes and made Senua’s visions even more believable. Her next adventure should be even more twisted and dreamlike than the first, exploring new ways of making players feel like they are perceiving the world through someone else’s eyes—and mind.

Will Hellblade 2 Keep Up?

I admit, it hasn’t been easy for me to stay excited for Hellblade 2 over the years. Ever since the initial announcement four years ago, the devs have only shown snippets of Senua running and throwing spears at huge monsters, emphasizing the game’s groundbreaking facial animations and Melina Juergens’ stellar performance. According to the creative director Tameem Antoniades, Hellblade 2 will be much bigger than the original, making the first entry ‘feel like an indie game.’ Instead of fostering extra excitement, this triggered a worry in me—that the sequel might lean more into a God of War-like blockbuster, focusing on Senua battling Scandinavian legendary monsters rather than her inner ones. To stay true to its own essence, the sequel needs to explore more intimate themes like its experimental predecessor, and delve further into discussions about mental disorders.

From what we have seen so far, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 promises stunning graphics and facial animations that are off the charts, powered by Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman tech. I’m crossing my fingers that in its pursuit of realistic visuals and an epic scope, Ninja Theory won’t abandon their artistic style that made the original Hellblade so memorable and unique. With an increased budget and more time than ever to finish their ambitious project, Ninja Theory could likely craft something genuinely unique on their own terms, just as Remedy has.

Another potential pressure on the team to lean towards strictly realistic appeal is that not everyone is a fan of FMV used in both Alan Wake 2 and Hellblade, with loads of comments online labeling such scenes as ‘cheap’ and ‘cringey.’ Perhaps I’m in the minority here, still holding onto the hope that FMV makes its return into Hellblade 2, but to me, eliminating that standout technique would be a huge loss for the sequel. Whatever path Ninja Theory is taking for the follow-up, fingers crossed it’ll be worth every bit of the wait.