Senua’s
Saga:
Hellblade
2
is
the
next
big
title
for
Xbox.
It’s
due
to
launch
on
May
21
and
as
part
of
the
marketing,
various
outlets
have
been
given
some
hands-on
time
with
the
game.
Because
of
this
new
level
of
access,
we’ve
learned
what
to
expect
from
the
game
in
terms
of
performance.

According
to
German
outlet
GamePro,
Hellblade
2
looks
stunning
thanks
to
running
on
Unreal
Engine
5
and
scanning
entire
environments
in
Iceland
using
a
drone.
However,
the
level
of
fidelity
that
the
game
achieves
comes
at
a
price:
it
runs
at
30fps
on
both
Series
S
and
X
using
dynamic
resolution.

Below
is
the
relevant
quote
from
GamePro,
translated
by
Google.

“But
the
beauty
also
has
its
price:
Hellblade
2
only
runs
at
30
fps
and
dynamic
resolution
on
both
Xbox
Series
S
and
Series
X.
There
are
no
graphics
modes;
the
frame
rate
can
only
be
increased
on
the
PC.
The
VFX
director
explains
this
in
an
interview
with
GamePro
by
saying
that
the
experience
should
feel
more
“cinematic”
–
similar
to
movies
that
run
at
24
frames
per
second.”

The
website
notes
that
the
30fps
didn’t
bother
them
though,
because
the
gameplay
is
“rather
slow
and
weighty”.
I
know
what
they
mean
–
some
games
can
feel
fine
at
lower
framerates
if
they
aren’t
fast-paced
and
as
long
as
the
FPS
stays
consistent.

With
that
said,
it’s
surprising
that
Senua’s
Saga:
Hellblade
2
isn’t
offering
some
sort
of
performance
mode
to
boost
that
framerate.
I
had
to
admit,
going
back
to
30fps
in
2024
feels
like
a
step
in
the
wrong
direction.
I’d
rather
take
a
drop
in
graphical
quality,
but
as
far
as
I
know
I’m
actually
in
the
minority
with
the
majority
of
people
defaulting
to
quality
mode
when
given
the
option.

Of
course,
PC
users
don’t
have
this
issue.
If
you
have
the
hardware
to
do
it,
Senua’s
Saga:
Hellblade
2,

which
is
apparently
roughly
the
same
size
as
the
first
game,
can
be
run
at
much
higher
framerates.
Somehow
I
don’t
think
my
aging
1080Ti
will
be
capable
of
doing
that,
though.