Fresh off its release, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is causing quite a stir online, particularly for its performance on ASUS ROG Ally. While some fans are loving their experience of the survival epic, others are less than impressed. Let’s break down what fans are saying about this new game and what others are doing to turn things around.
Satisfied fans defend the gaming experience
A large community of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II fans have taken to sites such as Reddit to defend the honor of playing Hellblade 2 on the ASUS ROG Ally. Though many admit to the sacrifices in FPS and detail, groups of fans are still singing the praises of the games’ captivating storylines, visual immersion, and sound – one Reddit user even noted it as “best sounding game I’ve ever played”. It is important to point out that these elements of the game are not unique to the gameplay of an ASUS ROG Ally, as may be suggested by some of the user threads online. In fact, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has received universal praise from IGN, Eurogamer, and other major publications on all the same aspects – though their reviews are based on larger-screen gameplay formats. So, it begs the question, are ASUS ROG Ally users missing out on an even greater experience with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II?
Big visuals lost on a handheld PC
Some fans online have begun to debate whether or not games such as Hellblade II are appropriate for the smaller screen format. With major titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghosts of Tsushima falling into a similar category, many feel as if Hellblade II should only be played on larger HDR gaming monitors to truly appreciate the stunning visual elements – something which the game manufacturers would have intended.
Running parallel to debates about how we consume art, this larger discussion is quite nuanced and can hinge on a multitude of personal factors, like access to larger screens and general convenience. Additionally, unlike an HDR monitor, the ASUS ROG Ally allows you to play major titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II anywhere you like. Others have tried to combat the confines of the ASUS ROG Ally screen by editing the configuration file to remove them. While this is causing performance to drop to a low 1080p standard and plateaus at around 30FPS, the game does remain playable. However, with the amount of money spent on a game such as Hellblade II, we would expect a little better than just ‘playable’.
