Hellblade's story has been more than a bit up and down so far hasn't it? The PlayStation 4 title was originally shown at Sony's Gamescom conference back in 2014, and since then, we haven't really seen all that much of the game. It's always sounded intriguing - an action title that deals with the topic of mental health issues - but we've yet to truly see how the title comes together.
Unfortunately, according to various publications that did manage to get a better look at the release at this year's Gamescom expo, Hellblade didn't seem too impressive. Taking this feedback on board, developer Ninja Theory has announced that it's beginning anew on the game's production.
Describing the build that was shown to the press, the studio stated on Twitter that it was "a vertical slice [...] a testbed of ideas, not part of the final game". In other words, what the media saw wasn't too finalised to begin with, but Ninja Theory's rewinding things all the same. As such, we wouldn't expect a release date any time soon.
What do you make of this? Have you been hyped for Hellblade, or have you always ached to see more? Cut your expectations to pieces in the comments section below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 8
The production has not been restarted, but is simply moving to the next phase.
Ninja Theory as a dev are very much a unique study. I enjoyed Heavenly Sword and their take on DMC. However I feel they do split opinion among gamers. Hopefully this game turns out to be worth playing.
didnt look all that impressive from the last gameplay tbh - maybe thats why It is delayed until "tba" ... I think: better take your time as long as you need, refine everything and put much care and love for the detail into it than rush the release - like we all know such rushed games are mostly garbage
NinjaTheory has proven that they can deliver amazing Action - their DMC is the best entry that series has to offer, at least thats my opinion
Like @slampog says, the full quotes on their twitter suggest it's simply retiring ideas that weren't working to move on to the next stage.
In my work when we talk about a vertical slice it refers to something that can stand on it's own independently of the overall product (ie is in itself fully developable and testable), but generally containing a small amount of the overall intended functionality so that you can get it finished quickly.
As such, I would imagine they are working in multiple vertical slices, each containing specific ideas and elements of the gameplay waiting to be scrapped or pulled together as part of a whole at a later date. If so, it is partly re-assuring, as it suggests that what they showed and received the poor feedback on were potentially only some elements of the whole, rather than the entire gameplay loop.
You could argue that if all they had was still just a handful of vertical slices they were perhaps premature in showing anything at all. But to be honest early feedback is always preferable. Get the guff out of the way fast so you can re-focus as appropriate!
@SteveButler2210 @slampog It's a very, very complicated way of saying that they're going into full production, but it also means that they're scrapping a lot of stuff that appeared in this 'vertical slice'. All in all, it still comes down to the fact that we won't be playing this game for a while.
Yup, they're only diving into the next phase. The release date could still be in 2016 which was kinda the plan.
https://twitter.com/NinjaTheory/status/641937634663772160
I'm a huge fan of theirs. Can't wait to play their game and there's little doubt in my mind that I'll love it. I'm see no reason to be worried at the moment.
This saddens me. I hope they are able to make the new plans work. Another major set back could cause it to cancel.
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