Ninja Theory Announces Hellblade For PS4

Ninja Theory has been teasing a new game for weeks now and, during this morning's Gamescom PlayStation press event, the team finally pulled back the curtain on its new gritty action game, Hellblade.

From Heavenly Sword to Enslaved to DMC: Devil May Cry, Ninja Theory has always been about making games that boast high flying action and over-the-top combat. Their latest game, Hellblade, seems to be blending a little bit of everything they've done in the past into a single new game for PlayStation. Based on the handful of screenshots we've seen so far, as well as the reveal trailer, it looks like Hellblade will boast a lead character and settings more in line with Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, with a darker, bloodier edge reminiscent of DMC.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: That lady looks like a grown-up version of Kai from Heavenly Sword and, maybe it's just wishful thinking, but how rad would it be if this is actually a sequel to that early PlayStation 3 action romp? Heavenly Sword was a bit on the short side, but I really enjoyed its mix of combat, beautiful environments and lore. It also had an amazing cast of bizarre characters.

I'm probably reading way too much into this short trailer, but not only does the main character look like Kai, physically, but she has the paint smeared across her eyes (black insead of red this time), and a couple of angles make it look like she even has smaller versions of those cat ears on her bandana. Again, it's entirely possible that I'm just seeing what I want to see here, but even the name, Hellblade, seems like a perfect name for a Heavenly Sword sequel.

Ninja Theory Communications Manager, Dominic Matthews, had a bit more to say about the enigmatic game over on the PlayStation Blog this morning.

“Over the course of the last 14 years we've developed three key strengths that define our games: ninja-class combat, strong character stories, and a unique art vision,” he said. “In our new digital game, Hellblade, we want to take these three key strengths to the next level. Hellblade will be an experience focused on delivering a deep character in a twisted world, with brutal, uncomprimising combat.”

Dominic Matthews goes on to explain that Hellblade is being self-published to allow for complete creative freedom. As such, he said to expect a AAA experience, but in a more concise package and at a smaller price point.

Unfortunately, Matthews also states that Hellblade is being show off very early in development, as the team wants to include the community in the process. Translation: It's probably going to be a good long while before we can actually play this.