A lot of games present players with external challenges but few offer internal struggles that must be overcome. This is something that Ninja Theory wants to change with their upcoming game, Hellblade.
Protagonist Senua’s biggest foe is her own mind. She suffers from psychosis which lead to her having hallucinations and delusions. She also has to battle anxiety and depression. To make sure this subject matter is tackled correctly, the developers have brought on University of Cambridge Professor, Paul Fletcher who teaches Health Neuroscience. They have also talked to various people who experience these issues.
The team consists of 15 members. Because of this, they are afforded the freedom to tackle this sort of subject and not feel restrained by having a large team or a big budget. Despite not technically being a AAA game, Ninja Theory wants to produce that sort of experience. This has also allowed the team to be open about the development process of the game.
This is something unique for a studio to bring forth in a title. The fact that Hellblade is supported by Wellcome Trust, a charitable organization whose goal is to bring awareness of science and health, speaks volumes about how seriously the game is taking mental illness.
Hellblade is set to release on PC and PlayStation 4 in 2016.
Source: PlayStation Blog
