After last year's amazing video game home run, 2024 looks to be just as stacked. With Helldivers 2, Balatro, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Manor Lords already released, we expect the rest of the year to be just as crowded. The newly released Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, but despite incredibly high reviews and positive player sentiment, the game doesn't seem to be doing very well on Steam.
Currently, Hellblade 2's launch on Steam peaks at 3,982 players on SteamDB. This single-player game has an overall well-reviewed rating of #81 on Metacritic, with many reviews saying that Senua's trauma healing process was supported by one of the most beautiful video games ever seen. While the emphasis is on how to tell a compelling story, Steam's numbers aren't surprising on their own.
Of course, the number of players on Valve's platform doesn't tell the whole story, even if they're worth paying attention to. Hellblade 2 has also been released on Xbox consoles and Game Pass, so it's perfectly reasonable to assume that not all PC players are on Steam itself.
Hi-Fi Rush, also single-player and released on Game Pass's first day, did slightly better than Hellblade 2 on its first day of release, gaining 6,132 players on Steam. However, while the game's launch price was $30, Hellblade 2 retails for $50. This will definitely impact your purchase on release day.
Although the numbers don't look very good, there's no need to worry about Hellblade 2 at this point. Once people beat this, word of mouth starts to spread, but even then, not every single-player narrative experience is for everyone.
In our own 9/10 Hellblade 2 review, we discuss how the game depicts coming to terms with trauma, and how it continues the grieving process from the first game. I admire you. “If Senua's Sacrifice is the most realistic depiction of mental illness in a video game, Senua's Saga is a continuation of the process of healing, acceptance, and growth.”
If you're looking to take on Senua's next quest on any platform, be sure to check out all Hellblade 2 Face locations and all Hellblade 2 Lorestangir locations.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC gaming news, reviews and guides, and get our PCGN sales tracker for great bargains.
