Hellblade 2 Uses “Tens of thousands of audio assets” for Industry-First Binaural “Audio Journey”

Ninja Theory’s 2017 hit Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice racked up bucket loads of critical acclaim thanks to its unflinching portrayal of mental illness and how the game’s sound design ingeniously amplified the experience.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the imminent sequel to the first game, claims to dial it up to 11 with a particular focus on creating an even more intense and immersive soundscape, which has been brought to life with some wickedly clever technology.

Binaural Tech Makes Senua’s Psychosis Feel More Real

The constant presence of auditory hallucinations, embodied as the voices of the Furies, played a central role in immersing players in Senua’s world in the first game. The key to this was the use of binaural audio, a recording technique that replicates natural human hearing, allowing players to feel directly inside Senua’s head, making the voices of the Furies feel disturbingly real.

Building on this foundation, Hellblade 2 takes the concept of immersive audio to new heights, as Ninja Theory harnesses the power of binaural audio recording once again. However, this time, the implementation is far broader, as explained by studio head Dom Matthews in a recent Kinda Funny Games podcast episode:

We’ve really leaned into the things that we did in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice; that special audio experience that we developed through the use of binaural audio. So, we recorded all the voices that Senua hears through this special microphone that’s shaped like an actual head.

Binaural audio has now been applied to the game’s entire soundscape, including music and environmental sounds. This means players can expect to hear the world around Senua with an unparalleled level of detail and realism.

Hellblade 2 Uses Spatial Audio To A Very High Degree

Furthermore, Hellblade 2 incorporates advanced spatial audio technology, which allows for exceedingly accurate positioning of sounds within the environment. Players will hear sounds bounce off surfaces, be absorbed by different materials, and move around them in a way that mimics real-world sound behavior.

The sheer volume of audio content in Hellblade 2 is also noteworthy. The developers have painstakingly crafted a massive library of sound effects for the game. “There’s a lot more detail there, we have tens of thousands of audio assets,” remarked Matthews.

Ninja Theory’s dedication extends to the use of Foley sound effects, which are real-world sounds recorded and used within the game to create a sense of authenticity. The developers clearly see audio as a vital storytelling tool, with the soundscape being designed to draw players deeper into Senua’s world, allowing them to experience her psychosis in a more personal and impactful way.

Hellblade 2‘s approach to audio design is nothing short of brilliantly ambitious. The heightened use of binaural and spatial audio technology to further aid in a hard-hitting story may end up as one of the best aural implementations in the industry.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to release on 21 May 2024 across Xbox Series X/S and PC. Game Pass subscribers can play on day one at no additional cost.