Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a game designed with Ninja Theory’s personal flair: Brutal melee combat that focuses on properly using Senua’s lithe frame and speed, a story revolving around mental illnesses in response to traumatic events, and a unique art style that was brought to life through innovative technology. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has been touted as a unique “Independent AAA” game, built with the intentions of an indie title while using the production values of a typical AAA game.

The games story follows Senua, a broken Celtic warrior who embarks on a quest through to Viking hell to fight for control of her dead lover’s soul. Players will see the world through the lens of Senua’s psychosis, which Ninja Theory crafted by working closely with experts on and sufferers of mental illnesses such as PTSD, schizophrenia, and psychosis.

The game was initially announced at Sony’s Gamescom press conference in 2014, and has since seen many revisions. Now the game is slated for release later this year, with it now being available for pre-order on PS4’s PlayStation Store and Steam, and of course there are pre-order bonuses.

There’ some dark imagery pulled from Celtic and Norse mythology running throughout Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

PS4 pre-orders come with a dynamic theme of the game’s burning tree scene. PC owners on the other hand will receive a short digital comic, entitled Hellblade: Senua’s Song. This comic is produced in collaboration with Valiant entertainment. The comic was written by Hellblade creative director, Tameem Antoniades, while Ben Templesmith, will handle the art.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will release on August 8, 2017 for £24.99/$29.99 /€29.99 for PlayStation 4 and PC.

Do you think the “Independent AAA” game will be the return of the mid-sized developers? Is the idea of Senua fighting through Viking hell and her own mind appealing? Let us know in the comments below.