The first game I ever bought for the PS3 was Heavenly Sword. I loved the motion capture graphics, the smooth gameplay, and the incredible voice acting (Andy Serkis, anyone?). I was REALLY impressed with the way Ninja Theory had put everything together. Now, the developer is coming back with a new offering that takes on a deep & delicate subject.

Being described as an “independent AAA game”, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is the story of Senua (played by Melina Juergens), as she traverses a nightmarish world that has been brought to life as the schizophrenic manifestations of her own psyche.

Yes, it appears that Senua does actually suffer from some sort of mental illness, as she experiences hallucinations which fracture her perception of reality. In the trailer, we even see Senua talking to the voices in her head, and possibly having a visual hallucination.

Several games have had mental illness as a thematic element (Anxiety Attacks & Neverending Nightmares, to name a couple). However, the consensus seems to be that large-budget, AAA titles have not treated it with the attention or nuance that it deserves. Most creators who tackle the subject matter have typically fallen back on “insanity” as a catch-all term, but never really explored the details of mental illness while giving players an engaging story & fun gameplay. To this end, Ninja Theory teamed up with psychologist (and Cambridge University professor) Paul Fletcher, and the Wellcome Trust, in order to create a more intellectual look at psychosis.

In an interview with WIRED.co.uk, Ninja Theory product development manager Dom Matthews said, “Wellcome have supported us with a development award [and] Paul has been working with the team very closely to help us in our goal of portraying the character’s mental illness in an accurate and sensitive manner. Not only does Paul’s involvement help us to understand mental health to greater depth, but it’s also fair to say that his input has been felt in the creative process, where we can marry up elements of science with engaging gameplay and art.” In response to how he felt about being involved with the game’s creation, Professor Fletcher stated, “I was contacted by Ninja Theory who told me that they were making a game in which the central character experienced hallucinations. They said that they were aware that this was sensitive subject and they wanted to make sure that they were faithful in representing such experiences. Since a lot of my research involves trying to discover the psychological mechanisms involved in hallucinations and other symptoms of mental illness, I was intrigued.”

The entire team is also doing their best to have the game not fall victim to the mental illness tropes of its predecessors. Dom Matthews stated that in some case, mental illness in games & movies is often a “surprise reveal”, and in others “psychosis is confused with psychopathy and results in negative portrayals that aren’t helpful.” He went on to say that the team at Ninja Theory had researched psychosis for over a year, just so they could understand how the mind of a person who suffers from the condition actually perceives the world around them, as well as how psychosis manifests.

Of Ninja Theory’s commitment to portraying mental illness properly, Professor Fletcher also added, “Senua, who is deeply unsure about what is real, may offer new perspectives on what it might be like trying to make sense of conflict and ambiguity. In this respect, I think that the fact that the player is actively participating in the process of learning and exploration offers some really interesting opportunities, rather than simply being a passive observer of someone else’s difficulties.”

One of the tricks in bringing this concept to fruition, however, is that the majority of mental health models that currently exist only date back to the mid-20th century. With Hellblade being set in the Viking age (circa 9th century CE), and having a story based on Celtic mythology, Ninja Theory had to adjust the way they approached Senua’s condition. Professor Fletcher called the application of today’s diagnostic criteria to someone in a past culture “very risky”. Because of this, the team relied on historically accurate reference materials, including a former Cambridge student who had written their thesis on perspectives of “madness” in Celtic culture (I mean seriously, how COOL is that?).

Hellblade has been announced for PS4 and PC, but there is currently no set release date (other than the target of being out before the end of 2016.) Regardless of when it is released, however, if Ninja Theory can truly deliver an action game that accurately portrays psychosis without sensationalizing it, then Hellblade looks to be one of the most progressive games of all time.