On May 28, 2024, AURORA joined “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s” Melina Juergens for a glorious gaming and Q&A session on the official XBOX Twitch channel.
Following the release of the highly anticipated video game sequel, “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II,” the Norwegian alt-pop sensation, AURORA, joined Senua’s mo-cap actress Melina Juergens for a gaming stream on Twitch.
The stream started out with AURORA jumping into chapter 2 of the game and Juergens guiding her along the way. With AURORA having stated that she has never held an XBOX controller before and being a PC gamer at heart, Juergens introduced her to the controls. AURORA’s biggest frustration, with an eye-wink, arguably lied in that she found herself unable to make Senua jump. Throughout the gameplay, Juergens and AURORA answered questions from chat, regarding the development of Hellblade II, AURORA’s single, “Animal Soul” and her upcoming album What Happened To The Heart.
Watch AURORA and Melina Juergens play Hellblade II and answer questions below
Chapter 2 was a great introduction to the game. Scenic landscapes of Iceland and cinematic cutscenes eased AURORA into the world of Hellblade II. However, the mystically idyllic atmosphere soon subsided as she entered a village that was overrun by draugr, zombie-like cannibals. Moreover, AURORA encountered a number of rune-related puzzles, integrated into the landscape. She had to solve them by aligning the runes on screen, with structures she found in the village. This resulted in her unlocking a gate and allowing her to progress.
It didn’t take long before things got intense, as AURORA encountered her first opponents in battle. With Senua’s actress, Melina Juergens, right next to her, AURORA soon turned into a true Pict warrior. Notable about Hellblade II’s revamped combat, is that battles are one-on-one and rely on timing and strategy. This actively makes each enemy-encounter much more intense.
Going forward, the game kept its darker tone for the remainder of the live stream. The jokes and the chemistry between Melina Juergens and AURORA, however, were as bright as can be. Between apple juice and upbeat conversations, AURORA encountered more draugar, a Nordic deity that turned into stone at sunrise and even a giant. Furthermore, she went on to talk about how “Animal Soul” came to be and how it became part of Hellblade II.
Lastly, to cement their friendship, Melina ended the stream by giving AURORA a matching Hellblade necklace, encased in a packaging, inspired by the stones of Djúpalónssandur beach in Iceland. The bronze necklaces were handcrafted by the Icelandic jeweler Aurum in a collaboration with Ninja Theory and XBOX for the launch of “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.” Fans have the chance to win said necklaces through a global sweepstakes hosted by XBOX on X (formerly Twitter).
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