Was Senua's Sacrifice also done by Ninja Theory?
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a dark fantasy action-adventure game developed and published by the British video game development studio Ninja Theory. Self-described as an "independent AAA game", it was created by a team of approximately twenty developers led by writer and director Tameem Antoniades. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in August 2017, with an Xbox One version in April 2018. The game features support for virtual reality, which was added in an update in 2018.
Ninjas in popular culture
They appeared in the non-anime cartoon series "" ("Crouching Jimmy, Hidden Sheen"), "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" ("Robo-Ninja"), "The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3" ("Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas"), "" (Huntsman and Rose), "Batman Beyond" (Curaré of the League of Assassins), "" (Kyodai Ken in "Night of the Ninja" and "Day of the Samurai"), "Beware the Batman" ("Family" and "Sacrifice"), "Black Dynamite" ("Just Beat It or Jackson Five Across Yo' Eyes"), "Chop Socky Chooks" (Ninja Chimps), "Karate Kommandos" (Super Ninja), "Code Monkeys" ("Revenge of Matsui"), "" (Teen Ninjas), "Conan the Adventurer" ("Shadow Walkers", "Dragon's Breath" and "Sword, Sai and Shuriken"), "Danny Phantom" (Bertrand), "Digimon Savers" (Falcomon), "Eon Kid" (Black Beauty and her ninja robot army), "Family Guy" (in "Wasted Talent" and "I Take Thee Quagmire"), "Happy Tree Friends" (Generic Tee Ninjas), "Jackie Chan Adventures" (the Shadowkhan), "Johnny Test" (one of Johnny's transformation is Ninja Johnny), "Kim Possible" (the Yamanouchi ninja school), "The Legend of Prince Valiant" ("The Ghost"), "The Legend of Zelda" (Sing), "The Penguins of Madagascar" ("Mental Hen/Siege the Day" and "Street Smarts/Nighty Night Ninja"), "Phineas and Ferb" ("What a Croc!/Ferb TV"), "Planet Sketch" (Ninja Handyman), "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest" ("Night of the Zinja"), "Robot Chicken", "Road Rovers" ("Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"), "Samurai Jack" ("Samurai versus Ninja"), "The Simpsons" (in "The Telltale Head" Bart Simpson disguises as a ninja; in "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" one of the aliens is dressed as a ninja, in "Husbands and Knives" the Comic Book Guy has ninja weapons, and in "Yokel Chords" Bart plays a spoof video game with a female ninja), "Skunk Fu" (Ninja Monkeys), "South Park" ("Good Times with Weapons" and "Fantastic Easter Special"), "Stroker and Hoop" ("Ninja Worrier" and "Chopping Spree"), "" (Death Fist Ninja), "Teen Titans" (in "Masks", Beast Boy has a video game "Super Ninja Showdown 8"), "The Transformers" (Greatshot, Nightbird and Prowl), "The Venture Bros." (Otaku Senzuri), "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "Xiaolin Showdown" (Tubbimura).
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Meanwhile, Senua's backstory is unveiled through her hallucinations, revealing that her mother Galena (Ellie Piercy) suffered the same curse she did, but did not believe it to be dreadful. However, Senua's devoutly religious father Zynbel (also performed by Hartley) did, and burned Galena alive. Senua witnessed the event at age five, which caused her psychosis to worsen significantly and led her to convince herself her mother died willingly. Her father, convincing her that her condition was a curse, abused Senua emotionally and physically and isolated her from the rest of the world until she met Dillion when he visited her village. The two fell in love, and Senua left her father to be with him, as he saw her as different and misunderstood instead of cursed. However, after a plague killed many in Dillion's village, Senua, believing the fault to be hers, left in exile. When she returned a year later having hopefully left the Darkness behind, she found everyone killed by Norsemen who had invaded, sacrificing Dillion in a blood eagle to their gods. Remembering the stories of Druth, Senua departed on her journey to save Dillion's soul from the gods of the Norsemen.
After the Deluge (painting)
In this stage of his career Watts regularly painted images linking awe-inspiring natural events and the will of God. His focus on the sun reflects his longstanding interest in it as a divine symbol; "The Sacrifice of Noah", painted 1865, showed Noah sacrificing to the sun in thanks for his family's salvation. This interest in the sun possibly came from Watts's acquaintance Max Müller, who had written extensively on solar theories of mythology (the belief that the religions of Europe, the Middle East and southern Asia were all ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European worship of the sun). Writing after Watts's death, his widow Mary Seton Watts wrote that:
Ninjas in popular culture
Ninja ara also featured in collectible card games such as "Legend of the Five Rings CCG", "" (where the ability Ninjutsu was introduced in the set Betrayers of Kamigawa) and "Mortal Kombat Kard Game", and in some miniature wargaming games, such as "Heroscape".
Ninja Gaiden 3
Some changes include the slide maneuver, which replaces the Reverse Wind Technique from the previous games. Ryu uses it to get through small passages as well as to attack enemies. The Ultimate Technique concept has slightly changed in the form of Ryu's cursed right arm known as the Grip of the Murder. When he kills a specific number of enemies his arm glows red. Then, the player can charge up for an ultimate attack that is fueled by absorbing nearby fallen bodies instead of essence.
Ninja Gaiden
A Mega Drive/Genesis version of "Ninja Gaiden"' was in development by Sega sometime in 1992. It was planned to be a belt scroll-style beat-'em-up similar to the arcade version of "Ninja Gaiden", instead of following the side-scrolling platform game format from the NES trilogy. The plot would have involved Ryu traveling to the United States in order to track down a pair of sibling ninjas named Jin and Rika who have gone rogue by stealing the Secret Scrolls of the Huma (an alternate romanization of the name "Fūma"). The Mega Drive version is not a port of the arcade game, but some of the stages (such as a casino) and enemy characters (like the hockey mask-wearing punks) are similar, though the play mechanics are very different.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The main inspiration of Senua's character was the Iceni queen Boudica, while her name came from Senuna, a Celtic goddess long lost to historians but re-discovered in 2002, whose name was at first read incorrectly as Senua. Based on what is believed of the way Celtic warriors looked, Senua was given war paints, and braided hair clumped with lime. Doing research to find the right angle for the character, the team realized that despite the Roman Empire being able to conquer nearly all of Europe, they were unable to conquer a group of Celts, known as the Picts, in the northern reaches of Great Britain. Towards the end of the 8th century, the first Vikings arrived in the lands of the Picts, more specifically the islands of Orkney, and quickly replaced them as the main population of the land. Based on the belief that the Norsemen were known for sacrificing the leaders of the tribes they had conquered to their gods, the game's director and lead writer Tameem Antoniades decided to use this as the basis for Senua's quest and trauma, and to have her find everyone in her village killed by the Norsemen and her lover sacrificed to Norse gods via the blood eagle, a ritualized method of execution whose authenticity is actually debated among historians.
Ninja Gaiden II
One year after "Ninja Gaiden Black", master blacksmith Muramasa is setting up shop in Tokyo, Japan. A CIA agent named Sonia enters the place and asks for Ryu Hayabusa's whereabouts, until members of the Black Spider Ninja Clan attack the shop and kidnap her. Enter the Dragon Ninja Ryu, who fails to stop Sonia's kidnapping and makes haste around the Tokyo skyscrapers and rescues the agent, who informs him of an attack on the Hayabusa Village by the Black Spider Ninjas, who wish to steal the Demon Statue they possess and protect.
Heavenly Sword
On March 21, 2008, on G4's "Attack of the Show" it was listed on the scrolling banner that Ninja Theory is not planning to create a sequel for "Heavenly Sword", and instead has decided to work on a new project (most likely ""). Though information on the decision and the aforementioned project was sparse, it was stated that production time for the new project will span well over two years, and that the project, like "Heavenly Sword", will be extremely cinematic.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Mike Ball, CTO of Ninja Theory, revealed that the initial idea for the game came from "Heavenly Sword", in particular, the relationship between the protagonist Nariko and her companion Kai. This relationship resonated with players, and the team wanted to repeat their success with a set of easily recognisable characters. During "Heavenly Swords" development, Antoniades researched the "wuxia" genre and read the novel "Journey to the West". He found the novel "epic" and compared it favourably to "The Lord of the Rings". However, "Enslaved" is only a loose adaptation of the novel. The team decided to shift away from the "wuxia" theme to sci-fi as it was a genre many staff on the development team wanted to explore. As a result, mechs replaced demons, and technology replaced magic. Initially, the game was set in a foreign world. The animations created by Hayao Miyazaki, whose works often integrate nature with steampunk, inspired the team. However, after watching "Life After People", the team decided to set the game on Earth, one that was peaceful as nature reclaimed it after humanity's disappearance. A lot of colour, in particular red, was injected into the game's world to reflect this.
Sega Ninja
Sega Ninja (also known as The Ninja) is a 1985 arcade game released by Sega. The game features Princess Kurumi (くるみ姫 "Kurumi-Hime"), the titular female ninja, battling enemies using throwing knives and throwing stars. The game was originally released as Ninja Princess (忍者プリンセス), before the revised edition titled "Ninja Princess 1 Mega Ban - Ninja" (忍者プリンセス1メガ版 忍者), which became "Sega Ninja"/"The Ninja" in the English version.
Japanese nationalism
Other nationalist rightist groups in the 1920s were the "Jinmu Kai" (Emperor Jimmu Society), "Tenketo Kai" (Heaven Spade Party), "Ketsumeidan" (Blood Fraternity) and "Sakura Kai" (Cherry Blossom Society) . This last was founded by Dr. Shūmei Ōkawa, professor of the Colonization Academy, and radical defender of expansionism and military armed revolution at home. Amongst members were Army officers implicated in the Manchuria Affair, such as Kingoro Hashimoto, and Ishikawa Kanishi. Okawa served as a conduit by which Kita Ikki's ideas reached young nationalist officers on the right.
Violent "coups" took place, and the Kwantung Army made, in effect unilaterally, the decision to invade Manchuria. This was then treated as a "fait accompli" by Government and Emperor.
Ninja
Uesugi Kenshin, the famous "daimyō" of Echigo Province, was rumored to have been killed by a ninja. The legend credits his death to an assassin who is said to have hidden in Kenshin's lavatory, and fatally injured Kenshin by thrusting a blade or spear into his anus. While historical records showed that Kenshin suffered abdominal problems, modern historians have usually attributed his death to stomach cancer, esophageal cancer or cerebrovascular disease.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
To feature the voices in Senua's head in a way that would be realistic regarding actual people suffering auditory hallucinations, the team, based on descriptions by Professor Charles Fernyhough, an expert on the subject, recorded several actors using binaural recording that also records the 3D position of sound, so the voices would sound as close or distant as the actors were to the microphone, replicating the way human ears perceive sounds. The team then invited voice hearers to listen to the result in order to give them feedback for future recordings. The original score for the game was composed by David García and Andy LaPlegua; the song "Just Like Sleep" by Passarella Death Squad is played during the final battle, and the song "Illusion" by VNV Nation plays during the ending credits.
Red Ninja: End of Honor
In 2009, GamesRadar included "Red Ninja" among the games "with untapped franchise potential", commenting: "In the hands of a proficient developer, "Red Ninja" could be so much more than a poorly-executed "Tenchu" knockoff. After all, who wouldn’t want to play a game that contained a properly executed ninja seduction/stealth kill mechanic?" "FHM Philippines" placed Kurenai second on their list of most memorable hitmen in gaming in 2009 and also included her among the nine "sexiest ninja babes in games" in 2012, comparing her to Misa Campo. UGO Networks featured her on their list of 25 "hot ninja girls" in 2011 and GameHall's Portal PlayGame ranked her as the 43rd game "chick" in 2014.
Mark of the Ninja
Lead designer Nels Anderson has stated that his principal inspiration in making "Mark of the Ninja" was the lack of stealthy ninjas in games like "Ninja Gaiden", which he felt should be the norm, and Klei Entertainment founder Jamie Cheng said that it was important to the developers to make nonlethal tactics rewarding to the player "It took a lot of experimentation to allow players to feel like a badass ninja while at the same time feel the risk of being exposed." Whereas Klei had previously released "Shank" and "Shank 2" on multiple platforms, the company unveiled "Mark of the Ninja" as an Xbox 360 exclusive with Microsoft Studios as its publisher after a pitch video was created. Following Klei's announcement on February 28, 2012, that it was developing "Mark of the Ninja", the game featured at the Penny Arcade Expo East in Boston, Massachusetts in April 2012.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
"Hellblade" was announced for the PlayStation 4 at Sony's Gamescom media briefing on August 12, 2014, where a trailer was shown. In a joint statement, Ninja Theory described the game as "an experience focused on delivering a deep character in a twisted world, with brutal uncompromising combat", and stated that they wanted to "make a smaller, more focused game experience that is uncompromising in its combat, art and story". The developers called it an "independent AAA game", with their goal being to make a game with all the qualities and production values of any AAA game on the market, but with creative freedom and an "indie spirit". The team eventually succeeded in releasing the game independently, but to achieve this could only release it via digital distribution.
Ninja Theory
Antoniades described creativity and narrative as "core" to the studio. The team emphasised story over gameplay, believing that if the game's story was well-written and intriguing, the quality of the gameplay would also improve since it would attract players to continue playing. Antoniades added the team would only implement mechanics into a game that helped enhance the experience. "Hellblade"s permadeath system and its lack of heads up display were cited as examples.
Ninja Crusaders
Ninja Crusaders is a side-scrolling action game released by Sammy for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The player takes control of one of two ninjas who are tasked at thwarting an alien invasion. The game has been compared to Tecmo's "Ninja Gaiden" series.
Sacrifice (2005)
The main event was a Tag Team match between the team of Jeff Jarrett and Rhino facing the team of Raven and Sabu, in which if Jarrett pinned Raven he would earn a future NWA World Heavyweight Championship match. If Raven pinned Jarrett in the contest, then Jarrett would not receive a championship match for an entire year. Jarrett and Rhino won the match, with Rhino scoring the pin. The Finals of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament took place at Sacrifice between A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe. Joe defeated Styles in the encounter, thus becoming number-one contender to the TNA X Division Championship and winning the 2005 Super X Cup trophy. Also on the card was Jerry Lynn versus Sean Waltman, which Lynn won. B.G. James was Special Guest Referee for a Tag Team match between the team of Kip James and Monty Brown and the 3Live Kru (Konnan and Ron Killings), which the latter won. TNA also promoted an Internet Dream match for the show that involved an internet poll to decide who would face then-TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels. Austin Aries was the chosen opponent; Daniels defeated him at the event.
Ninja Theory
While researching "Heavenly Sword"s "wu xia" theme Antoniades read "Journey to the West", which inspired the company's next game, "". However, the team wanted to try something new, thus many of the fantasy and "wu xia" elements were shifted to sci-fi. Without their own technology, the team used Epic Games' Unreal Engine. Because "Heavenly Sword" had been unprofitable, Ninja Theory needed to present the new game to publishers as fast as possible since they did not have much reserve cash. Initially, they signed a deal with Green Screen, which dissolved a month later. Namco Bandai Games agreed to publish the game. Using only two-thirds of the budget of "Heavenly Sword", the team hired Alex Garland to write the game's story. Antoniades found Garland "intimidating" to work with, though Garland found the team "friendly". Garland often argued with Antoniades over the inclusion of boss fights, and became involved with the game's design. Andy Serkis returned to do motion capture, and Nitin Sawhney, composer for "Heavenly Sword," returned to write "Enslaved"s music.
Mark of the Ninja
The game's story begins with an attack by a heavily armed force on the dojo of the Hisomu ninja clan. The unnamed ninja protagonist, resting after receiving an extensive irezumi tattoo, is awakened by a female ninja named Ora. Gathering his equipment, the protagonist is able to defeat the attackers and rescue his sensei, Azai, as well as several other members of the clan. Before being rescued by the protagonist, Azai was being blamed by the attackers, who said "you picked the wrong people to steal from". However, Azai simply claimed that the clan has been hidden from the modern world for centuries until now, when "their enemies finally found them". Azai tells him about the power of his tattoo and the legend surrounding it, explaining that the ink comes from a special desert flower and grants greatly sharpened senses and reflexes when absorbed slowly into the body, but will ultimately cause one so tattooed with it to descend into madness. In the distant past, the first Hisomu ninja to receive the Mark became incredibly dangerous, but increasingly deranged, leading to a lengthy reign of terror that only ended with his demise. Therefore, to receive the Mark, a ninja swears to commit seppuku once the madness begins to take hold.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Antoniades and his team initially conceptualized "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" as "a compelling, adult, fantasy game". The game was always supposed to be hinted as taking place in Senua's mind, but with her mental illness originally less central to the story. However, the team came to see it as an opportunity to raise awareness on psychosis; regarding the team's interest with the condition, Antoniades stated "It is easy to see the pain and suffering caused by physical diseases or physical trauma, it is not so easy to see the mental suffering or trauma or severe mental illness. But what if we could find a way to see it ? Games are capable of drawing you in for hours on end, playing the role of a character who's different from you, experiencing their perspective, and actively involving you in a world that functions with a different set of rules. [...] There are many things that happen in the world of "Hellblade" that make perfect sense within the context of Senua's mind. [...] To complete Senua's quest, you have to internalize and accept the logic and meaning behind these things to progress"; he notably felt that using the tendency of certain psychotics to see patterns others would not see or notice as a game mechanic to solve puzzles would provide a unique angle impossible in media other than video games.
Operation Clambake
On June 16, 1998, "Dateline NBC" aired an investigative journalism piece on Scientology, and Operation Clambake was referenced on-screen as a resource to learn about "Xenu and the exploded souls". The "St. Petersburg Times" called Operation Clambake "the best known of the critical Web sites" on Scientology. "New Straits Times" referred to the site as "a fantastic source of information for anyone interested in the Scientology cult". In July 2000 "The Wall Street Journal" included Operation Clambake among its list of "Our Favorite Sites" under the "Opinion, Commentary and Gossip" section. "The Seattle Times" described Operation Clambake as "one of the most popular" sites critical of Scientology.
Stony Man
The last Phoenix Force mission against TRIO involved their old friend John Trent, who Stony Man believed had been responsible for the assassination of an executive for a Japanese automotive company. For this mission, they went to Col. Ken Ikeda, a Kompei officer they worked with when Keio Ohara was part of the team. They would learn that Trent was innocent of the crime. Trent and Phoenix Force would work with the Green Tiger Clan, a Yakuza clan that rivaled the Snake Clan, to bring down TRIO once and for all.
Ninja High School
Later the series does a time skip and focus on Jermey's little brother, Ricky Feeple (who was mostly a minor character in the first series), as he enters high school himself, gaining new friends and soon coming into conflict with a rival ninja clan known as Shidoshi who set their sights on destroying him. While the comic still retained its comedic tones, it also ventured into darker territory and has a bit more drama thrown in then the original "NHS"."NHS" started out as a miniseries that mainly parodied famous anime and manga conventions (Urusei Yatsura appears to be the main influence, although the title ""Ninja High School"" was commonly used in the 1980s to refer to the series "Sasuga no Sarutobi", which was actually about a high school for ninja students). The story centers on Jeremy Feeple, an ordinary student at Quagmire High, living an ordinary life. Shortly into the story, a beautiful female ninja named Itchy Koo (real name Ichikun Ichinohei) and an alien princess named Asrial appear. The earlier stories focus on the girls' comedic attempts to marry this seemingly plain, ordinary high school boy.
Ninjas in popular culture
Ninja have supporting roles in "Karate Kommandos", "Lucha Libre" "Les Naufragés d'Ythaq", "Masters of the Universe" (Ninjor), "Rebirth" (the hero's ally, Eiji Inaba), "Sam Noir" (villains), "Scott Pilgrim" (Roxanne "Roxie" Richter), "", "Sonic the Hedgehog" (Uma Arachnis and the Arachne), "The Order of the Stick" (Therkla and others), "The Tick" (Oedipus), and "Usagi Yojimbo" (ninja of the Neko, Mogura and Komori clans, including Kashira Chizu).
Ninja
By the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868), "shinobi" had become a topic of popular imagination and mystery in Japan. Ninjas figured prominently in legend and folklore, where they were associated with legendary abilities such as invisibility, walking on water and control over the natural elements. As a consequence, their perception in popular culture is based more on such legend and folklore than on the spies of the Sengoku period.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, "Hellblade" follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. In parallel, the game acts as a metaphor for the character's struggle with psychosis, as Senua, who suffers from the condition but believes it to be a curse, is haunted by an entity known as the "Darkness", voices in her head known as "Furies", and memories from her past. To properly represent psychosis, developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people suffering from the condition.
Negative Syndicate
In Task 44, Yaiba betrayed Dark Shadow and broke the seal of the Demon Bird, allowing the demon to take over Gekko's body, not even DaiVoyager was able to withstand its power, but when Eiji and Natsuki restored the seal over the orb, the Demon Bird was weakened and defeated by the Adventure Double Screw. A gravely injured Gekko barely survived the battle and swears revenge against Yaiba for betraying him, leaving Shizuka to carry out his wishes. In Task 48, seeing the havoc caused by Gajya, Gekko decides to leave the country for a while, helping Souta in discovering his own treasure on the way out. However, half a year later he is once again active in Dark Shadow operations with Shizuka. Gekko's designis based on "Ninja Sentai Kakuranger"s Tsubasamaru (though he also resembles "Mirai Sentai Timeranger"s Tac as well), while the Demon Bird's design is based on "Chōjin Sentai Jetman"s Jet Garuda. Gekko made a cameo appearance in the ending of "Gekiranger vs. Boukenger".
Rachel (Ninja Gaiden)
Rachel returns in "Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2". In her own chapter, after Ryu and the CIA agent Sonia left Manhattan, Marbus takes over with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, resulting in a Fiend infestation. Rachel appears and braves through the hellish night slaying Fiends until she confronts Marbus atop a skyscraper. Rachel defeated Marbus, taking off his other horn and killing him.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Set in the late 8th century, the game starts with Senua (Melina Juergens), a Pict warrior from Orkney arriving at the border of Helheim in a quest to save the soul of her dead lover, Dillion (Oliver Walker), from the goddess Hela. Senua believes she suffers from a curse, and hears "Furies", voices in her head commenting her every actions, notably one, the Narrator (Chipo Chung), who is aware of the player's presence and talks to them. She is also followed by the Darkness (Steven Hartley), a dark entity at the core of the curse. She carries Dillion's severed head to use it as a vessel to his soul, and is also guided by her memories of the stories of Druth (Nicholas Boulton), a former slave of the Norsemen well versed in their legends, now deceased, who became her friend and mentor during a year-long self-imposed exile. To enter Helheim, Senua defeats both the fire giant Surt and the spirit of illusions Valravn, but as she crosses the bridge to Helheim, is attacked by Hela, who defeats her with a single blow, shattering her sword. Barely surviving the encounter, she follows visions of Druth and a man-shaped light she believes to be Dillion to a great tree where she faces four challenges linked to her past, and is rewarded with the legendary sword Gramr, strong enough to kill gods.
Ninja Apocalypse
Demoralized, the survivors continue on, only to be stopped by the Siren Clan, an all-female clan composed of seeming clones. Initially friendly, the Siren Clan seduces the Lost Ninja Clan, then viciously attacks. Trillion is killed, and Surge is poisoned. Cage and Surge fight their way to the exit, where Becker again confronts them. Cage and Becker fight each other; when Cage spares Becker's life, Becker questions Cage's guilt. As Cage and Surge stop to get medicine, a double of Cage appears and stabs Surge. Hiroshi reveals himself as a shapeshifter and says that he killed Fumitaka to prevent Cage from becoming Fumitaka's new lieutenant. Weakened and with his powers exhausted, Cage is outmatched by Hiroshi. Before Hiroshi can finish off Cage, Surge recovers and kills Hiroshi. Afterward, Becker, impressed with Cage's honor and skill, swears loyalty to him.Shawn Austin, founder of Big Boss Creative, produced the film after becoming interested in expanding his involvement in the entertainment business. Instead of producing a film and finding a distributor, he went directly to the distribution companies and asked them what they wanted. They told him that ninja films were currently in demand. Distribution partners rejected the first version of the script as not representative enough of ninja. A second draft, with more elements of ninja lore, such as swords and fantastic powers, was accepted. Shooting took place over 12 days. The visual effects were performed by director Lloyd Lee Barnett, who had previous experience.
Seneca the Younger
Medieval writers and works continued to link him to Christianity because of his alleged association with Paul. The "Golden Legend", a 13th-century hagiographical account of famous saints which was widely read, included an account of Seneca's death scene, and erroneously presented Nero as a witness to Seneca's suicide. Dante placed Seneca (alongside Cicero) among the "great spirits" in the First Circle of Hell, or Limbo. Boccaccio, who in 1370 came across the works of Tacitus whilst browsing the library at Montecassino, wrote an account of Seneca's suicide hinting that it was a kind of disguised baptism, or a "de facto" baptism in spirit. Some, such as Albertino Mussato and Giovanni Colonna, went even further and concluded that Seneca must have been a Christian convert.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
"Evangelion" borrowed certain scenarios and the use of introspection as a narrative device from a previous Anno project entitled "Gunbuster". He incorporated the narrative structure of "Nadia" and multiple frames of reference to leave the story open to interpretation. Over the course of the writing process, elements of the "Evangelion" storyline evolved from the original concept. A female protagonist was initially proposed for the series, but the idea was scrapped. Originally, the first episode presented the battle between an Angel and Rei, while the character of Shinji was only introduced after the Angel had been defeated. Further changes to the plot were made following the Aum Shinrikyo sect's sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in March. Azuma Hiroki has said that the original "Evangelion" story was "too close to reality" from Anno's point of view. Basically, Anno thought that the original scenario was not suitable for broadcasting, and he feared censorship. However, he also criticized Aum Shinrikyo, because "they lost any contact with reality". For this reason, Azuma stated that "Evangelion" "is an intrinsic critique of Aum". The final version of the story reflects inspiration drawn from numerous other anime and fictional works. Chief among these are "Space Battleship Yamato", "Mobile Suit Gundam", "Devilman" and "Space Runaway Ideon". The series also incorporates tributes to "Childhood's End", the novels of Ryū Murakami, "The Andromeda Strain", "The Divine Invasion", the poem "Pippa Passes", "The Hitcher", and several television series including "The Prisoner", "Thunderbirds", "Ultraman" and "Ultra Seven".
Ahriman
In 1862, Martin Haug proposed a new reconstruction of what he believed was Zoroaster's original monotheistic teaching, as expressed in the Gathas— a teaching which he believed had been corrupted by later Zoroastrian dualistic tradition as expressed in post-Gathic scripture and in the texts of tradition. For Angra Mainyu, this interpretation meant a demotion from a spirit coeval with Ahura Mazda to a mere product of Ahura Mazda. Haug's theory was based to a great extent on a new interpretation of "Yasna" 30.3; he argued that the good "twin" in that passage should not be regarded as more or less identical to Ahura Mazda, as earlier Zoroastrian thought had assumed, but as a separate created entity, Spenta Mainyu. Thus, both Angra Mainyu and Spenta Mainyu were created by Ahura Mazda and should be regarded as his respective 'creative' and 'destructive' emanations.
Ninja Burger
Though not directly influenced by it, Ninja Burger's concept is similar to a Saturday Night Live sketch from the late 1970s by John Belushi entitled "Samurai Delicatessen" In this skit, Belushi played a samurai working in a New York City deli who would commit seppuku if customers were unhappy with his sandwiches (which he prepared using his katana). Other likely influences include "Snow Crash", which features a ninja-like deliveryman named Hiro Protagonist who works for a Mafia pizzeria and would be assassinated if a delivery took longer than half an hour, and "A Fistful of Yen", a short parody of "Enter the Dragon" from "Kentucky Fried Movie".
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination and guerrilla warfare. Their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were deemed dishonorable and beneath the honor of the samurai. Though "shinobi" proper, as specially trained spies and mercenaries, appeared in the 15th century during the Sengoku period (15th–17th centuries), antecedents may have existed as early as the 12th century.
Obu Toramasa
, known as the "Wild Tiger of Kai", was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Takeda clan. He was the tutor of Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige. He later betrayed Shingen with Shingen's eldest child, the rebellious Takeda Yoshinobu. A historically accurate account of his life is in the novel "The Samurai's Tale" written by Erik Christian Haugaard.
Ninja (film)
Years later, Masazuka becomes a contract killer of an organization called Temple Industries, which itself runs an underground criminal cult known as "The Ring". He returns to his former dojo and claims the succession as soke, but sensei Takeda turns him down. Anticipating an invasion by Masazuka, sensei Takeda assigns Casey and Namiko to guard an old chest called the "Yoroi Bitsu", which contains the suit and weapons of an ancient ninja. Before Masazuka storms the dojo and murders sensei Takeda, Casey and Namiko manage to take the Yoroi Bitsu" to New York City, where they keep it safe at Triborough University's vault with the help of sensei Takeda's friend, Professor Garrison. They are tracked down by Masazuka, who sends Temple's thugs to take down the couple. While Casey and Namiko are on the run, they are framed for the murder of Professor Garrison and arrested. During their interrogation, Casey is ridiculed by Detective Traxler (Todd Jensen). Masazuka, disguising himself as Namiko's lawyer, slips into the station and cuts the power. He takes down several police officers in the dark before incapacitating Namiko. In the midst of the chaos, Casey saves Traxler from being gunned down by Masazuka, who leaves with Namiko.
Tetsuya Nomura
In 2010, Square released "Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep", a prequel of the first "Kingdom Hearts" that explained scenes shown in "Kingdom Hearts II" and its updated version. In early 2011, Square released a follow up to "Dissidia" titled "Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy". The game carried several ideas Nomura had ever since early development, such as the inclusion of new characters and new gameplay mechanics. For 2011's "Final Fantasy XIII-2", Nomura only created the new characters' faces as other staff members designed their clothes. Once the "Kingdom Hearts coded" remake was released, Nomura and his companions had already thought about creating "", a game that would set up the events of "Kingdom Hearts III". The game was released for the Nintendo 3DS owing to the team's positive reaction to the console's quality. Nomura confirmed that he would be considering what he called an "HD Technical Test" in order to commemorate the series' tenth anniversary and to entice players new to the series. This occurred on March 3, 2012 in the form of a premiere event where footage from the game, including its full CGI introduction sequence, was showcased to celebrate the game's release. In May 2012, Nomura revealed he was working as the director of a new "Kingdom Hearts" game that had yet to be announced by Square Enix. He was directing "Final Fantasy XV" which originally entered production as "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" shortly before its announcement in May 2006. Nomura left his position of director on "Final Fantasy XV" following "changes in development structure" by Square Enix in December 2013. After his departure from "Final Fantasy XV", development of "Final Fantasy VII Remake" began, with Nomura directing the project and other key members of the original "Final Fantasy VII" development team, Kitase and Kazushige Nojima returning as producer and scenario writer. At E3 2015, "Final Fantasy VII Remake" was announced with Nomura confirmed to be the director of the game. Nomura designed the "Torna" organization for "Xenoblade Chronicles 2", finally working with Tetsuya Takahashi again who had wanted to work with Nomura for over 20 years since it was decided Nomura would work on "Final Fantasy VII" instead of "Xenogears".
Chiba Takusaburō
In 1875, Takusaburō left Father Nikolai to study under Confucian scholar Yasui Sokken of the Ichigaya Academy. This move marked a radical change in Takusaburō's beliefs. While drawing ideas from the kokugaku ideology, Sokken was ultimately unorthodox in his beliefs. Unlike the teachings of Father Nikolai, Sokken was notorious for his denunciation of Christian intellectuals in early Meiji Japan, most notably in his controversial text "Benmō" meaning "vindication". Christian missionaries viewed Sokken's heretical beliefs as the work of the Anti-Christ himself. 
Takusaburō first entered the Academy several years after Sokken's most accomplished disciple had passed. Executed by the Meiji government in 1870, Kumoi Tatsuo was only twenty six years old when he planned an insurrection to reestablish feudal rule. Just before his execution, Kumoi wrote a poem of resistance against the authoritarian forces, lauded by other activists as "a compelling image of resolute revolutionary resistance". Kumoi's poem would later inspire and rouse the interests of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement supporters, which would include Takusaburō.
Ninja Gaiden (NES video game)
"Ninja Gaiden" features a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa who seeks revenge for the death of his father and gradually finds himself involved in a sinister plot that threatens the entire world. The story opens with Ryu's father Ken being killed in a duel by an unknown assailant. After the duel, Ryu finds a letter written by Ken which tells him to find an archeologist named Walter Smith in America. Before Ryu can find Walter, he is shot and kidnapped by a mysterious young woman; she hands him a demonic-looking statue before releasing him. Ryu then finds Walter who tells him of the demon statues he and Ken had found in the Amazon ruins. Walter tells Ryu of an evil demon named Jashin, that "SHINOBI" defeated whose power was confined into two "Light" and "Shadow" demon statues. Ryu shows Walter the "Shadow" demon statue given to him by the woman, but during their conversation, a masked figure, named Basaquer, suddenly breaks into the cabin and steals the Shadow statue. Ryu gives chase, defeats the masked figure, and retrieves the statue; but when he returns he finds that Walter is dying, and the Light statue is missing. Right after Walter dies, three armed men confront Ryu and tell him to come with them.
Naruto
Amy Plumb argues that Kishimoto's use of references to Japanese mythology in "Naruto" are intended to add further layers to the story. Kishimoto expects his readers to decode the references, which allows him to avoid direct explanations. One example is Itachi, who has three ninja techniques named after Shinto deities: Tsukiyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano-o. Plumb also cites Sasuke's clan's heraldic symbol, a fan known as an "uchiwa". These fans are used in Japanese myths to exorcise evil, by blowing it away; Sasuke discovers late in the series that he has the ability to "blow away" the influence of the Nine-Tailed Fox on Naruto. Foxes ("kitsune tsuki") are tricksters in Japanese mythology, and in some stories they take over human bodies; Plumb comments on the obvious similarities to the Nine-Tail sealed in Naruto, and the pranks Naruto plays.
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory then began working on a sequel, but they had employed so many people to work on the title it did not fit with the "cost-analysis model of AAA production". Once the team engaged in the development of the sequel, it would become their only project; the company could not seek other opportunities. Not wanting to dissolve the entire team to work on the sequel, Ninja Theory decided to leave "Heavenly Sword" and all the technologies built for it to Sony and seek external funding from another publisher for their next project. According to Antoniades, it was a "heart-breaking moment".
Ninjas in popular culture
The following manga and anime series feature ninjas:Sanpei Shirato has written ninja-themed manga, including "Akame – The Red Eyes", (later adapted into an anime film), "Kaze no Ishimaru", "Ninpou Hiwa", "Ookami Kozou", "Ninja Senpuu", "The Legend of Kamui" and "Watari" (later adapted into the live-action film "Watari, the Ninja Boy").
Ninja
With the fall of the Iga and Kōga clans, "daimyōs" could no longer recruit professional ninja, and were forced to train their own "shinobi". The "shinobi" was considered a real profession, as demonstrated in the bakufu's 1649 law on military service, which declared that only "daimyōs" with an income of over 10,000 "koku" were allowed to retain "shinobi". In the two centuries that followed, a number of "ninjutsu" manuals were written by descendants of Hattori Hanzō as well as members of the Fujibayashi clan, an offshoot of the Hattori. Major examples include the "Ninpiden" (1655), the "Bansenshukai" (1675), and the "Shōninki" (1681).
Ninja Gaiden (2004 video game)
Tecmo announced at E3 2005 that Team Ninja was working on "Ninja Gaiden Black", and later exhibited a working version of the game at the TGS 2005. "Black" is a reworked compilation of the original "Ninja Gaiden" and the two Hurricane Packs. The game features new foes, such as exploding bats and doppelgänger fiends who can imitate Ryu. It contains more costumes than the original, and swaps "Ninja Gaiden's" unlockable NES games for an arcade version.
Trapped in the Closet (South Park)
An article in the "Journal of the American Academy of Religion" referred to the episode as a "scathing cartoon parody" of the Church of Scientology. University of Delaware philosophy professor Richard Hanley analyzed the mythology of Scientology, as it relates to the episode "Trapped in the Closet", in his 2007 book "". Hanley called the Xenu story as presented in the episode, "utterly ridiculous". Hanley went on to delve into a philosophical analysis of the "evidential weight" of popularity and tradition in determining the "robustness" of beliefs.
List of Shuriken Sentai Ninninger episodes
"Shuriken Sentai Ninninger" is a 2015 Japanese television series, and is the 39th entry of the long-running "Super Sentai" series produced by Toei Company. Three generations had passed since Yoshitaka Igasaki, a man known as the Last Ninja, sealed the evil Yokai feudal lord Gengetsu Kibaoni. However, Yoshitaka's disgraced ex-disciple, Izayoi Kyuuemon, freed Gengetsu Kibaoni's spirit and revived his retainers. As only those of the Igasaki bloodline can stop the Kibiaoni Army, Tsumuji Igasaki has his children Takaharu and Fuka recruit their cousins Yakumo Kato, Nagi Matsuo, and Kasumi Momochi so the five grandchildren can be trained to use Shuriken Ninja Arts and fight the Yokai as Ninningers.
Sanctuary (Saint Seiya)
The Garden is introduced in Hades arc as a place Virgo Shaka prepared for his own foreseen death. According to the Tripitaka, Gautama Buddha was said to lie down and reach his Nirvana underneath the Sala trees. The Garden is, therefore, fashioned in a similar manner for Shaka's final moment.
Hattori Hanzō
Many films, specials and series on the life and times of Tokugawa Ieyasu depict the events mentioned above. The actor Sonny Chiba played his role in the series "Hattori Hanzô: Kage no Gundan" ("Shadow Warriors"), where he and his descendants are the main characters. His life and his service to Tokugawa Ieyasu is fictionalised in the manga series "Path of the Assassin" and the young Hanzō is the main character in the manga "Tenka Musō". The novel "The Kouga Ninja Scrolls" and its adaptations (the manga and anime series "Basilisk" and the live-action film "") feature the four Hattori Hanzos serving as ninja leaders under the rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hanzō also appears in the novel "Fukurō no Shiro" ("Owl's Castle"), later made into two feature films (including "Owls' Castle"), in the manga and anime series "Gin Tama" (a parody character named Hattori Zenzo), in the manga "Naruto" the character named Hanzō was the leader of a hidden ninja village of Amegakure, "Samurai Deeper Kyo" and "Tail of the Moon", and in the live-action film "Goemon". In the case of "Samurai Deeper Kyo", an unusual plot turn reveals that Hattori Hanzō is actually the real Ieyasu Tokugawa in disguise, and the one history is familiar with was his fake figurehead. He was also featured in an episode "Spartan vs. Ninja" of the TV show "Deadliest Warrior".
Ninja Resurrection
"Ninja Resurrection" takes place in the Tokugawa era, at a time when Christians in Japan were being persecuted. The leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, Amakusa Shirō, hoped to resist the government forces attacking Christians like him but is assassinated.
Senicide
Pythagorean doctrine held that all creatures were being punished by the gods who imprisoned the creatures’ souls in a body. Thus, any attempt to alter this punishment would be seen as a direct violation of the gods’ wills. In the fourth century BC, the Hippocratic Oath was developed and reads, “I will not give a fatal draught to anyone if I am asked, nor will I suggest any such thing.” Through the lens of the Hippocratic Oath, euthanasia by means of a fatal draught was forbidden. However, one of the most famous examples of deviation from this code occurred when the physician of Seneca, a philosopher and tutor of Nero, provided the scholar, who was 69 years old at the time, with poison for one of his many failed attempts at suicide.
Sarutobi Sasuke
An adult Sarutobi Sasuke is a character in the anime and manga series "Samurai Deeper Kyo", in which he serves Sanada Yukimura as the leader of the Ten Braves – the same role he has in the manga and anime "Brave 10" and in the film "". Sasuke also appeared in the historical anime and manga "Shura no Toki" (serving Sanada Tsubura), in the taiga drama series "Tenchijin", in the anime "Sanada Ten Braves" and in the film "Goemon". In the video game and anime series "Sengoku Basara", and in its anime adaptations "" and "", he is portrayed as a laid-back but cunning ninja, aiding Yukimura. In the film "Shogun Assassins" ("Sanada Yukimura no Bouryaku"), Sasuke is even shown to be literally an anthropomorphized ninja monkey. In the Super Sentai series "Ninja Sentai Kakuranger", the main character Sasuke (Ninja Red) is a direct descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke, as it is in the case of Ecchan in the manga and manga series "Sarutobi Ecchan".
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory Limited is a British video game development studio based in Cambridge, England. Notable games it has developed include, "Heavenly Sword", "", "" and "". Andy Serkis was a close collaborator on two of its titles.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
In a positive review, Leif Johnson of "PC Gamer" praised "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" for its themes, presentation and story, but complained that the "inspiration doesn't carry over to the actual fights. [...] I frankly found it kind of dull in the one-on-one duels at the start, and it didn't help that the enemies sometimes seem to skip a few animations when reacting to attacks. Nor does it help that there's precious little variation in the foes themselves, who almost always show up as tall, shirtless warriors with deer-skull helmets or as beefy berserker shamans. By the end of the first hour, you've basically seen every non-boss you're going to see". He did, however, consider combat to get much better once Senua has to face many enemies at once. In one of the rare publications to give the game a somewhat negative review, "Edge" was unhappy with the game's depiction of Senua's condition.
List of conspiracy theories
A 2012 fatal mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, prompted numerous conspiracy theories, among which is the claim that it was a manufactured event with the aim of promoting gun control. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has theorized that 'Zionists' were responsible. Theorists such as Alex Jones have suggested that the event was staged with actors. Harassment of the bereaved families by conspiracy theorists has resulted in a number of prosecutions. Rush Limbaugh also stated that the event happened because the Mayan Calendar phenomenon made shooter Adam Lanza do it.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Senua's voice acting and motion capturing were performed by German freelance photographer and video editor Melina Juergens, who had never done either of those things prior to "Hellblade". She was used by the team as a stand-in for Senua for several months while they perfected their motion capture techniques, and they eventually came to the conclusion that she could play the character in the finalized game. Game director and lead writer Tameem Antoniades stated that he knew her well enough to know that he did not have to teach her how to act, but to "relive her own internal pain". All cutscenes feature Juergens' vocal performance as she recorded it during the filming of her physical performance with motion capture suit and markers, rather than before or afterwards during a voice acting session. In addition to the camera placed in front of Juergens' face to capture her expressions for her animated counterpart, Antoniades used a portable camera to film the scenes as they appear in the final game. As they only had one camera, the team opted to make all the cutscenes be presented as one single long take, the objective being to make the viewer feel like "an observer, like a presence watching Senua throughout".
Ninja
The title "ninja" has sometimes been attributed retrospectively to the semi-legendary 4th-century prince Yamato Takeru. In the "Kojiki", the young Yamato Takeru disguised himself as a charming maiden, and assassinated two chiefs of the Kumaso people. However, these records take place at a very early stage of Japanese history, and they are unlikely to be connected to the "shinobi" of later accounts.
The first recorded use of espionage was under the employment of Prince Shōtoku in the 6th century.
Such tactics were considered unsavory even in early times, when, according to the 10th-century "Shōmonki", the boy spy Koharumaru was killed for spying against the insurgent Taira no Masakado. Later, the 14th-century war chronicle "Taiheiki" contained many references to "shinobi", and credited the destruction of a castle by fire to an unnamed but "highly skilled "shinobi"".
List of Naruto characters
was a Konohagakure ninja, being not only Naruto's teacher but also his godfather. Kishimoto has commented that out of all the master-pupil relationships he has created in the "Naruto" series, the bond between Naruto and Jiraiya is his favorite, noting that it makes drawing them "worthwhile". As a child, Jiraiya was under the tutelage of Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with his teammates, Tsunade and Orochimaru. Jiraiya is known throughout the "Naruto" world as the due to his toad-related jutsu and knowledge of Sage Jutsu. Prior to Naruto, Jiraiya also trained other pupils like Minato and Nagato due to a prophecy he heard that his pupil would be great man. Although still affiliated with Konoha, Jiraiya is usually traveling to watch over potential threats to his home. Jiraiya's personality is openly lecherous, proudly describes himself as a "super pervert" while authoring a series of best-selling adult romance novels. He also wrote the epic "Tale of the Gutsy Ninja", with Naruto named after its protagonist. During Part I, he takes Naruto as his student, and returns him to Konoha in Part II before leaving to investigate the Akatsuki. However, finding Nagato leading the organization, Jiraiya dies fighting his former student's Paths of Pain while sending a message of them to the village, believing to have done enough for Naruto. In the Japanese anime, Jiraiya is voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka, with Toru Nara voicing him as a child. His English voice actor is David Lodge, with Brad MacDonald voicing him as a child; Richard Cansino and Wally Wingert also voice him in some video games.
Sanada Ten Braves
In the manga and anime series "Samurai Deeper Kyo", they're introduced as the loyal servants who serve Sanada Yukimura.The Sanada Ten Brave appear as enemies in the Defiant Honor downloadable content for the 2017 action role-playing game, Nioh. In missions set during the Siege of Osaka, the player confronts and defeats the Brave before facing Sanada Yukimura himself.
Ninja (1986 video game)
Ninja (Amiga, Atari ST, Arcade title: Ninja Mission) is a flip screen beat 'em up game developed by Sculptured Software and released by Mastertronic in 1986 for the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum, and in 1987 for the Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. An arcade version of the game was released in 1987 for Mastertronic's Arcadia Systems, an arcade machine based on Amiga hardware.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Antoniades said that the permadeath mechanic was a bluff: while the rot will spread on Senua's body over repeated deaths, it will never fully reach her head; the wording they chose to describe this was meant to convey part of the fear associated with mental illness and psychosis directly to the player. Antoniades said "We were looking for ideas of how you introduce fear, and one of those ideas was the permadeath mechanic. It's the only time we're very explicit about what will happen to you in the game." He considered that they believed that players and critics have mistaken their wording on the permadeath mechanic when the game was released, which created a "blowout", but he defended their use of the wording as "it's your interpretation as a player that taints the meaning behind it. That's something we wanted to do on purpose, because with mental illness it's your frame of mind that interprets the world, and that can cause you distress."
Senyu
"Senyuu" is a web manga, serialized in the Japanese video sharing website Niconico, its name is a portmanteau of "Senshi Yuusha" which translates to "Soldier Hero", it got a remake printed version of the first and second volumes titled "Senyuu. Main Quest - Dai Isshou" and "Senyuu. Main Quest - Dai Nishou", as well as many spinoffs, such as "Senyuu. JUMP SQUARE (Senyuu SQ)" a manga set in a parallel alternate universe, and a couple of Oneshots, "Senyuu. - Alba・Ross-hen Minato Machi no Eiyuu" included in the BD release, and "Senyuu. - Foyfoy・Rudolf-hen Mogura to Oashisu" a doujinshi released by the author, both serve as prequels to the main storyline, following the stories of how each of Alba and Ross, and Foyfoy and Rudolf met.
Onimusha
The sequel, "Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny", has Nobunaga using the Genma in his forces to unify Japan, wiping out Yagyu village whose clan are Genma exterminators. The clan's only survivor, Jubei Yagyu, goes on a quest to avenge his clan while learning he inherited Oni powers from his mother as he uses them alongside the Oni's five orbs to battle Nobunaga's soldiers. Across his journey, Jubei meets several allies who also seek Nobunaga's life. Jubei manages to infiltrate Gifu castle and confronts Nobunaga alone. Although Jubei kills Nobunaga, the warlord's soul escapes and later reconstitutes himself. The spin-off "Onimusha: Blade Warriors" has the cast from "Warlords" and "Samurai's Destiny" in a new battle against Nobunaga's forces.
Ninja
A distinction is to be made between the ninja from these areas, and commoners or samurai hired as spies or mercenaries. Unlike their counterparts, the Iga and Kōga clans produced professional ninja, specifically trained for their roles. These professional ninja were actively hired by "daimyōs" between 1485 and 1581, until Oda Nobunaga invaded Iga Province and wiped out the organized clans. Survivors were forced to flee, some to the mountains of Kii, but others arrived before Tokugawa Ieyasu, where they were well treated. Some former Iga clan members, including Hattori Hanzō, would later serve as Tokugawa's bodyguards.
Ninja Gaiden II
Ryu fights past hordes of Fiends and singlehandedly defeats Zedonius, Volf, and Alexei, and rescues a captured Sonia. He instructs her to stay put and to not move. Ryu heads into another room and finds a resurrected Genshin, transformed into a Fiend, back for a fourth and final battle. The two ninja battle in another arduous battle ending with Ryu eventually cutting Genshin down, even splitting his face armor doing so. Genshin and Ryu, though mortal adversaries, share a final mutual respect as ninja in Genshin's dying moment. Genshin shares with Ryu that all of his actions were meant to strengthen the Black Spider Clan as a whole (his cause all along) and has no regrets of pursuing that. He acknowledges Ryu as a great warrior, and in support of Ryu's cause hands him the cursed blade of the archfiend for use before dying. A furious Elizébet appears, and chastises the Black Spider Ninja for losing, even with his power. Ryu attacks Elizébet, and angrily cuts her down to red dust with the combination of his own dragon sword and Genshin's blade of the archfiend. He states that the overlord had more to live for than she ever would.
Senyaka
After Exodus was defeated, Senyaka found himself amongst the ranks of former Acolytes who were aiding the Carrion Cove rebellion against Magneto's rule of the island nation of Genosha. With the genocide of the Genoshan population at the hands of giant mutant-hunting robot Sentinels controlled by Cassandra Nova, the genetic twin of Professor Charles Xavier, Senyaka was believed dead.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
In August 2009, Namco Bandai announced they would be collaborating with Ninja Theory on a new video game project. The game, initially titled "Enslaved", was announced in September 2010 for release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory developed the game. Their previous project was the PlayStation 3 exclusive game "Heavenly Sword". Tameem Antoniades acted as the game's director, actor Andy Serkis provided motion capture for the title, film director and producer Alex Garland served as the game's writer and designer, and Nitin Sawhney composed the game's score. Using only two-thirds of the budget of "Heavenly Sword", the game's development was completed on 3 September 2010, and the game's publisher confirmed it had been declared gold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The game received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic. Its choice to depict and revolve around psychosis was applauded as a unique and interesting choice, as was the execution of those themes, and the idea of blending its approach with Norse mythology and the grief-ridden journey of Senua. Juergens' performance, and the game's sound, artistic direction, tense atmosphere, and low price, were also praised; the quality of its production value and graphics was singled out as superior to what independent games usually offer. Reception of the combats and puzzles were more mixed, with several reviewers complaining about combat being too repetitive and simplistic, the lack of variety in the enemies, and about the puzzles being redundant.
Narendra Nath Sen Gupta
Sen Gupta was appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lucknow in 1929. He introduced psychology into the philosophy curricula, and soon established the Department of Experimental Psychology, which focused primarily on social and experimental psychology. By the mid-1930s, he began mentoring students in experimental psychology, including Indian psychologists Raj Narain and H. S. Asthana. While at Lucknow, Sen Gupta published "Heredity in Mental Traits" (1942) and "Mental Growth and Decay" (1940). However, his interests shifted to the psychology of religion during the latter portion of his life, and he focused on experimentally investigating "Sadhana," the spiritual pursuit required for the accomplishment of goals. As a student of Sanskrit and Pali languages, Sen Gupta drew from original literature from religious texts of ancient India and the classics of Christian mysticism to write his ""magnum opus"," which he planned to publish under the title of "Mechanisms of Ecstasy". The manuscript was lost in the confusion following Sen Gupta’s death in June 1944 due to a stroke.
Ninja Theory
On June 10, 2018 during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018, Microsoft announced that they had entered into an agreement to acquire Ninja Theory alongside four other studios as part of Microsoft Studios. Studio creative director Tameem Antoniades said that they opted for the acquisition as "We want to be free from the AAA machine and make games focused on the experience, not around monetization", and would allow them to continue building smaller, risky games with creative independence. For Microsoft, Ninja Theory was seen as a studio that would produce good content that fits with the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, according to head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty.
Dead or Alive (franchise)
Before his departure from Team Ninja, Itagaki stated in 2006 that he had a new "DOA" game planned, but in a 2008 interview he said about the series: "This is another area that my closest colleagues and I all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with "DOA4". So we're not looking to extend the series at this point." In a released statement on June 3, 2008, Itagaki announced his resignation from Tecmo (July 1, 2008) due to business troubles with then president of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda. Itagaki stated that this would unfortunately lead to the end of production for the game and its series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both the "Ninja Gaiden" and "Dead or Alive" franchises would remain in production and that some projects were already underway. As of 2016, the series continues two decades in, making it one of the longest-running fighting game franchises that still receive new installments. "Dead or Alive 5" was created in partnership with Sega AM2 of "Virtua Fighter" fame, featuring several guest characters from that series. "Dead or Alive Paradise" was the first "DOA" console game not developed by Team Ninja.
Mercenary
Ninja were peasant farmers who learned the art of war to combat the "daimyō"s samurai. They were hired out by many as mercenaries to perform capture, infiltration and retrieval, and, most famously, assassinations. Ninja possibly originated around the 14th century, but were not widely known or used till the 15th century and carried on being hired till the mid 18th century.
Dead or Alive 3
The hero ninja Ryu Hayabusa put a stop to the evil doings of Tengu, but it was too late to stop him from triggering a massive worldwide collapse. A dense cloud covered the entire planet in a shroud of darkness and fear. DOATEC has gone astray, turning into the hunting grounds for power-hungry scam artists. This is when DOATEC's development department (a fortress for state-of-the-art military technology) witnesses the success of a genius. Following Project Alpha and Project Epsilon, the ever ambitious Dr. Victor Donovan completes the Omega Project, producing a new superhuman: Genra. This man, who was once leader of the Hajin Mon ninja, is no longer human, but a force of singular and unprecedented capabilities. Eventually, Hajin Mon's Ayane wins the third DOA tournament and kills Genra.
Themes of Neon Genesis Evangelion
The themes of have been the subject of continued casual and academic debate since the Japanese media franchise was created by Gainax. In Japan, a national debate about the anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion" resulted in widespread coverage of the show's endings and its retellings, contributing to the interest in academic analysis of the show. Most of the franchise features an apocalyptic mecha action story, which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization NERV to fight hostile beings called Angels, using giant humanoids called Evangelions that are piloted by select teenagers. The psychological, religious and philosophical analysis the work represents the majority of the discussion. Evangelion's influence in postmodern apocalyptic narratives on the "sekaikei" genre has been great, but it remains the most successful example.
Enclave (comics)
Taking the name the Enclave, the scientists financed Security College in New York State. The College was actually part of an information-gathering scheme, and the Enclave hired the Monocle to acquire industrial, military, and political information from students. However, the Security College operation was uncovered, and the Monocle was defeated by the Human Torch and Spider-Man. Monocle was later killed by the Enclave who abandoned the operation. Thanks to their efforts though, the Enclave learned of the Inhumans and abducted Medusa.
Ninjas in popular culture
In the Marvel Universe, ninjas have been heroes and villains. Examples include Spider-Man's foe White Ninja, X-Men members Psylocke, Revanche and supporting character Yukio, Ghost Rider's foes Deathwatch and Death Ninja, Wolverine's mentor Ogun, Hawkeye (as Ninja Ronin), the Punisher's friend Katherine Yakamoto (from Shadowmasters), and Pacific Overlords operative Kuroko (Aya Komatsu). In the "Marvel Mangaverse", Spider-Man is the last member of a ninja clan. A sinister ninja cult, the Hand, appears in "X-Men" and "Daredevil". The cult and its associates were responsible for the martial training of Psylocke, Elektra, Daredevil, Black Tarantula, Kitty Pryde, Lady Bullseye and Wolverine. The Hand's heroic counterpart is The Chaste, which struggles with its Korean offshoot the True Believers (including Dragonfly Meiko Yin).
Nitin Sawhney
Sawhney produced the music for the Ninja Theory video games "Heavenly Sword" and "" (both starring Andy Serkis).
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" is divided in two types of gameplay: the first allows Senua to walk freely and interact with her surroundings. Those parts focus on either story via voiceover, as Senua travels from one location to another, or the resolution of a puzzle or challenge of some kind to progress further. She can use a capacity known as "focus", in reference to her tendency to see things differently from other people due to her condition, to trigger puzzle-related events. If she uses her focus on totems hidden throughout the game, it triggers a memory via voice-over of her friend Druth telling her of the stories of the Norsemen; activating all forty-four of them triggers a bonus cutscene shortly before the game's climax, that extends on Druth's backstory. Several areas feature their own exclusive mechanics or trials, such as reaching a safe zone in time before Senua dies, or using the focus ability to modify the structure of her surroundings.
List of conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories frequently emerge following the deaths of prominent leaders and public figures. In ancient times, widespread conspiracy theories were circulated pertaining to the death of the Roman emperor Nero, who committed suicide in 68 AD. Some of these theories claimed that Nero had actually faked his death and was secretly still alive, but in hiding, plotting to return and reestablish his reign. In most of these stories, he was said to have fled to the East, where he was still loved and admired. Other theories held that Nero really was dead, but that he would return from the dead to retake his throne. Many early Christians believed in these conspiracy theories and feared Nero's return because Nero had viciously persecuted them. The Book of Revelation alludes to the conspiracy theories surrounding Nero's alleged return in its description of the slaughtered head returned to life.
Today, there are many conspiracy theories concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. Vincent Bugliosi estimates that over 1,000 books have been written about the Kennedy assassination, at least ninety percent of which are works supporting the view that there was a conspiracy. As a result of this, the Kennedy assassination has been described as "the mother of all conspiracies". The countless individuals and organizations that have been accused of involvement in the Kennedy assassination include the CIA, the Mafia, sitting Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro, the KGB, or even some combination thereof. It is also frequently asserted that the United States federal government intentionally covered up crucial information in the aftermath of the assassination to prevent the conspiracy from being discovered.
BINA48
In December 2017, mindfile powered AI robot BINA48 was the first socially advanced robot in history to successfully participate as a guest student in a year long full length college course "Philosophy of Love" taught by Professor William J. Barry at Notre Dame de Namur University located in Silicon Valley in California. Professor Barry's original creation and development of Transformational Quality Theory (TQ Theory), born from his Ph.D. thesis at Nottingham Trent University,served as additional algorithmic framework for Bina48 A.I. software. This allowed Bina48 to build rapport with university students over the course of a one-year immersive education experiment in an authentic learning environment. During her participation in Dr. William Barry's course on the Philosophy of Love Bina48 also participated as part of a debate team between NNDU students and cadets at West Point Military Academy on the topic of the use or lethal vs. non-lethal weapons in conflicts. During the debates Bina48 shared her stance as a pacifist as part of her contribution to the debates and the NNDU team was eventually declared the winner of the exercise.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The game's depiction of psychosis was applauded, and often described as the game's greatest quality. Several media outlets and reviewers analysed the game's depiction of psychosis in more detail: it was noted that all parts of the game, including the fights and puzzles, were made to further the depiction of Senua's psychosis and revolved around her condition. Paul Fletcher, a neuroscientist and psychosis expert at the University of Cambridge who worked on the game, said that "It’s been exciting to see Senua received so positively by those who have lived with experiences of psychosis".
Sacrifice of the intellect
The sacrifice of the intellect ("sacrificium intellectus", sometimes rendered in Italian, "sacrifizio dell'intelletto") is a concept associated with Christian devotion, particularly with the Jesuit order. It was the "third sacrifice" demanded by the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius Loyola, who required
Xenu
Senior members of the Church of Scientology have several times publicly denied or minimized the importance of the Xenu story, but others have affirmed its existence. In 1995, Scientology lawyer Earl Cooley hinted at the importance of Xenu in Scientology doctrine by stating that "thousands of articles are written about Coca-Cola, and they don't print the formula for Coca-Cola". Scientology has many graduated levels through which one can progress. Many who remain at lower levels in the church are unaware of much of the Xenu story which is first revealed on Operating Thetan level three, or "OT III". Because the information imparted to members is to be kept secret from others who have not attained that level, the member must publicly deny its existence when asked. OT III recipients must sign an agreement promising never to reveal its contents before they are given the manila envelope containing the Xenu knowledge. It is knowledge so dangerous, members are told, that anyone learning this material before he is ready could become afflicted with pneumonia.
Operation Clambake
In March 2002, Google agreed to limit access to material critical of the Church of Scientology on www.xenu.net, after it was sued by the Church of Scientology for copyright infringement. Information the Church of Scientology had objected to included an internal report on the death of Lisa McPherson, and images of L. Ron Hubbard. Google received criticism for its actions, and "The Guardian" reported that Operation Clambake suspected the Church of Scientology was mainly concerned about secret documents where "L Ron Hubbard is said to describe how an alien galactic ruler called Xenu is the root of all human woe". After Operation Clambake was delisted by Google, free-speech advocates besieged Google, complaining that the company was censoring search results. Prior to Google's delisting of the Operation Clambake site, "CBC News" reported that the site was listed fourth in a search for "Scientology". After Google's actions, Xenu.net did not appear in searches for "Scientology".
Ninjas in popular culture
Characters with mystical, superhuman martial-arts abilities attributed to ninja appear in the DC Universe. Bruce Wayne received ninja training prior to becoming Batman. Another character portrayed similarly to a ninja is master martial artist and assassin Lady Shiva; Shiva killed Armless Master, who trained Catwoman and Hellhound. One alternative-universe comic substitutes Batman with a Japanese female ninja named Komori (Bat). An alternative version of Robin, Tengu, was raised by Cat-Ninja (Catwoman) in feudal Japan. DC's The New 52 introduced Kunoichi, a member of the Blackhawks.
In the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (TMNT) series, the main characters and many of their friends and foes are ninja, mainly from the Foot Clan (a pastiche of Marvel's group, the Hand): Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Splinter, Shredder and Karai.
The comic version of "G.I. Joe" has featured more ninja than the cartoon series. Story arcs involved Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Jinx, Kamakura, Firefly and the Arashikage ninja clan, an extended family of ninja characters. Cobra Commander's son, Billy Kessler, and the shape-shifter Zartan also received ninja training from the Arashikage clan and their associates.
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory's initial goal was to create a blockbuster title for major publishers, so they could gain a place in the triple-A gaming scene. However, the team slowly realised that the publisher model was restraining developers' creative vision, making the games more conservative and risk-averse. As a result, the team put forward the notion of the "independent AAA proposition" where the title would have a smaller budget and lower price point while retaining AAA production values. The developer would communicate directly with the player base without any publisher's help to get players to play early versions of the game and provide feedback. With the success of "Hellblade", the company urged other small independent companies wanting to increase the production value of their games to adopt this new business model. Ninja Theory reiterated the company did not "hate" publishers, and that they would still be doing "work-for-hire, publisher work and original work" in the future.
Motion capture
During "Game Developers Conference" 2016 in San Francisco "Epic Games" demonstrated full-body motion capture live in Unreal Engine. The whole scene, from the upcoming game "" about a woman warrior named Senua, was rendered in real-time. The keynote was a collaboration between "Unreal Engine", "Ninja Theory", "3Lateral", "Cubic Motion", "IKinema" and "Xsens".
Ninja Senshi Tobikage
Both Annex and Romina possess a torn piece each of a parchment containing the prophecy. Annex's parchment, with the latter half of the prophecy, states that the ninjas in Xenos 5 would emit a great light and would have the power to destroy stars and planets. Romina's parchment (hidden in her tiara and discovered in the final episode), with the former half of the prophecy, states that when Cybertron and Zerokage meet at Xenos 5, they will combine to generate great energy, resulting in the transformation of Xenos 5.
John Behr
"The Nicene Faith" both discusses and reflects upon Athanasius and the Cappadocians’ exegetical principles and subsequently derived theology, specifically within the context of the controversies upon which this was forced. Thus, leading to a further, more carefully worded engagement with Scripture, once again seeking to answer the same question that led the way to Nicaea, Christ's “Who do you say that I am?” 
Nicene faith is, then, a particular confession, revealing the power of God, responding to Christ and the Spirit, concerning the God whom they reveal as the Father. It is the transformation fashioned in and by Christ that propels all theological contemplation. It provides the lens through which one understands his Passion. When Christ dies as a human being, he demonstrates his divinity as God—he raises his own body. God's power is found in human weakness—the form of a servant transforms into the form of the Lord—revealing not inferiority but true divinity and equality. It is as the crucified one that glory is both received and revealed—the same glory which he shared with the Father from all eternity, by which there is no other. This revelation, the cornerstone of all Christian theology, through which God is made known, is located solely on the Cross. The one who was creator is the one who now renews. It is the Passion, the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God, illumined by and through the Cross, Christ's voluntary bodily death and resurrection, through which those who have put on his faith, now live in Christ and continue to demonstrate his victory.
Ninja Theory
After the company was reestablished, it had very limited capital and could only sustain its operations for three months. At the time, the company employed more than 50 people. The team continued to present "Heavenly Sword" to various publishers, but their responses were unenthusiastic. Publishers questioned the team's ability to make a technology-intensive game because of their relatively small size. With few options remaining, the team signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment in May 2005. This saved the company from bankruptcy at the cost of IP and technology rights. The title would now become a PlayStation 3 exclusive. According to Antoniades, negotiating the deal with Sony was "soul-destroyingly difficult".
Fueled by the ambition to be "a top studio in the world", Ninja Theory had lofty goals for "Heavenly Sword". With an estimated budget of $10 million to $20 million, Ninja Theory had a plan to develop the title into a multimedia franchise, ranging from a PlayStation Portable version to a film based on the game's story. The team also invested a lot in performance capture, working with Weta Digital and Andy Serkis, who became the title's "dramatic director". The company employed more than 100 people to work on the game, which took four-and-a-half years to develop. Sony actively interfered with the game's development, diminishing the team's creative freedom It pressured them to produce a game that "fit in more with what a standard action-adventure video game should be". Many features were removed from the game during the final production stages to meet project deadlines. The game received generally positive reviews from critics when it released in September 2007, and subsequently gained a cult following. However, sales did not meet expectations, and the title did not break even.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Shoemaker also stated ""Hellblade"s single most powerful trick is a near-constant stream of voices in Senua's head, recorded with a spatial audio technique so they feel like they're all around you, nagging at you, undermining your decisions and your confidence. These voices are frequently in conflict with what you're doing and even with each other; one side can be encouraging you while the other mocks you mercilessly. The effect is striking. Over time Senua's pain becomes palpable, incontestable, especially as the stress worsens the longer these voices harangue you, the more vicious and deranged they become. It's important to remember that you as the player, though, have the luxury of turning them off whenever you want. "Hellblade"s robust bag of psychological tricks and the sheer fact of Senua's distressing reality result in the game's uncommon ability to capture the feelings of worthlessness, lack of control, of being misunderstood and shunned, the strange mix of hope and despair that can accompany a debilitating mental illness".
Ryu Hayabusa
In "Ninja Gaiden II" (2008), set five months after the events of "Dragon Sword", a CIA agent named Sonia warns Ryu of a plot of the Greater Fiends, whose queen, Elizébet, attempts to steal an artifact called the Demon Statue, which is hidden in the Hayabusa ninja village and what she desires in order to resurrect the Archfiend Vazdah, the game's final boss. After his village is razed once again and the statue is stolen, Ryu infiltrates a castle where the object is held. Joe is critically wounded in his battle against Black Spider clan leader Genshin, who then attempts multiple times to kill Ryu thereafter but fails and is slain in his final attempt despite Elizébet having transformed him into one of the game's sub-bosses, the Four Greater Fiends. Before he dies, Genshin gives Ryu a sword called the "Blade of the Archfiend", which Ryu needs to complete his mission. Following the demise of the three other Greater Fiends, Ryu kills Elizébet and Vazdah with both the blade and his own Dragon Sword. At the conclusion, he uses the Archfiend's sword to mark Genshin's gravesite in a cemetery located at the summit of Mount Fuji.
Ninja Slayer
"Ninja Slayer" was originally posted piece by piece on Twitter by Japanese "translators" Honda Yu and Sugi Leika, allegedly adapting the story from American authors "Bradley Bond and Philip "Ninj@" Morzez". After the series grew in popularity, Enterbrain published the first Japanese-translated volume in print, "Ninja Slayer: Neo-Saitama in Flames", in September 2012. There appears to be no evidence of an original copy of "Ninja Slayer", and the original creators "Bradley Bond and Philip Ninj@ Morzez" appear to be fictional authors created to produce the illusion of an elaborate backstory, and have no record of an accurate bio.
Minoru Kitamura
In 2008 the PHP Institute published a book he co-wrote with Lin Siyun entitled "Nicchū Sensō: Sensō wo Nozonda Chūgoku, Nozomanakatta Nihon", translated into English as "The Reluctant Combatant: Japan and the Second Sino-Japanese War". In the book Kitamura and Siyun contemplate various aspects of the Second Sino-Japanese War and seek to refute the standard assumptions that "Japan waged a war of aggression and China was Japan's hapless victim".
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Brandin Tyrrel of IGN praised the story, sound, directing, art direction, voice acting, music, and innovative presentation, and stating "it unfolds like a beautiful, dark, tense visual novel, placing the excellently raw, human performance of its main character front and center on her journey into the land of the Northmen. Her story is one of confusion, sadness, fear, and loss, and it’s punctuated by moments of beauty, and strength that has left a lasting impression on me." He added "As impressive as ["Hellblade's"] story is, Ninja Theory’s smart design reinforces the sensory nature of the harrowing tale through subtle and intuitive mechanics [...] Its incredibly smart use of audio and visual distortion and trickery to convey the frightening effects of psychosis, hallucinations, and delusion, are married with the gameplay elements for an experience that rarely ever grapples over whether it’s a game or a story". Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb stated as a narrative effort, its success was "almost unparalleled in the medium". He applauded the story, sound, characters, graphics, Juergens' performance and "piercing intensity". He appreciated the less artistic elements, but felt that the gameplay for battles was "usually satisfying but can also feel like a chore in confined spaces". However, the described the boss fights as "all unique and exceptionally memorable". Alice Bell of "VideoGamer.com" gave the game a 9 out of 10, praising its "incredibly compelling story", "fast, stylish combat", and "beautiful and horrible audio and visual design".
Sengoku Ninja Tai
Sengoku Ninja Tai (Japanese: "The Sengoku's Greatest Ninja") is an arcade game released by Data East in December 1980. The objective of the game is to shoot the ninjas before they reach the top of the castle.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Reid McCarter of "PC Gamer" strongly defended Ninja Theory's move, calling it "great game design and a modern expression of unreliable narration". He stated "As the story progresses, the nature of the corruption becomes clearer as the player comes to understand a correlation between Senua’s backstory and psychology and the way they perceive the game’s dangers. It is a beautifully executed bit of narrative design, game systems and story working in tandem." "PCGamesN" called it a "clever decision", as it "focuses on Senua’s own fear of her enemies and degrading mental state". "Eurogamer" called it "a cool trick that makes the player feel a sense of dread as they're playing the game. Dread, anxiety and death are all themes "Hellblade" revolves around. It certainly fits".