Xbox's latest exclusive looks photorealistic, and fans are stunned

Xbox looks set to have a very nice year indeed when it comes to first-party releases.

Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion is set to land later this year, although we’re still waiting for a full reveal from Bethesda.

Avowed is also on the way, as is the highly anticipated Indiana Jones And The Great Circle.

There’s one title in particular though that’s got people talking - and that’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

Set to launch on 21 May on Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC, Hellblade II has been in the works for around seven years.

It was back in 2017 that Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice landed and yes, it did launch on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

Just one year later though, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Ninja Theory so don’t expect Hellblade II to appear on either of the aforementioned platforms.

That’s not why Hellblade II is the talk of the town though. Fans are in awe of the game’s photorealism.

Take a look at Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II in action below.

Photorealism can be a divisive subject. Whilst it shouldn’t be the only aesthetic goal of the games industry, it certainly has its place and deserves to be celebrated when pulled off.

Ninja Theory is here to show just how it should be done. Fair to say, Hellblade II’s trailer had already teased that we’re in for a visual treat but a series of images dropped by the studio has left many somewhat speechless.

“Photo mode returns in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Here are some shots we took purely using photo mode in-game this week,” Ninja Theory tweeted.

“Might be the best graphics ever when it drops,” read one comment.

“Mind blowing,” another added, while someone wrote, “Hell yeah. These look unreal. May can’t come soon enough.”

You can say that again.

As for what the game’s story has in store, Senua returns to us in “a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland.”

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II launches on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass on 21 May.