There’s.... A lot going on in Hellblade. From surface-level screwing with the player all the way to fantastic symbolism, researched representation of mental illness, and a story & character that many who play will be able to relate to, through and through it’s a creative and beautifully done experiment of a game that says what it wants to extremely well thanks to its mechanics, tricks, and overall design.
It’s a game that proves experimentation with how a piece of software interacts with its player can yield amazing results while still proving a point or making a statement.
It may not be perfect, but because of how much effort was put into these varied bits off dickery, I’d have to call it a work of art.