Well, colour me green and call me an Xbox, because this was surprising. Xbox and Ninja Theory have announced Senua, the third game in the franchise and the third game that uses a completely different naming system. But the most interesting thing is it’s going to be more gameplay focused, apparently.

Launching on Xbox, PlayStation and PC next year, Senua’s debut trailer features what we expect: dark, grimy, earthy and lots of whispering voices in Senua’s ear. But we also see much more expanded combat that fits in with Ninja Theory’s heritage as an action studio.

“Really, what that means is taking the heart and soul of what Hellblade has meant – in terms of intimate storytelling, high production values and being a journey that’s full of intent – but being additive to that in a way that gives players more agency and a lot more gameplay,” said Dom Matthews, Studio Head at Ninja Theory, talking to Xbox Wire.

“This is an out-and-out action-adventure game. It’s a bold new step for Senua, as a character, into the action-adventure space.”

The article is a lot longer and provides heaps of details about the new game, but for now what you really need to know is that this might be a very exciting game in a series that has thus far been artistically interesting, but has struggled to connect with core gamers.

Now, could we stop naming each game in this series something different, please?