How to Remove Black Bars in Hellblade 2
If you are bothered by black bars and other cinematic effects in Hellblade 2, there is a way to disable them. Here you will learn how.
We have reached technological advancement that conceals the boundaries between games and movies. We have already seen titles that aim towards more cinematic experience, yet the one that immediately comes to my mind is without a doubt Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. After 7 long years, Ninja Theory created a sequel entitled Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II that takes photorealism to another level. The production is focused on delivering film-like feeling so much that it completely gets rid of HUD, applies many filters to make it even closer to a movie, and adds black bars on top and bottom of the screen. The last one is especially annoying for many players who despise it so much, that they would like to get rid of it no matter what. Fortunately, it’s not very hard to do.
How to disable black bars in Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2
Developers from Ninja Theory liked the idea of cinematic experience so much that they even went for movie-like aspect ratio in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Yes, this is the intended way of playing the game. However, many players do not accept this artistic vision and would like to get rid of them. There is a rather easy way of doing that, so let’s dive deeper.
Before making any changes to game files it is recommended to make a backup copy beforehand. This will prevent any possible issues that may occur due to tinkering with them. We do not take any responsibility for them to work, nor for any damage that may happen due to changes. You are doing it at your own risk!
Disabling the bars requires going to the following directory:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Hellblade2\Saved\Config\Windows
AppData folder is hidden by default. The easiest way to get there is by clicking Windows + R buttons on your keyboard, typing %localappdata% in the Run window and pressing Enter. In this directory, you will find the Engine.ini file, which you can open by using Notepad application. There, paste the following lines at the bottom of the document:
[SystemSettings]
r.NT.EnableConstrainAspectRatio=0
With that done, save and close the file. Doing so will disable the black bars. However, it comes at a cost, as fans report that it hinders the title’s performance noticeably. Moreover, Hellblade 2 is not designed to be played in 16:9 aspect ratio, leaving the view slightly distorted. Additionally, there is no FOV slider in game which would alleviate this issue.
Disabling movie filters in Hellblade 2
If removing the black bars is not enough and you are bothered by a lot of cinematic filters added to the production, cunning players have found a way for that too. In the previously mentioned file, after pasting the lines that disable the black bars, add the following ones (they should be self-explanatory):
r.NT.Lens.Distortion.Intensity=0
r.NT.Lens.Distortion.Stretch=0
r.NT.Lens.ChromaticAberration.Intensity=0
r.NT.DOF.RotationalBokeh=0
r.NT.DOF.NTBokehTransform=0
r.FilmGrain=0
r.NT.AllowAspectRatioHorizontalExtension=0
Hopefully that will allow you to enjoy this warmly received journey of Senua who has to struggle not only with the world but, probably more than anything else, herself. If you are unhappy with spending $50 on this title, it’s worth noting that it is available in GamePass.
