Danial Norjidi
PlayStation recently aired its first State of Play presentation of the year with a livestream on February 23, providing a look at some anticipated releases.
The presentation began with a first glimpse at five games that will be arriving on PlayStation’s new virtual reality (VR) platform PS VR2 later this year.
First up was upcoming 2023 PS VR2 title The Foglands, an atmospheric roguelike adventure game where, according to the PlayStation Store, “A great creature reawakens in the fog.
With the survival of your community in peril, you must strike a deal with a mysterious stranger in this sci-fi-western-horror story.”
The game sees players “discover new paths, and uncover old secrets. Run into the unknown, fight monsters, scavenge loot and try to make it back before you are swallowed by the fog”.
Also set for release in on PS VR2 this year is Green Hell VR, a new virtual reality version of a game first released in 2021 and described as “a sweltering struggle for survival in the Amazonian rainforest. Clinging to life, the player is set on a journey of durability as the effects of solitude wear heavy not only on the body but also the mind”.
Next up was VR first-person shooter Synapse. This new title from the award-winning team behind Fracked, Phantom: Covert Ops and Far Cry VR: Dive into Insanity sees the player “dual-wield brutal firepower and surging telekinesis” as they “become a mind-breaking operative and invade the twisted subconscious of a notorious enemy of state”.
Another upcoming VR title is Journey to Foundation, which is set for an autumn 2023 release. Based on the Foundation sci-fi book series by Isaac Asimov, the game is an “immersive roleplaying adventure” where the player decides “who will rise and what is lost to the first of anarchy”.
In Journey to Foundation, the player assumes the role of an agent with a shadowy organisation that maintains order in the Galactic Empire.
As the PlayStation Store explained, “What begins as a mission to investigate deserters in the Periphery quickly becomes a battle for control of all humanity. With your superior officer in your ear, and the esteemed governor’s daughter at your side, you must journey to Foundation.”
The fifth VR title to be showcased was Before Your Eyes, which arrives on PS VR2 on March 10. This title sees the player “embark on an emotional award-winning adventure where you control the story – and affect its outcomes – with your real-life blinks”. The game is described as a “unique VR experience”, in which players fully immerses themselves “in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes”.
Moving on from VR, the State of Play continued with a look at Lightfall, a new expansion for Bungie’s first-person shooter Destiny 2, which releases tomorrow. The expansion adds a new campaign as well as a new sub-class and a new destination in the form of Neptune to discover “a neon metropolis” unlike any previously explored in Destiny 2. “Meet the Cloud Striders, join the fight against the Shadow Legion, and prevent devastation in the technologically advanced secret city of Neomuna.”
A new trailer ensued for Tchia, a tropical open-world adventure game inspired by New Caledonia. Launching into the PlayStation Plus game catalogue on March 21, Tchia sees the player takes on the role of the title character, climbing, gliding, swimming and sailing their boat around an archipelago in a physics-driven sandbox. The player can also make use of Tchia’s Soul Jumping ability to take control of any animal or object they find, as well as make use of a fully playable ukelele.
The monthly PlayStation Plus games for the month of March were then shown, namely PS5/PS4 first-person shooter Battlefield 2042 and two games for PS4 – dungeon crawler title Minecraft Dungeons and role-playing game Code Vein.
Humanity, the latest game from Enhance, the creators of Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite, was next up. Described as a “unique blend of puzzle-solving and action-platforming”, Humanity is set for release in May, while the immediate availability of a limited-time demo of the game was also announced.
Cinematic narrative adventure Goodbye Volcano High has a June 15 release, while Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, a collection that brings together “key moments from the Ultimate Ninja Storm series of games”, will also be launching this year.
In addition, role-playing game Baldur’s Gate III launches on August 31, while online multiplayer adventure Wayfinder was also shown, along with the announcement of an exclusive beta starting tomorrow.
Two highly anticipated Capcom titles took the spotlight, beginning with Street Fighter 6, the latest entry in the long-running fighting game series, which has a June 2 release date. The showcase featured three new character reveals for the game, namely Zangief, Lily and Cammy.
A new trailer for Resident Evil 4 followed, revealing some new gameplay as well as the announcement of the ‘Mercenaries’ mode for the game. Set for a March 24 release, this third-person survival horror title is a remake of the 2005 classic that sees the return of protagonist Leon Kennedy, and is described by Capcom as preserving “the essence of the original game, while introducing modernised gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics to make this the latest survival horror game where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect”.
The presentation closed out with an extended look at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League from Rocksteady Studios. Releasing on May 26, this action adventure game sees DC Comics super-criminals Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark and Captain Boomerang team up against super heroes of the Justice League, who have been brainwashed by the alien invader, Brainiac.
The game features up to four-player online co-op, and will be supported post-launch with new playable characters, weapons and missions, in addition to a battle pass that contains cosmetic items.
