Sony kicked off the July edition of State of Play with a bang. At first glance a view might be forgiven for mistaking the opening trailer for a Lord of the Rings video game. The opening visual resembles the Eye of Sauron.
Moss Book II on PlayStation VR
In all actuality, the trailer is for Moss Book II for the PlayStation VR. The visuals from the teaser look solid, and it looks like a cute game with a mouse serving as the protagonist for its fantasy setting.
Arcadegeddon
The second title revealed was Arcadegeddon. Arcadegeddon’s trailer boasts some nice visuals accompanied by electronic music with some serious bounce. Aesthetically, the game looks like the lovechild of Splatoon and Overwatch conceived with a futuristic backdrop inspired by the 1990s. It’s a co-op multiplayer shooter with a third-person perspective that is currently out on early access right now.
Tribes of Midgard
Next up on the docket is a 10 player RPG called Tribes of Midgard. During the trailer one of the developers revealed they planned on releasing the game in seasons. The goal of the game is to prevent Ragnarök.
Tribes of Midgard boasts a setting based off of Norse mythology and has up to eight classes to play as in the game. With the seasonal releases the developer will be doing, the game will be one to keep an eye out for upon its release on both the PS4 and PS5 come July 27th.
FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch
FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch is an impressive looking action platformer. The gameplay is in a two-dimensional perspective complemented by a fantasy/sci-fi setting with anthropomorphic characters. It is set to drop on both the PS4 and PS5 by September 7th.
Hunter’s Arena: Legends
We got a peek at Hunter’s Arena: Legends. This game is currently out on steam and will be ported over to both the PS4 and PS5 consoles. It’ll be made available on Playstation Plus starting August 3rd.
Sifu
The next game teased was called Sifu. We see a martial artist fighting in a bar. As he fights, the trailer displays the age of the protagonist at 40 and increases it by several years. This increase in age happens several times throughout the trailer. The protagonist seems to slow down, so the age progression is likely to be a major feature of the game. It’s unclear from the trailer if the player character advances in age as a consequence of being killed.
What we do know for certain about Sifu is that the title will unfortunately be delayed. Instead of coming out in 2021, it’s been bumped back to early 2022.
Jett: The Far Shore
The next title’s visuals had us drooling. Jett: The Far Shore boasts a sci-fi setting with a gritty yet colorful aesthetic. Gameplay on it seems to be a mystery at present, but we do know it is coming out later this year for the PS4 and PS5.
Fans of the Anime Demon Slayer
Fans of the anime Demon Slayer are in for a treat this coming October 15th. Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles is being developed by Sega for the PS4 and PS5. From what they’ve teased, players will have the opportunity to control different characters from the show throughout the game in a third-person action perspective.
Sega isn’t settling for just Demon Slayer. They’re also doing Lost Judgment, which is a spin off of the Yakuza franchise. The game has a rhythm section, a boxing section, parkour and racing. Needless to say, Lost Judgment is shaping up to be quite the ambitious release. It is set to be available on September 24th.
The next title has been deeply anticipated by many: Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. It’s the director’s cut that has been released with enhancements and new story additions. It definitely looks superior to the previous PS4 offering. It’ll be available September 24th, same day as Sega’s Lost Judgment.
The finale for State of Play was Deathloop. It’s a next-gen first-person shooter with several nifty mechanics. If the protagonist dies, the player can rewind time. The game is based on trial and error, where each death will help the player learn the layout and enemy positioning.
Other components of the player’s arsenal includes telekinesis, teleportation and the aforementioned rewind system. The title is set to be an exclusive to the PS5 that’ll be released by September 14th.
Sony has brought fans an exciting set of offerings to look forward to throughout the remainder of 2021.