It’s important to mention that, Frogwares is no stranger to the character of Sherlock Holmes. Since the early part of the year 2000, they’ve been producing sleuthing adventures involving the famous, fictional detective. They’ve thrown their hat back into the ring once more. PlayStation 5 gamers will need their wits about them if they are to solve the mystery surrounding this new installment.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Story

The Mediterranean backdrop of Cordona offers splendid sights for the budding detective. With a sunny backdrop and a beautiful mansion, one would think the excursion would prove pleasurable. This thought is only a fantasy. It is not an enticing vacation that attracts Holmes to the island. The mystery surrounding his own mother’s untimely demise drags him onto the adventure. The intrepid player will need to master Sherlock’s skills in perception when navigating the multiple twists and turns surrounding the case. This experience includes being wary of the many false leads that crop up during the course of the story.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Gameplay

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One gives the player many options in this open world adventure. For instance, the combat can be disabled in the game options. This is a nice inclusion for players who prefer the more investigative approach without allowing the action elements to interfere. Accompanying the detective is John. Not John Watson, but an imaginary John. He provides color commentary along with the occasional observation. Not that Sherlock is in much need of help when it comes to the deductions he’ll make on his own accord. Nonetheless, the addition is a welcome one. Most of the investigations occurring within the game are not exactly guided, so be prepared to take time thinking the solutions through when gathering clues and pursuing leads. One valuable hint we can impart is that Sherlock can don disguises. Use this feature to trick people into divulging crucial details.

Combat

Now if the player doesn’t mind getting into a fire fight, then leave the combat option on in the menu. During the open world exploration Sherlock will encounter the occasional fight with armed ruffians. The game gives the option to arrest or kill the enemy. Aside from provoking the occasional complaint from John, fatally dispatching the enemies has no bearing on the exploration. The only notable thing a player would be missing out on is cash rewards that would be yielded with a successful arrest. A reputational system would’ve been a nice addition. Still, we see why they eschewed it; the combat can be toggled off through the menu. Regardless, the addition of the action does make for a nice change of pace. Where Sherlock Holmes Chapter One excels is through the presentation. Character models and shadows look solid. The game offers a great deal of interactivity with the clues and articles that the player can examine. These elements come together to give the game an organic life of its own.

Verdict

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One provides an entertaining experience with its attention to detail and emphasis on exploration. This game requires some contemplation during the investigation. Given the player is donning the role of Scotland Yard’s most famous detective, we imagine few people would want it any other way.

The new God of War Ragnarök gameplay was exciting in the PlayStation showcase but left everyone pondering still when the game would be making its release to the world. First, it is important to note that Atreus is much older and it seems to be more capable of enhanced battle capabilities. He was seen riding a bow-charged giant deer into battle. Next, the Norse world is definitely more alive than the first installment of the Norse God of War. With only the dwarves who create Thor’s hammer as the only other people not in hiding. You can see people walking around as Kratos and Atreus are boating around this new world. There were some exciting enemies like toad monsters, modified ogres, what appears to be android/statue-like enemies, and a Centaurus. Wait, were not Centaurs but Centaurus in Norse Mythology. I checked and it looks like there are. The world seems to be brighter and possibly made up of the worlds that were not accessible in the first Norse God of War. It didn’t seem like there was anything similar in this new world version except maybe Kratos home which appears to be placed differently from the first game.

Character Developments for the God of War Ragnarök

Freya makes an early appearance in the gameplay and appears to lock in unrelenting anger and vengeance for the death of her son Baldur against Kratos. Since she looks like she has the ability to fight as she might, it must mean Odin has released her from her bonds to Midgard when she pledges to kill Kratos. Tyr, the Norse God of War makes an appearance as he is freed by Kratos and Atreus. Looking like he is ready to fight the rest of the Asgard. Thor, God of Thunder makes the same appearance as he did at the end of the first Norse God of War game with no new developments. One of the last Giants makes an appearance at the end of the gameplay. Looks like Atreus is not as alone as we thought at the end of the first Norse God of War.

Surprising Info from Santa Monica on God of War Ragnarök

According to Santa Monica, Ragnarök happens in this game and ends the Norse installment of God of War. So everything goes down in this next release of God of War and that would include Odin battles, Thor, and more. Wait, does that mean 2023 like Spiderman 2? Again, there was no new news on the release date of God of War Ragnarök.

This is more me than the review but like many, I loved Hades on Nintendo Switch. I mean countless hours spent on working my way through the underworld and tasting that sweet fresh air like Orpheus did. With that said, I love it way more now that it is on PS5. The controls feel better, and the graphics are amazing and will jump on Hades whenever I need some me time. Even though it has been out since last year, it is defiantly the best PS5 game of August. PlayStation 5 users that have been clamoring for a roguelike are in luck. Hades, which had been previously released on the PC and Switch, has now been ported over to Sony’s newest console. The core game and experience remain intact from the previous iterations. Think of a hack-and-slash role-playing game blended with an isometric perspective. Let’s dive into this Underworld adventure.

The Story of Hades

The player takes on the mantle of Zagreus. He’s the son of Hades, the titular villain. Zagreus wants out of the Underworld to reunite with his mother Persephone on the surface. Of course, his father isn’t particularly keen on his son barging out of his dreary domain. Denizens of the underworld unite to hinder Zagreus’ escape plan. They’re tough, vast in numbers and prepared to make Zagreus dead. Perhaps deader, given his residency and lineage? Zagreus’ journey will lead him into a showdown his father. Win, and he will learn the truth behind his mother’s exodus. Without spoiling anything, we will advise his adventure is ultimately cyclical regarding the end goal. The finale makes for a bitter irony that fits in well as an addition to the Greek mythos and its tragic mode of storytelling.

Graphics and Visuals

The action takes place with a top-down view reminiscent of Diablo. Graphically, the venues vary from gloomy catacombs to lakes of fire and brimstone. One particularly nice attention to detail is some of the rock slabs have bones clenching the side of them like a gnarled hand. The visuals are explosive, literally in some instances, and make this game a real treat for the eyes.

Hades Gameplay

For Zagreus to succeed, he’s going to need weapons and powerups. Fortunately, he has quite a few varieties that can make for some interesting runs. These infernal arms are the Stygian Blade, Eternal Spear, Shield of Chaos, Heart-Seeking Bow, Twin Fists of Malphon and the Adamant Rail. Titan blood is used to unlock upgrades to these weapons. Some are melee intensive while others revolve around projectile spam. Outside of these weapon sets, Zagreus is equipped with a dash. Incorporating dashes into the player strategy is a must to survive in the unforgiving land of the dead. Alongside these weapons are items, boons from the gods, keys (these unlock weapons and skills) In the likely event Zagreus gets killed during the game he will respawn in front of his father. Upon his respawn, he will lose all upgrades and boons, meaning death can prove itself to be a severe setback to a run. Proceed with an air of caution. There are several levels to traverse with bosses escalating in difficulty throughout each one.

Review of Hades on PS5

Delightful visuals, strong music and voice acting, blended with colorful visuals makes this title a must have for PS5 owners. If you’re new to roguelikes this game is not a bad way to cut your teeth in on them. It’s got the difficulty and an awesome story to boot. With a plethora of builds to choose from, repeated runs do not get old. All the love and care from developer Supergiant comes together to produce a classic in the making.

Bring on the hordes, Valhalla is under siege! Norsfell, the developers of Tribes of Midgard have adopted an interesting formula with their latest title for the PC, PS4 and PS5. Take Viking mythology, a crafting system, cooperative gameplay with an emphasis on survival and toss them all into a blender. The final product is an action roleplaying game that’ll keep a player on their toes with its roguelike setup and colorful visuals.

Seed of Yggdrasil

The Norse Gods have entrusted the brave heroes of Valhalla with the seed of Yggdrasil during the end days of the world. Monsters have caught wind of this and are planning their assault on the precious seed. The entire focus of the game revolves around protecting the seed within the player settlement. To safeguard it, the player is tasked with slaying their enemies. We’re talking trolls and giants, nasty creatures that get stronger as the days progress. If the monsters overwhelm the encampment and destroy the seed, Ragnarök will befall the world. If the world ending event occurs, that is a definite game over. Fortunately, there are ways to prolong survival within the game. Large segments of the world are randomly generated. This means the experience will differ radically from session to session. Before enemy waves attack, the player is given time to explore during the day. Weapon crafting, fortification and armor building are the chief focus before nighttime. When night falls, the aforementioned trolls and giants will come to besiege the encampment. These monsters play for keeps and are relentless in their assault, especially as the game progresses. Slack on the fortification and it’ll be game over. While cooperative play is strongly encouraged for the ideal experience, there are options for solo play. When there are less players in the session, the game does scale back the monster difficulty, which is excellent for balancing.

Tribes of Midgard Classes

Class variety is another major perk of the game. As the game progresses, the player will unlock difficult classes, outfits and runes for their Viking. Each class has a different area of focus. Berserkers, for instance, are all about brute force. Hunters specialize in trap setting. Rangers are the archers of the game. These are only a few of the classes the player can choose from in the game.  

Game Graphics

The visuals are done in a cell-shaded style. Everything looks colorful and vibrant within the world of Midgard. Player customization is nice within this realm as well. There are large variety of outfits and different character features to select from when creating the player’s avatar.

Conclusion on Tribes of Midgard

The game is available for the PC, PS4 and PS5. There is a roguelike element at play. This means it is easy to lose progress. That’s a nice way of saying it’s easy to die too. Players can expect plenty of challenge in this time-based roleplaying adventure. Tribes of Midgard has it all. Vibrant visuals, resource gathering, a crafting system and fast gameplay with scaling difficulty.

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.