During the PS5 State of Play stream on July 8, Sony focused mainly on indie titles,
such as Sifu, while dedicating the latter part of the show to AAA games and ports including Deathloop, Lost Judgement and Death Stranding Director's Cut.
Of the half-hour presentation, a full eight minutes was given to Deathloop, an upcoming timed exclusive by Bethesda Studios and Arkane Lyon. The gameplay demo showed the main character going through an entire assassination mission, exhibiting a repertoire of abilities and violent kills.
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Deathloop (September 13, 2021)
Deathloop was by far the most anticipated game on display. The game, which feels like a mix between Bioshock and Dishonored, follows Colt, an assassin who finds himself on an island of assassins, all of whom want him dead. And every time Colt dies, the day resets. It's an intriguing premise that gives Colt a bevy of tools, like short teleportation, time rewind and brutal melee deaths.
Lost Judgment (September 24, 2021)
Sega had a few things to show at State of Play, including Lost Judgment, a sequel to 2018's Judgment. The sequel, follows private detective Takayuki Yagami from the first game, as he investigates a criminal for sexual harassment and murder.
Sifu (early 2022)
Sifu is one of the most anticipated indies to hit PS5. The game has you playing as a martial artist who, upon death, has to replay a level at a slightly more advanced age. Couple the premise with colorful visuals and a realistic attention to fighting detail, it's looking to be a solid title. Unfortunately, the game has been pushed to early 2022.
Jett: The Far Shore (2021)
One of the more interesting indies on display was Jett: The Far Shore. It's a planet exploration game, minus all the resource hunting found in other similar titles. The game has a stoic art style that invokes a bizarre corporatism. But the game's designer describes the title as a laid back exploratory action-adventure set within an intriguing science-fiction cosmos. It certainly looks interesting.
Moss: Book II
This PSVR title is a sequel to the original. It follows Quill, a mouse with a sword on a delightful adventure.
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Death Stranding Director's Cut (September 24, 2021)
While 2019's Death Stranding was divisive, its unique "strand" gameplay and intriguing story have turned it into somewhat of a cult hit. The Director's Cut — a subtitle that doesn't make sense considering it was made by Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions with likely little pushback from executive producers — brings with it a lot of quality-of-life improvements. These include having more tools to carry packages across America, new weapons, improved combat, new story missions and a racing mini game.
Arcadegeddon (early access out now)
By first-time publisher Illfonic comes Arcadegeddon, a colorful and vibrant looter-shooter similar to Fortnite. It's not a battle-royale game, but instead players can team up with friends to take on missions, battle hordes of enemies and partake in other challenges. There will of course be character customization.
The game is out on early access right now and will launch in 2022.
Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles (October 14, 2021)
Based on the popular anime, Demon Slayer The Hinokami Chronicles follows Tanjiro on a quest to turn his sister Nezuko, who has become a demon, back into a human. The game looks similar to past Naruto titles in terms of gameplay systems.
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch (September 7, 2021)
In F.I.S.T., players take on the role of an anthropomorphic rabbit with a robot fist attached to his back. He uses that fist to beat his way through a side-scrolling action-adventure game. Graphically, the game uses detailed 3D models, but juxtaposes it on a 2D plane. The game's world is visually dense and the characters do look expressive and interesting.
Tribes of Midgard (July 27, 2021)
Tribes of Midgard is a 10-player co-op survival RPG in which players must prepare to prevent Ragnarok. The game will act as a live-service title in which free updates will keep the game fresh, adding new content constantly. Season 1, The Wolf Saga, includes new classes, powerful, exclusive loot, and a new boss.
Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.