This ain’t no measly State of Play (the last one was in February): it’s a full on showcase! This presentation is set to run for just over an hour, with a focus on upcoming PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2 games from studios around the world. It should include several new games from PlayStation studios, as well as games from third-party/indie creators. I’ll recap some of the best games of the Showcase, share a full list of the games mentioned, and finally share the entire video if you’d like to watch!
I’m not going to lie, there is a lot of shooty/stabby games shown, especially at first. A lot. I tried to find the special titles amongst a lot of the same old violence-for-the-sake-of-it stuff. It took damn near 15 minutes for anything remotely interesting to pop up, which is a shame. There’s loads of sequels, but also lots of new IP. Also: Spider-Man!
Sword of the Sea
This one looks pretty off the bat, let’s see if it goes anywhere exciting. it is from the developer of Abzu, The Pathless, and Journey – that’s a good start! Players will surf across the surreal, undulating landscape of Necropolis while trying to unveil a lost ocean teeming with life.
Neva
Oooh pretty colours! From the creators of Gris. This game looks exciting yet extremely emotional. You can feel the love coming from it already. The game tells the story of a young woman and her lifelong bond with a magnificent wolf, as they traverse a dying world. Neva will be released in 2023.
The Plucky Squire
I’ve been excited for The Plucky Squire since 2022, and I’m thrilled that it was shown off in the Showcase. Follow Jot as he leaps from the 2D pages of a book into a 3D world. This trailer focuses on the different types of gameplay involved, including 3D platforming and top-down dungeon crawling. The Plucky Squire will be released this year.
Final Fantasy XVI
Square Enix officially lost me with Final Fantasy XV, but they’re sure as heck trying to get me back aren’t they? The thing is, I prefer turn-based games by far. But FFXVI should have difficulty options available that make it more accessible for me, so we’ll see. This trailer is a brief (well, kind of) look at the game’s narrative. Final Fantasy XVI will be released on June 22.
Alan Wake 2
We’re all trapped in a horror story. And the horror story wanted us dead. Alan Wake always seemed like it was right up my alley, what with him being a writer with writer’s block in the first game. The first is described as the body of an action game with the mind of a psychological thriller, and I’d expect nothing less from Alan Wake 2. Alan Wake 2 will be released on October 17.
Revenant Hill
Finji! This should be good. Night in the Woods was amazing, and I’ve heard nothing bad about Tunic. Also, there’s a cat. That’s always good too. The cat is running running running until it settles under a tree. He goes around people and through creepy woods to get there. In the game, it’s 1920 and Twigs the cat has a dream. They need to find a safe space to sleep. To put down roots. To grow radishes, eat mice, do dangerous things, and build something in a world that is falling apart.
Ultros
This one looks like stained glass. Again, as with most of what I’m highlighting, it is really visually appealing. It appears to be a platformer, with a masked hero fighting. Ultros is from the mind behind Hotline Miami. Players wake up stranded on The Sarcophagus, a giant, cosmic uterus that holds ancient demonic beings. Explore while trapped in an eternal loop and meet new people.Ultros will be released in 2024.
Spider-Man 2
This extensive trailer begins with a look at Kraven’s decision to go to New York City, Then, we see him fighting Venom Spider-Man. (Is that what he’s even called?) We switch from Peter Parker to Miles Morales, which I quite like. There’s some stealthy gameplay shown, with new ziplines. Then, Spider-Man’s hunt for Lizard continues, although he’s trying to protect Connors so he’s more hunting Kraven who’s hunting Lizard. Other Spider-Man shows up, and they finally team up. Spider-Man 2 will be released in “fall,” or Q4 2023.
The full list of games
- Fairgames
- Helldivers II (2023)
- Immortals of Aveum (July 20, 2023)
- Ghost Runner II (2023)
- Phantom Blade 0
- Sword of the Sea
- The Talos Principle II
- Neva (2024)
- Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean (2024)
- Foamstars
- The Plucky Squire (2023)
- Teardown (2023)
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
- Towers of Aghasba (2024)
- Final Fantasy XVI (June 22, 2023)
- Alan Wake 2 (October 17, 2023)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (October 12, 2023)
- Revenant Hill
- Granblue Fantasy Relink (Q4 2023)
- Street Fighter VI (June 2, 2023)
- Ultros (2024)
- Tower of Fantasy
- Dragon’s Dogma II
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 (Late 2023)
- Resident Evil 4: VR Mode (PS VR2)
- Arizona Sunshine II (PS VR2) (2023)
- Crossfire: Sierra Squad (PS VR2)
- Synapse (PS VR2) (July 4, 2023)
- Beat Saber – Queen music pack (PS VR2) (available now)
- Marathon
- Destiny 2 – The Final Shape
- Concord (2024)
- Spider-Man 2 (“Fall” or Q4 2023)
Watch the entire Showcase
I was expecting Matt to comment that the four new first-party games announced by Sony in this showcase (Fairgame$, Marathon, more Destiny 2, and Concord) are all GaaS that will prioritize ‘engagement’ and ‘content’ above all. As someone who doesn’t play many GaaS, I found plenty of indie and third-party games to like in this showcase … but of first-party games only was excited about Spidey (which looks cool).
I can confirm that I was not a fan of the announcement of these games lol.
One or even two would have been fine, but one of Sony’s studios could have come up with something different, too >_<
Agreed!