In the skies of Project Wingman, players get into the pilot’s seat of advanced fighter jets, taking on missions over the seas and ground of a war-scorched alternate Earth timeline known as After Calamity.
Today, PlayStation players can experience Project Wingman’s thrilling aerial combat from a whole new perspective in Frontline 59—an enhanced version of our indie dev team’s original game, powered up with new missions and PlayStation VR2 features that immerse you in the action.
Project Wingman has always felt like it would be a natural fit for virtual reality, and it’s been a thrill to have the chance to bring that vision to life with the PS VR2. Our goal with Wingman has always been to make people feel like awesome, cutting-edge flying aces, and the VR2 features really help take that to the next level—whether you’re using eye-tracking technology to help pinpoint targets in a chaotic battlefield, or feeling the rush of high-speed passes against pilots who want you dead.
Mission briefing
Taking place during Project Wingman’s main conflict, Frontline 59’s six new missions find the Pacific Federation coming under attack by a Cascadian invasion force seeking to cripple the Federation for generations. You play as reserve pilot in the local Federation contingent, and it’s up to you and the rest of your unlikely wingmen to beat back the enemy and secure the safety of the Federation once more.
These new missions range from intercept sorties to counter-attacks, and even a few adrenaline-rushing surprises. Here’s a beat-by-beat breakdown of what’s in store in Frontline 59’s exclusive engagements.
Mission 1 – Take off to beat back rabid mercenary pilots from pouncing on retreating allied force.
Mission 2 – Provide aerial support to naval coastal defenses as enemy Marines make landfall.
Mission 3 – Break the enemy by clearing the way for heavy hitting firepower.
Mission 4 – Using an unconventional flight plan, surprise the enemy headquarters and destroy them when they least expect it.
Mission 5 – Destroy the enemy invasion at its root, and send them back to where they came from.
Mission 6 – Duke it out over the Arctic Circle in an intense dogfight to try and stop insanity from setting the world on fire.
While PlayStation 5 players can enjoy Frontline 59 whether they’re VR-equipped or not, we built these missions with virtual reality in mind, and we think PS VR2 players will really feel it. If you go into battle with your PS VR2 as your flight helmet, you’ll feel the rush of combat across the entire game experience, too.
Two of the coolest features that help deliver the feeling that you’re really piloting advanced fighter jet technology: You can track targets with full 360 degree awareness, highlighting targets with PS VR2’s eye tracking tech. You can also swivel your head to take in the battlefield, making sure you can see what you want when you want, from any angle.
You’ll also feel the rumble of combat through headset vibrations as you barrel through battlefields; each time you get in close for a dogfight or do a supersonic pass on an enemy, you’ll feel it in your bones. You’ll also feel and hear the aircraft around you as you break through the clouds or bleed speed with spatial audio.
We hope you check out Frontline 59—it was an awesome, challenging, and really satisfying experience bringing our game to life in the VR realm, and we’re excited to finally be able to share this experience with Project Wingman veterans and brand-new recruits across the PlayStation community.
Project Wingman: Frontline 59 is out today on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2.
A brand-new location will soon be unveiled in Fallout 76’s upcoming Atlantic City update. Prepare to travel to a never-before-seen part of Fallout’s post-nuclear world on December 5 as players step onto the boardwalks of New Jersey.
Journey to an all-new Fallout location
Fallout 76’s Expeditions allow players to explore outside the borders of Appalachia, first introduced with the remnants of Pre-War Pittsburgh last year. “We started with The Pitt, which is a classic, fan-favorite location,” says Joshua Moretto,lead quest designer. “When we looked to our next location, we wanted someplace that would feel as different from The Pitt as The Pitt did from Appalachia.”
Place your bets as you visit the somewhat-dingy Casino in a new Expedition mission.
A coastal gambling town is quite a change of scenery from the smog-covered spires of The Pitt, with Expeditions to Atlantic City giving Fallout fans a peek at a new part of the post-nuclear world. “As a native New Jerseyan, I’d been hoping for a long time that we’d get a chance to introduce my home state to the world of Fallout,” says Moretto. “Atlantic City was the perfect opportunity for this.”
Atlantic City’s bustling nightlife and other advancements and amenities (including electricity and running water) may come as a shock to many fresh-faced Vault Dwellers hailing from the wilds of West Virginia. The town was relatively lucky–heavy emphasis on relatively back during The Great War, making it an unlikely haven of post-nuclear reconstruction. “No place was untouched by the war, but Atlantic City weathered better than most,” says Moretto. “It was a tourist destination with no real military or strategic value, so it wasn’t a direct target when the bombs fell.”
Empires on the boardwalk
Meet the Municipal Government (Munis) who keep the lights on in Atlantic City.
However, such prosperity comes at a price. The balance of power in Atlantic City is precariously checked by three major factions, often scheming to get the leg up on each other. “The Municipal Government keeps the lights, water and food running in Atlantic City,” explains Moretto. “Then we have the organized crime rackets of The Family, and we also have a chaotic guild of entertainers known as The Showmen. Each of them controls something vital to the continued functioning of Atlantic City.”
The “somewhat shady” Family who runs the Casino.
Despite cooperation being essential to Atlantic City, relations are strained between the separate factions. The city relies on the Municipal Government’s infrastructure, but also the income from The Family’s supply of vices and The Showmen’s attractions–the latter ranging anywhere from pedestrian magic tricks to more thrilling (read: deadlier) fare.
The Showmen entertainers run the deadliest game show in town.
“Each of our three Expeditions invites you to work closely with one of the three factions and help them achieve their primary goals,” says Ellys Tan, senior quest designer, explaining that players will also get to experience Atlantic City across two content releases. “The first release features two Expeditions and the second release includes one more Expedition, as well as a variety of quests you can do in Atlantic City.”
There is something in the pines
Your first introduction to Atlantic City is the once-glittering Boardwalk.
Internal squabbles aside, a greater threat exists. Bordered on one side by the ocean itself, Atlantic City is now becoming cut off as the dense forests of the New Jersey Pine Barrens grow out of control across the region.
“In the aftermath of the Great War, the barrens have retaken territory and started to encroach upon the city’s borders,” Moretto explains. “Coming from deep within the heart of the Pine Barrens are strange (and previously unknown) mutated creatures…”
Whoa, that’s enough news for now! Whether you’re anxious to visit a new part of the Fallout universe, make your allegiances with Atlantic City’s lively factions or simply roll the dice and see what happens, be sure to check out the Atlantic City update–arriving free for Fallout 76 players December 5. Jump into Fallout 76 and secure your lot in post-nuclear Appalachia today on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
Hey y’all! This week Remedy Entertainment Creative Director Sam Lake stops by to talk all things Alan Wake 2. Plus the team discusses their hands-on time with Alan Wake 2, as well as some indie horror games in preparation for spooky season.
Stuff We Talked About
Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition – PS5, PC
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October: The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22, Weird West
Baldur’s Gate 3 – Larian’s Favorite Builds Blog
Paper Beast Enhanced Edition – PS5, PS VR2
Interview w/ Sam Lake (begins at 17:55)
Alan Wake 2 hands-on talk
Indie horror games
The Cast
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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
Tim Turi – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE
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Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE
Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
October is here, and with it comes new PlayStation Stars campaigns. Get ready to uncover new challenges, earn some rewards, and refresh your digital collectible display case.
Let’s jump right into some of the offerings in October.
Genshin Impact 4.1 update
Starting October 1
Version 4.1 has arrived! Dive in and explore the update which features new characters, enemies, and events. To celebrate, we will release special campaigns throughout the month of October. Complete these campaigns to earn one of the collectibles shown below.
Alan Wake 2 | The darkness is coming
Available October 27
Get ready to confront your deepest fears head-on because the highly anticipated Alan Wake 2 is finally here! Play the game and earn an Angel Lamp digital collectible.
PS Plus Game Catalog: Must-play this Month
Available October 3
There are hundreds of games in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium/Deluxe members. The catalog is regularly refreshed, so we’re highlighting monthly gems to play. When you play any one game in this campaign, you’ll earn 50 points.
For this month, play any of the titles below, perfect for October.
Friday the 13th
Inscryption
Doom Eternal
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
The Evil Within
Days Gone
Hard Game Club Campaign: Monster Hunter Rise
Available October 5
Hard Game Club tackles some of the most difficult games on PlayStation.
This month, your challenge is to conquer Monster Hunter Rise by earning the Tempestuous Triumph Scroll trophy. Achieve this feat, and the exclusive Hard Game Club Balloon digital collectible is yours.
PlayStation VR2 Showtime Campaign
Available October 12
If you have a PS VR2, this campaign is for you. Start the campaign in PS App, and then play any one of these PS VR2 titles to earn 50 points.
Hellsweeper VR
Demeo
Crossfire: Sierra Squad
What the Bat?
Hard Game Club: Elden Ring
Available October 26
Elden Ring fans, here’s your second chance. Defeat Godrick the Grafted to earn the Shardbearer Godrick trophy and unlock the exclusive Elden Ring Hard Game Club digital collectible.
Stay tuned to PlayStation App for all the latest updates. Not a PlayStation Stars member yet? Learn more about PlayStation Stars and join here.
Jump into PS VR2 and smack some monsters around, then sit yourself down and play with a controller on your PS5 while you cool off. The Foglands will release with an FPS-mode on PS5 alongside PS VR2 at launch October 31. So no headset required! Either way you play, the fate of the Hold is in your hands.
Welcome to the Foglands
The Foglands is an upcoming anti-Western atmospheric roguelite that puts you in the boots of Jim, a brand new Runner. As a Runner, the people of the Hold rely on you to bring home scavenged goods and fend off the twisted creatures of the Fog. When a hulking behemoth from the depths threatens the survival of the Hold, it’s up to you to go out there and put a stop to it… and die trying.
Lucky for you, the mysterious figure known only as The Stranger is eager to lend a hand. His eldritch deck of cards can grant you supernatural abilities to boost your running prowess – for a price. He’s also got a few tricks up his sleeve, namely preventing Jim from yeeing his last haw. Explore, fight, loot, and die… and then do it all over again!
You’ll navigate an ever-shifting world of fog, exploring, fighting, and collecting along the way as you seek to defeat the giant, worm-like creature that threatens your Hold’s survival.
Explore
Many things get lost in the Fog – but the more you look, the more you find. While adventuring through the floors that change with every run, rooms that shift their contents with each visit, and the diverse biomes that would rather see you dead than alive, you’ll uncover the secrets the Fog clings to along the way. You won’t just find lost keys that belonged to Runners of old to unlock their secrets – you’ll even find some of those lost Runners themselves!
Fight
With a healthy mix of barfight melee and shoot-em-up gunplay, The Foglands uses the best of the PS VR2 eye tracking and precision latency to deliver a mix of fist-fighting, gunslinging, and aim-assisted throwing. Intention targeting and eye tracking allows any grabbable item to become a weapon – after all, Runner training advises you think on your feet and not rely too much on shootin’ irons (you never know when a Scuttler will steal your trusty hand cannon). The more you develop your personal playstyle and land those sweet combos, the more the time-slow effect will assist you in fending off the denizens of the Foglands.
Collect
The Foglands might seem like a desolate hellscape of creaking metal and lurking predators, but there are riches for those who know where to look! Collect Scrap and Fog Oil to unlock gear upgrades, new items, and new areas. But take heed: death means items you’ve gathered are left behind, so make sure to use Loot Chutes to send your Scrap home to spend on the next run.
There’s more than material acquisitions to be found out there: while on a run you’ll collect Abilities from The Stranger’s Cards that make you ever-more-powerful. Play to your strengths by choosing from three distinct suits that enhance each playstyle: Fists (melee), Guns (uh, guns), and Keys (exploration). So get out there and start lootin’!
Pre-order now
Now that you know what it takes and what’s at stake to be a Runner, you can prepare for your first day by pre-ordering on Playstation Store today. See you out in the Foglands, partner!
Hey, everyone! I’m Michele Zorrilla, the Advanced Senior UX Researcher at Insomniac Games. With the launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 just around the corner, our team at Insomniac is excited to share one of the ways we can all #BeGreaterTogether – through accessibility! So today, I’d like to highlight some of the notable accessibility features swinging into the game at launch on October 20, then I’ll pass it over to Sam Schaffel, Insomniac Games’s Accessibility Design Researcher, who will provide an update on more features arriving in a post-launch update.
Carrying forward our learnings from our recent games, we’re implementing useful accessibility features from both earlier titles in the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise as well as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. As with any new title, we also had to figure out new features to support the expanded gameplay systems of our favorite web-slingers.
Challenge Level Modifiers and Gameplay Assists
High-action and exciting combat is a signature of our Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise, whether you’re going up against Kraven and his Hunters or pursuing the Lizard through Marvel’s New York. We included a variety of challenge levels in our earlier games in the franchise (Friendly, Amazing, etc.), and today, we are excited to introduce Challenge Level Modifiers, which let you customize three aspects of gameplay: Enemy Health, Enemy Damage, and Stealth Awareness. With these settings, you can mix and match for your preferences or needs.
We’re also bringing back some key gameplay features to help with combat and traversal, which aim to reduce button inputs or provide more time to react to many in-game scenarios.
Chase Assist is a feature we introduced in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered in response to players having difficulty completing the story in the original 2018 release. The feature will work similarly in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, reducing the target’s top speed, increasing time windows before escaping, automatically attaching when a target is in range, and readjusting the camera to the target when you press R3. We’re happy to report these features will return and work with both our swinging and all-new Web Wings traversal systems!
Quick Time Event (QTE) Autocomplete, changing Repeated Button Presses from Taps to Holds, and Web-Shooter Burst are all returning to reduce motor fatigue and keep you in the action.
Shortcuts and Game Speed
Speaking of keeping you in the action, we couldn’t have a new Insomniac game without including two things our team and the community love: Shortcuts and Game Speed!
Our Shortcuts will allow players to assign a variety of options to the Left or Right D-pad buttons. If you’re having difficulty pressing multiple buttons at once, want a quick way to toggle your High Contrast gameplay options on or off, or even want to open Photo Mode with the press of a single button, you can assign these to left or right directional-buttons for quick use during gameplay.
Introduced in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and now featured in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players can assign Game Speeds of 70%, 50%, and 30% of the real-time rate to Shortcut buttons. These allow you to slow down the action, giving you more time to react to multiple gameplay scenarios:
Want more time to react as surrounding Hunter fists fly at your face? Activate Game Speed!
Are you battling against the Lizard and need more time between button presses? Game Speed can help!
Waiting for that picture-perfect moment to capture Spider-Man doing an acrobatic swing? You guessed it… Game Speed’s got your back!
Audio Frequency Controls
Additional options in our heroes’ gallery of accessibility features at launch are our Audio Frequency Controls. These will allow players to disable uncomfortable sounds with our High Frequency Cutoff (like high-pitched ringing), Low Frequency Cutoff (like the bass of an explosion), or a custom setting with theNotch Frequency Filter so they can better enjoy Pete’s classic quips as he thwips back a detonating grenade.
These are just a few of the features the team is passionate and excited about for the launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. To see the full list of the accessibility features that will be included at launch, we welcome you to visit Insomniac’s Knowledge Base: insom.games/MSM2-Accessibility
Now I’m turning this over to Sam Schaffel to share some of the awesome accessibility features coming post launch!
Post Launch Accessibility
Thanks Michele! So, there are quite a bit of accessibility features at launch in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that the team has put together, but we are also working to bring new features after the game launches on October 20. Some of the highlights include:
Audio Descriptions that provide visual context and add a narration-style voice-over to cinematics and even QTEs. We feel this feature will be exciting to players who use Audio Descriptions when experiencing movies or television, and we encourage people who have never experienced it before to try it out and see if it’s a feature that works for them! It’s often been compared to a high-quality audiobook. We are working with our amazing partners at Descriptive Video Works (who have worked on various audio descriptions for television and movies for over 20 years, as well as games likeThe Last of Us Part 1) to bring this experience to all players in English, French, German, Italian, Castilian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Japanese.
Screen Reader will read out several things to aid players in navigating onscreen items such as tutorials, in-game menus such as the Settings menu, but also our Touch Pad menus like the map, Abilities, Gadgets, Collectibles, Suits, Moves List, and more. We will also have access to on-demand HUD (heads up display) reading via our Screen Reader Status Shortcut. Players can also customize Screen Reader Readouts by specifying how often text repeats on idle via Repeat Delay customization and Scaling.
Captions will be available for cinematics and at key audio moments in gameplay. We have captions for offscreen and environmental sound effects, music, and more. The captions are also highly customizable, including size, color, background opacity, and background colorseparately from subtitles.
These features and other surprises will be coming via an update in December 2023 at no additional cost to you!
Access Controller for PS5 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
I’ve had the privilege of consulting on the upcoming Access controller for PlayStation 5 console, which by itself or together with the DualSense controller enables gamers with disabilities to really customize the way they play, offering a variety of options and use cases. I’d like to share my personal configuration and explain how these controllers can be paired together in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2! You can also learn more about the controller and check out my chat with Access controller product lead, Alvin Daniel, and accessibility expert Paul Lane, from earlier this year in the video below.
Paired with both controllers, I use my right hand on the DualSense controller and left hand on the Access controller to access several buttons and the move stick. One of my favorite features is setting up two commands on a single button. I also love having a control profiletiedto four Abilities (mixing new and classic like the Chain Lightning, Venom Dash, Venom Smash, and Galvanize), Gadgets (including the Web Grabber), and L3 + R3 to activate Mega Venom Blast, which I map to the big center button. It just feels awesome to execute such a big attack to that input! Thanks to the custom profiles system, I can have a unique control profile for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that’s dedicated to those simultaneous press buttons, while allowing me to map other features like Game Speed to the Shortcuts on the DualSense controller’s left and right directional buttons.
We’re incredibly proud to continue our accessibility efforts at Insomniac Games and finding ways for more people to experience the games we make. As we push towards launch on October 20, 2023, and beyond, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the game when you experience it yourself. As always, our community team is listening to your feedback across our official social media accounts (@insomniacgames). For more information, please stay tuned to our social channels!
Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition is coming to PlayStation 5 console on October 6!
Following the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, machine hunter Aloy races to save the planet’s crumbling biosphere before vicious storms and a mysterious, unstoppable blight ravage the remnants of humanity. Her mission and the sinister secrets it uncovers will pit Aloy against ever-deadlier foes, taking her to the dangerous frontier of the Forbidden West and the treacherous Burning Shores beyond.
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In this complete collection with Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC, take on more awe-inspiring machines, meet new tribes, and travel to the treacherous archipelago of Los Angeles!
Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition will be available for SGD 79.90 / MYR 249 / IDR 879,000 / THB 1,990 / PHP 2,990 / VND 1,499,000 and includes:
Horizon Forbidden West for PS5
Burning Shores DLC for PS5
Digital soundtrack
Digital art book
Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 1: The Sunhawk digital comic book*
In-game items:
Extras in Photo Mode (special pose and face paint)
In-game items unlocked via story progression:
Carja Behemoth Elite outfit ·Carja Behemoth Short Bow
Nora Thunder Elite outfit
Nora Thunder Sling
Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike piece
Resources pack
*Available in English, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese.
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PC gamers: you won’t have to wait long. In partnership with Nixxes Software, Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition is coming to Steam and Epic Games in early 2024. You can wishlist this now:
Follow us on social media (Twitter and Instagram) to stay tuned in the coming months, where we’ll share more information on PC features, support, and details on specs.
A new month means a new PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup. October’s titles of The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 and Weird West will be available to PlayStation Plus members on Tuesday, October 3 until Monday November 6. Let’s take a closer look at each game.
The Callisto Protocol| PS5, PS4
In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror set 300 years in the future, take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon.
Farming Simulator 22| PS5, PS4
Take on the role of a modern farmer and creatively build your farm in three diverse American and European environments. Farming Simulator 22 offers a huge variety of farming operations focusing on agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry – now with the exciting addition of seasonal cycles!
More than 400 machines and tools from over 100 real agricultural brands like John Deere, CLAAS, Case IH, New Holland, Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Valtra and many more are included to sow and harvest crops like wheat, corn, potatoes and cotton. New machine categories and crops add new gameplay mechanics to the experience. Run your farm cooperatively in multiplayer and extend the game by a multitude of free community-created modifications. Farming Simulator 22 offers more player freedom than ever before and challenges you to become a successful farmer – so start farming and let the good times grow!
Weird West| PS5, PS4
Discover a dark fantasy reimagining of the Wild West where lawmen and gunslingers share the frontier with fantastical creatures, each playing with their own rules and their own peculiar motives in this isometric action RPG. The game supports different styles of play in a simulated sandbox world where characters, factions, and even places react to a player’s decisions, and players are faced with brutal choices and consequences that can’t be undone – including death. Discover the world through origin stories of different characters, moving from one character’s journey to the next until all converge in a final chapter.
Last chance to download September’s Monthly Games
PlayStation Plus members have until October 2 to add Saints Row, Black Desert – Traveler Edition and Generation Zero to their game library.
There’s something very wrong in the town of Bright Falls. But there’s something quite right with the PS5 game Alan Wake 2, a sequel that infuses the original game’s rich psychological thrills with exciting new settings and gameplay that will appeal to survival-horror fans.
Remedy’s original 2010 game was part run-and-gun action game, part horror thriller, part metafictional commentary on authorship. Remedy games had always experimented with juggling multiple media formats, but with Alan Wake, the studio found an approach that kept players guessing and created a cult phenomenon.
Alan Wake’s blending of traditional story techniques like voice-over narration with quirky full-motion video sequences starring professional actors ultimately paved the way for classics like Control. And with Alan Wake 2, Remedy takes this formula to its logical conclusion: a showdown between the forces of reality and fiction.
Let’s dive into new gameplay details from sections featuring both playable protagonists – conveniently split up by each protagonist’s journey, from Alan Wake’s fight through a surreal New York to detective Saga Anderson’s trek through Bright Falls and the Pacific Northwest.
Surviving the horror. For all its horror trappings, the original Alan Wake had a brisk, energetic pace that felt more at home in an action-adventure game. With Alan Wake 2, Remedy is taking a page from survival-horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Movement speed is slower and more methodical, while the claustrophobic camera is positioned tight over your shoulder to heighten tension. Your otherworldly foes hit hard with melee and ranged attacks, but you can tap the L1 button to dodge and help escape damage. Ammo and health are scarce, so you’ll need to fight carefully in order to preserve resources. The high-stakes combat is a welcome, fitting shift to match the game’s moody and ominous atmosphere.
Let there be light. Whether you play as Saga or Alan, your primary foes are The Taken. Returning from the original game, these shadowy humanoid entities make for intimidating enemies, keen to quickly dart in and land a surprise attack. Though initially invulnerable to weapons, The Taken are vulnerable to bursts of intense light. As both Saga and Alan, you can hold R1 to burn away an enemy’s protective shielding with the flashlight. Once it’s removed, you can use pistols, shotguns, and crossbows to banish these specters for good. Watch out, though: flashlight batteries are a scarce commodity, though flares and flashbang bombs are also available.
Two to tango. FBI agent Saga Anderson’s adventure takes place in the twisted town of Bright Fall and Pacific Northwest, where a local cult is up to no good. Meanwhile, horror writer Alan Wake is stranded in The Dark Place, a Limbo-like realm that feeds off his dreams and nightmares to keep him trapped in a ghostly New York City. Both characters have the same basic abilities and combat skills, though each brings their own unique approach to progressing the narrative. Saga’s FBI profiling skills can analyze evidence and open up new leads and locations to advance the story. Alan Wake’s writing skills can manipulate the reality of The Dark Place, reshaping the environment and leading him closer to escape.
After the introductory sequences, you’ll be able to swap between playing as Alan and Saga at will. Both characters’ fates seem to be tied together — let’s take a closer look at what’s in store for each.
Saga Anderson gameplay
FBI agent Saga Anderson comes to Bright Falls as part of her investigation into ritualistic murders. This gloomy Pacific Northwestern town was the real star of the original Alan Wake, and as Saga you’ll dig into its grimiest crevices in Alan Wake 2: creepy forest trails, trailer parks, cult hideouts, and a dilapidated local amusement park, and that’s just for starters.
Inner light. Holding the touchpad on the DualSense controller instantly teleports you to Saga’s “Mind Place,” a mental sanctuary that holds the key to unraveling obstacles and leads in her murder investigation. This space is represented as a cluttered detective’s room, complete with case files, records, a TV, map, and other resources that provide you with a way to unravel clues and advance the story… and, equally importantly, to dispense more information on Bright Fall’s strange residents and dark history. And if you’ve got the resources, you’ll also be able to upgrade your weapons in the Mind Place.
Survival staples. Carrying on the survival-horror vibe, you’ll encounter brightly lit safe rooms scattered throughout the game. Coffee thermoses serve as save points, while shoeboxes in these rooms act as a box to store spare items to save limited inventory space (which can be expanded by discovering upgrades).
‘Round the Pacific Northwest. Saga’s journey will introduce her to a large cast of residents, many of whom wouldn’t seem out of place in a David Lynch movie. But the town’s eccentricities run much deeper. There are loads of extended narrative bits for players to dig into, from local drama around an impending mayoral race to the hilarious video advertisements of local amusement park Coffee World. These juicy bits of lore are classic Remedy, and will deepen your appreciation of this quirky, creepy place.
Puzzling places. Bright Falls is festooned with puzzles. Some are integral to the main path, like deciphering symbols in the environment to unlock a door. Other puzzles are standalone rewards, like padlocked chests with notes that cryptically point to environmental clues. One puzzle that stands out involves unlocking a chest with a powerful crossbow, where the solution involves investigating an archery range riddled with bolts. These fun, bite-sized puzzles pack helpful rewards and a refreshing break from the tension.
Alan Wake gameplay
Horror writer Alan Wake is trapped in a nebulous place between worlds, and his only hope for escape lies in unraveling the mysteries of his own mind.
In a mirror, darkly. Compared to Saga’s Pacific Northwest journey, The Dark Place is an illogical and dreamlike place where reality is suspect and danger is everywhere. Depicted as a warped version of New York City, The Dark Place follows its own set of rules. Alan Wake’s only advantage is his unique connection to this realm, which allows him to reshape his circumstances using his storytelling skills. His foes? Unearthly apparitions and a relentlessly pursuing Dark Presence.
White space. Where Saga’s “Mind Place” is a cluttered detective’s room, Alan retreats to an internal Writer’s Room for inspiration. When your progress is blocked by occasional narrative dead ends, you can use the Plot Board here to piece together an alternate plot that helps you escape. As Alan Wake collects ideas and invents a new fictional solution for his predicament, these new story elements will literally reshape the environment around you and open up ways to progress. It’s a clever and satisfying mechanic that strongly differentiates Alan’s segments from Saga’s.
Shine a light. In addition to a double-barreled shotgun and revolver, Alan Wake wields another powerful tool: the Angel Lamp. This mysterious artifact is essential to navigating the city, and lets you “carry” a light source from one place to another. Moving a light source generally opens up an unseen path, and some of the changes are dramatic and unsettling — imagine walking into a ground-floor entrance and emerging onto a rooftop high above the city. These Angel Light sequences add some puzzle variety and make Alan Wake’s journey feel distinct and unsettling.
All in all, our initial hands-on experience with Alan Wake 2 was quite encouraging, and seemed to show Remedy at the top of their game. Now that there’s a true “Remedyverse,” who knows how deep this rabbit hole will go?
There’s only one way to find out. Dive into the mystery of Alan and Saga’s unraveling realities when Alan Wake 2 hits PS5 on October 27.
The original Dragon’s Dogma, released in 2012, gained popularity as a one-of-a-kind, open-world action RPG. It delivered a polished combat experience and the freedom to explore a truly immersive, classic fantasy world. Its Pawn system – support NPCs that’d join adventurers on their quests – meant you never ventured forth alone. Its RE Engine-powered PS5 sequel, due out next year, follows in those footsteps.
At last week’s Tokyo Game Show, I sat down with a playable demo. Here’s what I found out.
Pick your vocation and Pawn
In the demo, I was given a choice of three vocations: Fighter, Thief, or Archer. The Thief deals rapid consecutive attacks with daggers in both hands, while the Archer specializes in long-range combat using a bow and arrows. All three were excellent choices, but I decided to go with the Fighter, who was my go-to in the first Dragon’s Dogma. The Fighter wields a sword and shield, and excels in melee combat.
Once in the field, a pre-arranged party was already waiting for me. Dragon’s Dogma 2 sees the series’ Pawn system return, as players can create a party consisting of up to four members, which includes your main Pawn, as well as up to two additional Pawns from other players through the network.
Combat options
Diverse monsters inhabit this world and are all ready to attack the Arisen (me) and its party (Pawns). Smaller monsters are not a threat, but the larger ones can be challenging and intriguing. I encountered a one-eyed giant, the Cyclops, who wields a club and performs hip slams.
Since I chose Fighter as my vocation, my role is to engage first and lead the charge with melee. I used my shield to block incoming attacks while pressing the Square button for Light Attacks, and Triangle button for Heavy Attacks. The combination of the L1 button and attack buttons allow the player to use Custom Skills, including some familiar ones such as Empale and Compass Slash. These attacks feel great and deal a lot of damage.
Also, when fighting large monsters, you can hang onto the enemies and scale their massive bodies to hit their weak spots. For example, you can jump and leap onto the back of a Cyclops, and once you reach its head, you can deal direct hits to its singular eyeball.
The behaviors of the accompanying Pawns are controlled by AI, and they fight automatically based on their own judgment. Pawn Commands allow you to take control of the Pawns’ actions to a certain extent, such as having them move closer to you, spread out to fight, or prioritize recovery and support. However, letting Pawns make their own decisions – and seeing the resultant successes of doing so – gives Dragon’s Dogma the vibe of a multiplayer experience.
The enhanced AI of Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes the Pawns even more intelligent. The Pawns react more quickly to the actions of the Arisen, such as using enchantments to enhance the Arisen’s attacks, leveraging magic to attack flying enemies that Fighters cannot reach, and scaling the Cyclops together with the Arisen. Also, the game seems to have added elements that make players feel a deeper connection to their Pawns, like communicating and providing advice during combat and high-fiving the Arisen after a victory.
Explore, discover, fight
The RE Engine once again showcases its qualities in its rendering of a richly detailed open world, full of lush landscapes and epic mountains. Gazing into the distance teases potential paths and sights to explore. Similar to the first game, deep water is infested with Brine, emphasizing the need to keep to dry land.
As you explore, you will meet and talk with travelers and Pawns. If you speak to Pawns, you can invite them to join your party as ‘support Pawns’.. Pawns talk a lot during combat, but they also like to converse with you during your journey. In addition to commentary about the scenery and warning you about monsters, Pawns who possess a deep knowledge of the area may hint at the locations of treasure chests and help lead you to where they are.
Monsters do not just aimlessly roam around, but they will pounce at you from shrubs, or you may come across them attacking other travelers. Monsters have their own strategies and behavioral principles. In the vast world, I encountered surprises everywhere, and it truly felt like the people and monsters were alive in this world.
The main focus of this demo was to experience exploration and combat, so overall, everything felt familiar to me since I’ve played the first Dragon’s Dogma. At the same time, the beautiful open world and the Pawns’ more refined behavior prove that the game has evolved and been thoroughly polished. As a fan of the series who has been waiting for the sequel, I cannot wait to see how the new story surrounding the Dragon and the Arisen will unfold.
