Category: PlayStation

Becoming the stuff of legend is no easy feat. But it’s entirely appropriate that a compelling and complex tale about vengeful vampires has not only lasted as long as it has, but triumphantly arisen from its resting place.

From its popular 1996 debut, The Legacy of Kain series has a long-standing history across PlayStation, from introducing memorable characters to pioneering in 3D game design. So, with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered on its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 coming to PlayStation Plus Classics, it’s the perfect time to dig up the details on why The Legacy of Kain series has endured. As a bonus, the original developers join us to recall some relevant anecdotes on the way…

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A new gameplay video showcases Raziel’s otherwordly abilities in The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.

“I’m super proud of the way we wove our time travel plot throughout the games – writing time travel stories is hard!”

– Amy Hennig, Design Manager (Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain), Director and Lead Writer (Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance)

1996 – Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain – PlayStation – Silicon Knights/Crystal Dynamics

Action-adventures took a turn for the macabre as The Legacy of Kain series introduced us to the shadowy world of Nosgoth. Blood Omen set the tone with Kain seeking a cure for his vampiric curse, only to slip deeper into a moral abyss.

Engaging hack-and-slash gameplay mixed with magic, shapeshifting, and puzzle-layered exploration cast an intoxicating spell encased by a smart and gripping story that laid the groundwork for all that followed. So it was no surprise that the triumphant debut of the titular vampire lord was met with a craving for more. Only three years later, that craving was satisfied…

“It was one of the best-looking games for PlayStation.”

– Daniel Cabuco, lead enemy artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver); lead artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2) and art director (Legacy of Kain: Defiance)

1999 – Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – PlayStation – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive

If Blood Omen began the crimson-stained lineage for the series in 2D, Soul Reaver took up the trail and innovated it into fully formed 3D. This time the consequences of Kain’s actions are directly in your hands, assuming control of the iconic Raziel, a former vampire lieutenant slain by Kain. Resurrected into a wraith, Raziel is given his mission by The Elder God – to destroy Kain and restore the now-broken wasteland of Nosgoth to its former glory.

The evolution into 3D allowed the series to push the boundaries of its presentation even more, especially when teamed with the already captivating narrative, which allowed players to travel between the material and spectral realms.

“The writing, dialogue, and incredible voice acting all took things to the next level,” says Cabuco. “At every point the artists, designers, musicians, and engineers asked themselves how they could make the experience better. It was an incredible moment in time where every aspect was firing on all cylinders.”

It’s a sentiment shared by the game’s chief of engineering, Scott Krotz: “The streaming technology we developed was great, and I think we only had one loading screen in the entire game once getting into it. The combination of solid gameplay and technology, a dark world full of interesting lore, a great story and characters, and amazing voice actors all came together to make it a pretty special game.”

“The amazingly well directed cinematics with lip sync were simply mind blowing.”

– Monika Erosova, head of development (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered)

2001 – Soul Reaver 2 – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive

After Soul Reaver introduced the iconic Raziel, its sequel vastly expanded on his human past, traveling through time to reveal Nosgoth’s secrets which have immense repercussions on not only Raziel and his home, but Kain as well.

Between its combat, puzzles, and exploration, Soul Reaver 2 successfully elevated much of what made its predecessor so well received, but a particular spotlight fell on its story and characters. “Amy Hennig masterfully interconnected Raziel’s journey back to Blood Omen,” says Erosova. “I enjoyed exploring the world in different eras.”

“Soul Reaver 2 was originally supposed to be on the original PlayStation, but our team was determined to use the power of PS2 to elevate the game’s graphics and animation,” reveals Amy Hennig, who worked as design manager on Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and director and lead writer on Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. “We ported the game onto the new hardware in a matter of weeks.”

2002 – Blood Omen 2 – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive

In a smart connection to the time travel chaos of Soul Reaver 2, the series went back to its roots in Blood Omen 2 by exploring an alternate timeline set after the events of the very first Blood Omen. This gave players a chance to enjoy Kain’s undead life again, aside from his antagonistic turn in the Soul Reaver games, layering a now rich and involving lore.

While paying homage to its vampiric roots where Kain is able to feed off enemies or civilians to replenish his health, novel gameplay elements like weapon durability kept the combat and challenge fresh.

2003 – Legacy of Kain: Defiance – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive

After two games each where we played as Kain or Raziel, it was perhaps inevitable that we’d get a chance to control both characters in the same game – which is where Legacy of Kain: Defiance swooped in. “Given we were revealing crucial things about our characters’ motivations and the world that shaped them, it was critical for us to make Kain and Raziel dual protagonists, and to cut back and forth between their playable chapters,” explains Hennig.

Using different abilities helped differentiate between the bitter enemies in terms of gameplay, while the story offered the now expected – and satisfying – philosophical pondering on determinism and morality to resolve Kain and Raziel’s blood-stained conflict.

“We wanted to tell a great, complex story with flawed but compelling characters in a captivating and original world,” says Hennig. “It’s incredibly gratifying to see how formative and indelible these games and stories have been for our audience.”

You’ll be able to get a taste of the series’ lasting legacy when  Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 arrive on PlayStation Plus Premium November 19, and when Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 10.

Ghostface is coming to Mortal Kombat 1 starting November 19, and for as long as guest characters from other worlds have been a feature in our games, Woodsboro’s own serial killer has been in the mix as a dream inclusion. Horror villains have always been great fits for the severe, macabre, over-the-top universe of Mortal Kombat, and it was just a matter of time for Scream’s anonymous assailant, Ghostface.

That time is here, and in the process of designing Ghostface for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns, we had to answer a bunch of questions. How does this horror-movie villain translate into a fighting game? And how will Ghostface look, sound, and play like?

The overall look is familiar of course: classic mask, robe, and knife. Although, this presented surprising challenges in a fast-paced videogame. Most costumes have physics-based cloth portions, but no other costume is entirely cloth. And aside from the robe being soft material from head to toe, there are long strings of ghostly cloth fringe trailing off it. These are just the kinds of things that can easily perform unexpectedly and get twisted up upon themselves in the heat of kombat, unless proper care is taken. Our technical artists and animators worked back and forth to iron everything out, so to speak, ensuring Ghostface’s iconic duds look their best.

Although Mortal Kombat is famous for masked ninjas, our kombatants have elaborate facial animations that accentuate the action. Even among our masked characters, there are usually skin or gear options to reveal the full-face during gameplay, if you desire. But not so here, since the rigid, unfeeling mask is the outfit’s signature detail. In the absence of facial expressions, we took care to capture extra character movements during the motion capture performance and in-game animating so that, just like in the films, a lot can come across with the slightest head tilt or gesture—malice or humor, frustration or elation, rage or reservation.

And the sound is just as important as the movement. Roger L. Jackson returns to reprise his recurring role as Ghostface’s voice from the films, arguably the most memorable recurring thread through the franchise. Thanks to the easily accessible voice mod devices in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, many different psychos over the years have disguised their own voices using Roger’s modulated one, and our killers are no different.

And we do know who’s under there. Scream franchise fans know that Ghostface is an identity assumed by different unhinged people in every movie, so there are many surprising and iconic portrayals to choose from. While the character’s face is covered up by the mask during fights, the killer underneath is revealed occasionally during climactic moments. For the films, this usually occurs with a dramatic flourish as the identities of the killers are finally exposed. For Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns, it’s during high-resolution cinematic Fatal Blows and finishing moves. And our ‘canon’ Ghostface for these moments is none other than Billy Loomis, one of the Ghostface killers from the original Scream film.

And he’s not the only blast from the past lurking under that mask, behind that voice, in the shadows. In the films, there usually isn’t just one Ghostface, and that’s true here too. There are a few surprises for long-time fans of Mortal Kombat with a keen eye to discover, including who’s joined in to assist an OG, Woodsboro Ghostface. Afterall, this isn’t the first time a Ghostface sought a little hired serial killer help!

Ghostface’s moveset in Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is also one to die for. Of course, the character is brimming with bloody finishers in the form of all-new Fatalities, an Animality, and Brutalities that winners can dole out after victories. Revisiting the classic films themselves for scenes to pay homage to, deciding what kinds of attacks to have, and how they’d lead into various attacks, was a grim delight. Scream fans may have their guesses of most surprising and (pardon me) gutting take downs of beloved characters they’d expect to see referenced, and while I wouldn’t dare spoil them here, we did make sure to include a few fun twists that you might not expect. 

We hope you enjoy when Ghostface joins the roster on November 19 as part of the early access period for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Expansion owners on PlayStation 5, followed by wide availability for purchase on November 26.

The Dynasty Warriors franchise recently celebrated its 27 year anniversary, and I have to say, Dynasty Warriors: Origins showcases the series like never before, delivering the most intense combat of any game in DW history. Don’t believe me? Time to put my words to the test as I’m here to announce that the Dynasty Warriors: Origins Demo will be released on November 22!

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In the demo, you will be able to play the Battle of Sishui Gate, the same battle as the Tokyo Game Show demo. However, we have enhanced the experience with additional elements that were not included at the Tokyo Game Show, providing a more substantial and challenging battle. Additionally, there is no time limit this time, so feel free to enjoy it to your heart’s content!

Throughout the demo, players will be able to choose from four types of weapons: Sword, Guandao, Pudao, and Wheels; as well as having options to customize arts, gems, and accessories. But don’t take the fight lightly as the franchise’s strongest officer, Lu Bu, definitely makes his presence known on the battlefield Unlike the demo at the Tokyo Game Show, however, you will be able to choose the difficulty level, so whether you’re skilled at action games or not, we encourage you to give it a try.

We are so excited to finally be able to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience the unique tactical action of Dynasty Warriors and we hope you enjoy the exhilarating battles against the massive armies we created!

Furthermore, we are happy to announce that Dynasty Warriors: Origins and the demo will be PS5 Pro enhanced. Along with the demo release, pre-orders will also begin on November 22. Pre-order the game to receive the bonus collaboration costume ‘Nameless Warrior Garb’ from the dark Three Kingdoms action RPG, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Don’t miss the opportunity!

For those unfamiliar with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, or for anyone who wants to see the latest and greatest, we’ve created a video titled ‘Gameplay Features’ where the producer introduces the game and shows off some of the game’s fevered fights. The video covers not only the action you can experience in the demo but also the story, exploration, and growth elements that will be available in the full game. Be sure to check it out!!

Dynasty Warriors: Origins releases January 17. We are eagerly looking forward to the day you will be able to play the full game, but until then, it’s demo time!

My name is Celine Tricart, creator of Masters of Light—an XR Game of the Year nominee—and co-founder of the game studio Coven. I’m incredibly excited to bring our thrilling new action-adventure game to PlayStation VR2. As a longtime PlayStation fan—since the original Silent Hill!—I want to bring PS VR2 players an experience that feels unique and spectacular: a game where every move, every battle, and every victory is something you truly feel. With the immersive power and unique features of PS VR2, Masters of Light delivers an experience as intense and breathtaking as the story behind it.

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What is Masters of Light?

Masters of Light thrusts players into a galaxy on the brink of destruction. A black hole at the center of the galaxy has unleashed an army of Shadows, spreading chaos and darkness. You are The Wanderer, a powerful being of light and the galaxy’s last defense. Armed with magical powers, your mission is to crush the darkness, rescue the Sisters of Light, and restore hope. Each battle will test your strength, courage, and skill as you journey deeper toward the black hole’s core, where the ultimate challenge awaits.

Masters of Light features high-energy 1st person combat where focus, timing, and strategy are keys to victory. For example, some enemies (shown above) are protected by unbreakable armor. The player must wait for it to attack, then block and parry right after for a chance to defeat it.

Combat like never before

Masters of Light takes first-person spell-casting combat to a new level of intensity. Wield raw energy to unleash explosive attacks, conjure powerful shields, and send waves of Shadows scattering with devastating blasts. Each battle demands sharp focus, strategic timing, and unrelenting force. With every strike, you’ll feel the power of your spells reverberate, leaving you exhilarated as you push back the darkness and fight to bring balance to the galaxy.

For those intrigued by the game’s lore, hidden ruins across the galaxy hold echoes of a forgotten past. Reactivate these ancient sites to uncover secrets about your origins and the cosmic forces that shaped the universe. Whether you’re drawn to high-stakes combat or delving into mysteries, Masters of Light offers a deeply immersive experience that rewards both skill and curiosity.

Hidden in the 36 levels are ancient ruins that the player can reactivate to unlock pieces of the lore. 

Inspired by empowerment

Masters of Light draws inspiration from my earlier VR project, Fight Back, which focused on self-defense empowerment using real-world techniques. That project sparked something in me—a drive to take the feeling of empowerment even further. With Masters of Light, we embraced our core pillars of beauty, physicality, and confidence to guide every part of the game’s development. 

At Coven, we set out to create something beautiful, engaging, and challenging, while ensuring it’s accessible to a wide range of players. On PS VR2, every player becomes a superhero, discovering new abilities, conquering foes, and experiencing a powerful sense of strength and exhilaration.

New enemies and superpowers are unlocked as players progress in the game, climaxing in insane battles that will leave you breathless.

Pushing the PS VR2 features to the max

The PS VR2’s advanced graphics bring Masters of Light’s mystical world to life with vibrant detail, enhanced by HDR and higher-resolution textures. Every scene pops, from the supernatural glow of your powers to the neon constellations you’re liberating, making each environment feel immersive and alive.

The PS VR2’s eye-tracked dynamic foveated rendering and 90Hz refresh rate keep the visuals crisp and the action smooth, allowing players to target enemies instinctively with just a glance. This precise aiming system keeps you focused on the action, rewarding quick reflexes and heightening every battle.

The PS VR2 Sense controllers further enhance realism with adaptive triggers and advanced haptics. Each spell cast, shield raised, and strike delivered resonates in your hands with weighty feedback. Paired with subtle headset vibrations, every moment of combat feels tangible and consequential, pulling you deeper into the experience.

Already celebrated for its gorgeous art, Masters of Light reaches new heights thanks to upscaled skyboxes and graphics on PS VR2.

A soundtrack that draws you in

The sensory experience of Masters of Light goes beyond visuals and haptics—it’s also deeply shaped by its soundtrack. During development, we found that synthwave perfectly matched the game’s retro-futuristic style. Partnering with G4F Records—known for Furi and Road 96—we crafted a dynamic soundscape with Waveshaper’s high-energy beats for combat and Paul Zimmermann’s cinematic pieces for emotional depth.

Take on the challenge

Masters of Light offers an epic journey across 36 challenging levels. Each level is replayable, allowing players to perfect their performance and strive for a three-star rating and the coveted Perfectionist trophy. For those seeking the ultimate challenge, we’ve included “Grand Master” difficulty mode—where enemies are stronger, and the HUD is disabled, putting your skills to the test.

The game also features leaderboards for each level, with global and weekly rankings that reset every Sunday. Only the most skilled players will rise to the top.

The Snipe power allows players to target a distant enemy with one hand, and damage it with the other hand.

Ready to rise?

Masters of Light on PS VR2 is for those ready to embrace intense gameplay and full immersion. When the game launches on December 18, it’s your chance to shine and become the ultimate Master of Light. Are you ready to step into the light?

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey y’all, Episode 500 is finally here! Thank you to all the loyal listeners for making this momentous episode possible. Can you believe the show started back in 2011? Whether you’ve been with us for the entire run or are a new listener, we appreciate you.

This week, the crew hears from listeners and developers about some of their favorite PlayStation games and memories. The podcast crew also dives into their favorite games on the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2. But the celebration doesn’t end here! We’ll continue to feature listeners and developers leading up to PlayStation’s 30th anniversary on December 3.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Spirit Mancer | PS5
  • Towers of Aghasba (Early Access) | PS5
• Stellar Blade x Nier: Automata DLC and Photo Mode
• Players Choice Winner – Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
• PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for November:
  • Grand Theft Auto V 
  • Dying Light 2: Stay Human
  • Like a Dragon: Ishin
  • MotoGP 24
  • The Sims 4: Island Living
  • And more…
• LEGO Horizon Adventures is out now
• Special listener/developer favorite PlayStation games segment
• The podcast crew highlights personal top games for the original PlayStation and PS2 (to be continued…)

The Cast

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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

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Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

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Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

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O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to 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.]

Lara Croft’s legendary adventures continue on February 14 with the release of Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered! As we patiently await her return, we’d love to take a moment to explore some enhanced features created specifically for this remaster. 

This latest collection not only revitalizes Lara’s adventures but also brings back a fan-favorite feature Photo Mode to capture all the thrilling moments you encounter.

Explore and capture iconic moments

As you swan-dive back into Lara Croft’s darkest adventures, you’ll have the ability to capture and share in the beauty and excitement of your adventures with your friends. 

Whether you’re scaling the Great Pyramid of Giza in The Last Revelation, sneaking through a high-security complex in Chronicles, or uncovering dark secrets in the shadowy streets of Paris in The Angel of Darkness, Photo Mode lets you freeze, frame, and capture your most memorable moments.

Photo Mode features

New Poses and Outfits: In addition to including all of the poses and outfits from Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, this new collection will include even more as an added bonus. Tailor each shot to reflect her adventurous spirit and style.

Customizable Shots: Set up your scenes with ease using adjustable camera angles, depth of field, and zoom effects. Create the perfect composition to showcase the remastered environments.

Dynamic Expressions: Choose from a range of expressions to bring Lara’s character to life in your photos. Highlight her bravery, determination, or curiosity with ease.

Seamless Integration: Use Photo Mode anytime during gameplay to capture those spontaneous, unforgettable moments. Whether it’s a breathtaking view or a dramatic encounter, your perfect shot is always just a menu away.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Activate Photo Mode: Photo Mode activates by holding down both of your sticks on the DualSense controller.
2. Frame Your Shot: Adjust the camera angle, zoom, and depth of field, using the on-screen controls and find your desired composition.
3. Hit the Dressing Room: Pick from various outfits from across the Tomb Raider I-VI Remastered collection. Equip her with different weapons for an added touch of sass.
4. Express Yourself: Select Lara’s expression to convey the right mood for your shot. What are we feeling today: a victorious and joyful smile, or a bombastic side-eye?
5. Strike a Pose: Pick your favorite pose from across our Tomb Raider I-VI Remastered collection! Whether it’s a fierce battle stance or a triumphant pose, have fun customizing it to your liking.
6. Capture and Share: Once you’re satisfied with your shot, use the Create button on your controller. Share your best shots with the community and join fellow fans in celebrating Lara Croft’s legacy.

How about a First Look?

As you swan dive into even more details around Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, the Photo Mode feature isn’t the only exciting addition! Alongside capturing epic moments, fans can look forward to new collectible achievements and unique art badges, each one a striking tribute to Lara’s legacy. 

And for those who remember the heart-pounding encounters with the nearly indestructible mini-bosses, we’re thrilled to showcase a new look at two of Lara Croft’s most formidable foes: the relentless Bronze Bull and the fearsome Minotaur from The Last Revelation. 

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered launches on PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5 on February 14, 2025. Head over to PlayStation Store to pre-order if you haven’t already.

Hello PS VR2 friends, since the release of our roguelike VR shooter, The Light Brigade, on PS VR2 in February 2023, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support and passion of our community. Your enthusiasm has fueled our team to continually improve and expand the game through a series of major content updates, and today we unveil the Phantom of Time.

This Phantom of Time update is available now as a major content release at no additional cost for The Light Brigade on PS VR2, and it’s packed with new gameplay, a haunting new procedural world, and even a new playable class. Let’s dig in.

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New Playable Class – The Saboteur

New playable revolver-wielding class with special timepiece – The Saboteur

Stealth, strategy, and clever escapes await you with our newest unlockable class: the Saboteur. This revolver-wielding gunslinger comes equipped with a Timepiece, a powerful tool for those who like to lurk in the shadows. Cloak yourself from enemies, deploy a deadringer decoy to outsmart your foes, and easily reposition on the battlefield. The Saboteur brings a brand-new tactical layer to The Light Brigade, making each encounter more unpredictable and thrilling.

Explore the Memorial Grounds

Memorial Grounds, the newly playable procedural battlegrounds

With the Phantom of Time update, we’re also introducing a brand-new procedurally generated world: the Memorial Grounds. Once a sacred crypt, this war-torn graveyard was a final resting place for honored soldiers—but now, the relentless tides of battle have defiled it. The Memorial Grounds are riddled with secrets and danger, offering a haunting backdrop to explore. Will you uncover the stories buried within, or fall to the chaos that has consumed this sacred ground?

The Road Ahead

The Light Brigade development roadmap

We’ve come this far thanks to the love and dedication of our incredible PS VR2 community, and we’re not slowing down. We’re committed to delivering even more exciting content, from new weapons and classes to fresh worlds and social mechanics. Stay tuned because the journey in The Light Brigade is far from over. Thank you all for your continued support, and we’ll see you on the battlefield in the Phantom of Time update, now available worldwide for all PS VR2 players.

A studio only gets to launch its very first game once! Everyone here at Dreamlit Games is incredibly excited to debut our upcoming open-world fantasy builder, Towers of Aghasba, which launches into Early Access on November 19. We can’t wait for you to experience this fantastical world as you design your island with bustling settlements and nurture thriving ecosystems while fighting off the withered invasion.

Why early access? 

This project is an ambitious open-world sandbox developed by a small team, with core mechanics intended to let players shape their island however they like. It’s also one of the first in-development early access titles coming to PS5. By launching into early access, we can involve our community in the development process, allowing us to better balance, polish, and iterate on these core components. This allows us to introduce new content and features based directly on your feedback.

You can still count on a fun, fantastical experience, with lots of content to explore right from the start of our Early Acess journey— but we’ll be adding additional polish and updates in the weeks ahead. Here’s a roadmap of what to expect from Towers of Aghasba at launch— and throughout early access: 

Launch content

The initial launch of Towers of Aghasba is already brimming with content, deep gameplay systems, a compelling narrative, and a vast world to explore. We release with:

• Six regions to explore
  • Exploration across vast open-world lands—climbing, gliding, and riding mounts
  • Ruins and relics to discover, unlocking ancient knowledge
  • Leisure activities (eg. fishing!)
• Three types of settlements to build, design, and decorate
• Three types of ecosystems to grow
• 50+ unique creatures
• 150+ decorations to craft
• Single-player and co-op gameplay
• Invite up to three friends to your island to build up your settlements, tend to your ecosystems, take on challenging withered foes, and discover secrets across the world

Post-launch roadmap

As with any early access title, the launch is just the beginning. We have plenty in store for the weeks and months following the release, from introducing new systems while expanding existing ones, new quests and narratives, new regions to explore, and more.

Q4 2024

• Post-launch support
• Quality of life updates
• Polish and fixes

Q1 2025

• New regions to unlock and explore
• New quest lines
• A fresh cast of characters
• Time of day-related gameplay
• Offline play mode
• Expanded glider traversal mechanics
• Photo Mode
• Player Emotes

Q2 2025

• New mounts and mount management system
• Expanding multiplayer activities and experiences
• Crossplay
• Player character customization
• Improved Townfolk AI
• Improved Shimudex functionality

Q3 2025

• New regions unlocked
• New withered quest lines and characters
• Giant withered demon combat
• Cold environmental effects
• New creatures
• Creature relationship systems

Q4 2025

• New biome type–shallow water
• New ecosystem type–water ecosystem
• New village type–fishing village
• New creatures
• New foliages
• New quest lines and characters

Q1 2026

• New regions unlocked
• Hot environmental effects
• New creatures
• Town happiness system
• Building customization

Q2 2026

• Increased Tower levels
• New major questlines

Apart from all these exciting and ambitious plans for the road ahead, an important aspect in guiding the development of Towers of Aghasba through early access is you. 

We feel it’s important to have the community involved in the development of our game to provide the best experience possible. Your feedback and suggestions are integral in the decisions we make and we hope to expand our roadmap to accommodate our player community’s requests.

Let’s build an incredible, unique, ambitious, and special game together. You can pre-order the game now, and dive into the adventure with us next week when Towers of Aghasba launches into Early Access on November 19 on PS5.

Hey everyone, Thierry here speaking for Sabotage. Our friends at PlayStation extended an invitation to share more about everything that has happened since the launch of Sea of Stars, and how that led our team to work full-time for the better part of a year on a major free update called Dawn of Equinox.

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So let’s dive into a summary of what’s included, namely general updates, combat 2.0, and couch co-op.

Updates

Along with countless bug fixes and micro adjustments, we added a bonus pre-rendered cinematic cutscene and finally got to revamp the game’s first hour by adding combat animations for the kid versions of our heroes. This allowed us to ditch the flashback structure by having action directly in the intro, something we sadly had to give up on during production.

We also added difficulty presets, a bunch of new Relics to customize the experience, and even a comprehensive Speedrun Mode designed with the help of our community. There’s some new music, character portraits, and animations—the list goes on.

Combat 2.0

The update brings two key changes to the combat system: Sticky Combo Points and Mystery Locks. Along with a comprehensive balancing pass, of course.

Sticky Combo Points: The gist of it here is that Combo Points now remain after battle, giving combo moves a lot more use overall, whether to open more aggressively on a regular fight, or providing more options to deal damage of the different types when dealing with locks.

This one mainly addresses the feeling of there not being a enough variety of moves in the game. The vision was always to give each character a small kit (MOBA-style), where each move has situational utility, rather than a big list where players pigeonhole themselves into only using their couple of favorites. All good intentions, but while the game boasts over 40 unique and custom-animated moves total, the scarcity of Combo Points meant players seldom engaged with most of them, reducing the perceived scope of combat to feeling like only having three skills per character.

Mystery Locks: This is another one that should always have been there. In short, Mystery Locks bring a new gameplay loop around revealing how to break enemies’ spells whenever they are first encountered. Instead of displaying the damage types required for each lock, they are hidden, requiring the player to try different attacks to see what will break each lock. Note that this is on a per enemy type, per spell basis, meaning that progression toward revealing Mystery Locks is saved in real-time.

The main effect on the experience here is that there will be more enemy spells flying overall, bringing a small uptick in difficulty by relying on the occurrence of more gnarly enemy moves rather than relying solely on the intricate balance between damage done and damage received. This change also adds a “Reveal” function to some of the character skills and combos, adding more layers of strategy based on whether it’s time to map a new enemy’s spells, or to go all out with damage. Combined with Sticky Combo Points and difficulty presets, Mystery Locks gives us the definitive edition of the combat system for Sea of Stars.

Couch co-op (or online using Share Play)

We knew this one would be  challenging given the hundreds of cutscenes, interactive objects, camera work, puzzles, menus, NPC interactions, and countless other things that would simply break in thousands of ways if more than one player had full control over the game’s world.

But the co-op dream was very much alive within the team, so we went for it, manually implementing every single edgecase one at a time until we had a full-on three-player mode. You can even use PS5’s Share Play feature to play online co-op with a friend (PlayStation Plus required, here’s how to use it).

In combat: Combat initiates when any player touches an enemy or projectile. In this mode, it doesn’t matter who controls which character in the overworld; players take turns at random picking the next action from the character of their choice.

Whenever an action occurs, all players can chime in to perform Team Blocks and Team Hits for even more bonus effects. For example, whenever all three players time a block properly, the damage is always zero.

Out in the world: We aimed for maximum freedom outside combat. All three players can run, swim, climb, shop, change equipment, talk to NPCs, trigger cutscenes, initiate combat, etc. Anything that a solo player could do, we wanted to make available for all. There’s even 1v1 Wheels now.

Along with a friendly bubble to bring any stray players back into the adventure, a high-five mechanic brings a fun little way to interact with one another while gaining a short speed boost in the process. Oh, we also made the animation sets required for fishing to be available for all characters.

Looking ahead

With the Dawn of Equinox update in the rear view, the team is now focused on the upcoming free DLC Throes of the Watchmaker, which is on track to be released in the Spring of 2025.

We hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into what’s been going on at Sabotage over the past year. Thank you all once again for the overwhelming support. Whether you’ll be playing for the first time or going for another run, we hope you will enjoy Sea of Stars in its full expression.

Sea of Stars: Dawn of Equinox content update is now available on PS4 and PS5. Safe travels!