Last week, we asked you to share moments sailing through your favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
shimo_ps shares sailing on a schooner in Windbound
WarDaddyPlatine shares Nathan sailing through chaos in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Dario_OtherEyes shares an aerial view of Bayek and his skiff in Assassin’s Creed Origins
MrioMoreno5 sails through the skies in The Artful Escape
spec_arc shares Jin tossing a grappling hook from the deck of a ship in the rain of Ghost of Tsushima
RhodWulfLeon shares Kratos and Freya rowing in God of War Ragnarök
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 24, 2024
Next week, humanity makes their last stand. Share epic moments exploring Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
The New Era established in Mortal Kombat 1 has seen many classic characters from the series evolve in new and interesting ways. Resetting the Mortal Kombat Universe allowed us to experiment with their narratives to sharpen relationships, increase connections, and heighten conflicts. We’re taking characters in bold new directions while also honoring their pasts.
Before we dive into the backstory of Takeda joining the Mortal Kombat 1 roster, let’s take a first look at his Brutality finishing move.
When the team decided that Takeda Takahashi should join the roster of Mortal Kombat 1, we were faced with an intriguing narrative challenge: How do we make a character, who was previously a second generation kombatant, a peer of his immediate ancestors? We chose to alter Takeda’s history to root him firmly in the New Era’s present day.
Mortal Kombat 1 introduces reimagined versions of iconic characters in a way that as they’ve never been seen before, and in this New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Takeda is Kenshi Takahashi’s cousin, not his son. As a fellow Takahashi, he has also served the Yakuza. As a fellow hero, he also eventually chooses to reject them. But that doesn’t mean that he and Kenshi are thick as thieves. As was the case in the prior Mortal Kombat era, the two men have different agendas which bring them into conflict. Where Kenshi’s sole focus is extracting his family from the Yakuza’s embrace, Takeda seeks its destruction as well as the destruction of Earthrealm’s entire underworld. Kenshi is no fan of Takeda’s larger and deadlier agenda.
Even with these changes, Takeda’s backstory still retains key narrative elements from its prior iteration. As before, Takeda spends significant time living among the Shirai Ryu. He trains with Scorpion, blending the latter’s Shirai Ryu technique with his own style of kombat.
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As we began writing Takeda’s scripts, we realized that his world needed to be more deeply integrated with that of his fellow kombatants. To do so, we brought the criminal Red Dragon clan into the mix. They make their first appearance in the New Era as the shadowy bosses responsible for all of Earthrealm’s and Outworld’s organized crime.
Takeda Takahashi will be available on July 23 as part of the early access period for Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack owners on PlayStation 5, followed by wide availability on July 30. Additionally, Takeda will be playable for the first time ahead of his release at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) fighting game tournament in Las Vegas from July 19 to 21. This opportunity will be available exclusively for event attendees and located within the Mortal Kombat 1 booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
Freegunners, Concord’s Open Beta launches today, granting you a weekend’s worth of galactic action on PS5 and PC. Jump aboard the spaceship Northstar, meet the Freegunners, then head planetside to take on rival crews across multiple different game modes. Open Beta gives you a chance to try out the 16-strong character roster, and get to grips with Crew Builder, the Job Board and more.
You’ll find additional gameplay details, tips and lore in the ‘How to Play’ section of the Open Beta’s main menu. To bolster that info and arm you with additional gameplay tips ahead of launch, we sat down with Firewalk Studios’ lead gameplay designer Claude Jerome and lead character designer Jon Weisnewski to dig into the intricacies of the multiplayer shooter’s gameplay mechanics and systems.
A Freegunner for everyone
Concord’s 16-strong character roster offers a lot of variety from the off. But there are certain Freegunners in the lineup that are a good fit for certain players based on their experience in the multiplayer shooter genre.
“We actually have a number of characters that are designed specifically to be entry points for players who feel anxiety or stress that come into a game like this,” says Weisnewski. “For that player who’s never played a shooter before, I’d recommend Lark. Lark was designed from the ground up to be inviting [to those players]. Their weapon, the Razor Pod Launcher, blasts out this little sphere that floats in the air. When an enemy gets close to that sphere, it detonates and spawns little homing projectiles that will track down the enemy and do damage… so right out the gate, we have a gun that doesn’t require players to be precise with their aiming.
“One of Lark’s Abilities is to drop a Spore Seed. It creates an area that buffs your team and debuffs the enemy team – you’ll get faster mobility, a little bit of damage resistance. That Spore has a high uptime, so you can be constantly planting. You’ll help your team by running around the map and planting Spore Seeds in key locations. Their other Ability is the Transplant Pod. On first activation they create this little plant, and on second, they teleport back to it. There’s a ton of high level strategic play, but [for newcomers], they have a weapon they don’t have to aim, an Ability that always helps their team and if they get stressed during combat, they can teleport out.”
“Kyps is similar,” Jerome continues. “She’s a spy robot that can plant surveillance traps, she can go into stealth [on dodging]. She can be an effective help for the team in this low anxiety way. The traps can spot people behind walls.
“That feeds into a dynamic of our philosophy – brains versus aims. We want both to matter. It matters if you have thumb skill, but we also want this cerebral approach to combat. Be thoughtful of every move you make, to feel like it matters to the outcome of the match.”
“For the highly competent shooter player, someone who is already very, very skilled at these games, just wants to pick it up and, and be effective right out the gate, I would recommend Teo,” concludes Weisnewski. “Teo was intentionally designed to feel familiar to people who have played shooters. He’s got a very military-inspired loadout: a Guild Guard Rifle, a side arm pistol he can swap to. He has Cluster and Smoke Grenades. He’s got a double dodge. He’s quick. If you’ve played any shooter, he should just feel immediately familiar.”
Crew Roles
Rather than traditional archetypes, each of the 16 Freegunners fall into one of 6 Roles – Anchor, Breacher, Haunt, Ranger, Tactician and Warden. Each has been defined and designed around play styles, with further variety found in the characters that fall within those Roles. “We have three different Rangers,” examples Weisnewski. “Each has a distinct feel to them. We have a more support-leaning character, a defensive-leaning character and a more traditional offensive-leaning character… we hope players will gravitate to one that actually feels like it was made just for them and how they want to play.”
“One of our philosophies we’re talking about is this concept of like recipes versus ingredients,” explains Jerome. “Recipes are this authored, crafted thing that you have to play this way, right? We just give you a bunch of tools and you can pick the way you want to approach combat.” You’ll see each Freegunner’s Role displayed on the Character Select screen.
Character Abilities and Skillful Loops
Every Freegunner has two unique Abilities, mapped to L1 and R1. Not all recharges are built around cooldown time: they differ per Freegunner and are built around the most fun, effective way to reinforce that character’s personality. It’s a resource model Firewalk coin as “Skillful Loops” or “Sloops” for short. “I think Jabali was the pioneer of sloops,” says Weisnewski, the concept successful enough to inspire the studio to apply it all Freegunners. “Take a character like Lennox, a precision shooter. A character with a lot of trust in their thumbskill will have an extremely higher DPS than others. So that’s the skill we’re trying to encourage, train and reward. So Lennox gets his Throwing Knife Ability back on landing a kill.” In contrast, 1-Off’s Trash Bomb recharges by vacuuming up projectiles or items in the world. Find out more about the Ability conditions for each Freegunner in the Character Select screen or in the Freegunners section of the main menu.
Crew combos
“This goes back to that recipes versus ingredients analogy,” says Jerome. “Combos are these implicit combinations of actions and status effects” with Freegunner combative options pairing nicely together. “DaVeers’ Burnite grenade launcher leaves these purple chemical splashes where its projectiles hit. If they hit those with their Ignition Dart, they’ll ignite and explode. But if another character like Haymar uses her fire abilities, it’ll also ignite those chemicals.” Start experimenting during matches and get a feel for complementary skillsets.
Support items
Some Freegunner Abilities are permanent, deploying an item into the combat space that can help your crew or hinder rivals. Examples include Daw’s Heal Pads that top up an ally’s energy bar, or Duchess’s Construct Walls which block paths or provide cover. These will remain even between match rounds, or until the enemy team does something about them. So for multi-round matches, there’s value in long-term strategy by populating the map with useful gear. “It allows you to take advantage of characters beyond their lifespan [during a match],” explains Jerome.
Crew Builder and rolling over Role Perks
Each of the six Freegunner Roles has a Crew Bonus. Rangers, for example, have Improved Weapon Recoil, Tacticians, faster reload speed. In Concord, if your next deployed Freegunner has a different Role, the previous character’s Role-specific perk stacks on top of theirs, ultimately letting you play a much more capable combatant infused with the buffs of 6 Roles. It’s an extra layer of strategy played out over a match as you play through Freegunners to adapt to the situation at hand. Crew Builder, selectable within the Freegunners option on the main menu, allows you to build custom team compositions, deck builder style, to take into specific modes. There’s more details in the “How to Play” menu.
Complete Jobs, get paid
Freegunners are mercenaries, guns-for-hire who roam the galaxy and do high-stake jobs to keep them going. “We want each match to [feed into that fantasy],” says Jerome. “So that shows up in our progression system. The Job Board shows all the different things you can be rewarded for doing in that match. That could encourage Ability usage, kill combinations… when you complete those jobs, those challenges, that gives you XP. Your payout. That unlocks more options, more customisation for your characters.”
Concord’s Open Beta is available on PS5 & PC July 18 – 21. You can listen to an extended interview with Firewalk in the Official PlayStation Podcast, the new episode of which drops tomorrow.
Hello everyone, I’m Kee Zhang from Hotta Studio. I’m incredibly excited to introduce our brand new title, Neverness to Everness, to PlayStation players today!
Neverness to Everness (NTE for short) is a supernatural urban open-world game set to release for free on PS5. You will step into the shoes of an Appraiser, embarking on an extraordinary supernatural adventure in the bustling metropolis of Hethereau.
Let’s dive into what makes this game unique.
Welcome to Hethereau, a city beyond the ordinary
You’ve probably played many city-based games, but Neverness to Everness offers a Hethereau that is both familiar and bizarre, yet convincingly real. In this open world, every moment is an adventure as you explore and live in this unique city.
In Hethereau, you’ll encounter TV-headed otters, skateboarders creating graffiti on the street at midnight, and countless supernatural phenomena we call Anomalies. The origins of these anomalies are varied and remain unexplained. Encountering an anomaly in Hethereau is as common as breathing—hopefully, your first encounter won’t scare you.
Hethereau is also a living city.
Operational shops and businesses: A complete business management system lets you purchase vehicles and property to enhance your city life.
Dynamic NPCs: The streets are filled with realistic pedestrians who have destinations and genuine actions. Most NPCs follow traffic rules, but if you disrupt the order, expect different reactions from them.
Authentic vehicles: You can modify and drive them, wreak havoc on the roads, or participate in races.
Anomalies: light comedy with a twist
A great open-world game needs a compelling story, and Neverness to Everness revolves around these anomalies.
As the protagonist, you’ll debut in this anomaly-filled city as an appraiser at the antique shop “Eibon”, beginning an extraordinary daily life by nullifying and containing various anomalies.
Seeing anomalies in the city is like hearing a discordant note in a symphony—they stand out and offer rich, explorative content. We tell the story through episodic narratives with a light comedic touch, aiming to deliver vivid, nuanced storytelling and distinct character portrayals. Our goal is to spark players’ curiosity, maintain immersion, and drive a continuous desire for exploration.
Meet companions, battle with supernatural abilities
While exploring this urban open world, you’ll meet companions with various supernatural abilities to help you solve upcoming events. These abilities, known as Espers, are awakened powers in ordinary humans—some can utilize anti-gravity to climb high-rise buildings, unlocking new urban perspectives, while others can destroy environments, enhancing immersive realism.
These abilities also shine in combat, creating “Esper Reactions” that are easy to master and make battles more exciting. With great Esper comes great responsibility—the safety of Hethereau relies on you and your companions.
Building Hethereau with cutting-edge technology
Hethereau combines cutting-edge technology with the latest trends. To achieve our desired effects and make the city scenes more realistic, we used Unreal Engine 5 to construct the city’s framework and leveraged Nanite virtualized geometry technology to significantly enhance scene realism. We will also continue optimizing for the PlayStation platform to ensure an exceptional player experience.
Neverness to Everness has been in development for a while, and Hethereau has been built from scratch. This city will continue to grow, with more residents and features added over time.
Thank you to every player who has followed our journey, stay tuned for more news about Neverness to Everness.
The competition heats up in season 5, introducing wrestling royalty as WWE superstars join a packed roadmap of content including new Multiplayer maps and modes, the final Zombies story mission, the return of the Atlas Superstore, and much more across Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Bait (launch): Catch a win in the Sunshine State deploying dockside on this mid-sized map featuring poolside tiki floats and a central boat house.
Yard (launch): Crush your enemies in this small cel-shaded map set in a junkyard in the Sonoran Desert.
New Variants: At launch, play new cel-shaded map variants Toonoxide (Rust) and Celship (Shipment). At the mid-season, battle amongst the bold outlines of Ink House (Stash House).
Slam Deathmatch and other new modes
Slam Deathmatch (in-season): Earn points by downing and then eliminating opponents with a Finishing Move during the WWI SummerSlam event. All Finishing Moves will be randomized WWE Finishing Moves.
COD Warrior (launch): Compete 2v2v2 in a series of randomized, quickfire minigames. Every round win awards one point, and the first team to reach five points wins. Adapt quickly: with 15 minigames in all, you never know what’s coming next.
Arcade Playlist (in-season): Power up with new abilities including increased jump height, the Ground Slam, and Forcefield while fighting for possession over five new power weapons like the Sledgehammer with increased knockback ability and Akimbo Dragon’s Breath pistols.
Zombies overview
The final story mission (mid-season)
Face the ultimate challenge and confront the Entity in a new area of the Dark Aether. Avoid the horde using Aetherium launch pads to soar through the air and survive the climactic final boss battle to unlock a cinematic and acquire the first piece needed to access the new Dark Aether Rift.
New Dark Aether Rift, Schematics (mid-season)
Be alert for clues to opening a lucrative and lethal Dark Aether Rift. Earn powerful new rewards including permanent unlocks for completing the perilous challenges within. Discover three new Schematics to aid you along the way:
Disciple Bottle: Spawn a friendly Disciple to wreak havoc against your foes.
Grenade Bandolier: Replenish your Lethal and Tactical Equipment over time, allowing you to regularly bombard enemies.
Stash Increase: Increase your stash size to 30.
Call of Duty: Warzone overview
Superstore POI (launch)
The iconic Atlas Superstore is coming to Urzikstan. South of the Orlov Military Base, the Superstore fulfills all your shopping needs whether that’s new weapons, a perk set, armor plates, or other useful items. Prepare to fight across the aisles as other squads seek out these same goods.
New modes, features, and public events
Supreme Resurgence (mid-season): Deploy to a Rebirth Island filled with exceptional ground loot including meta-inspired Weapon Blueprints plus other changes to the Resurgence formula. Win your first match to unlock a new weapon camo.
Bounty Contest (launch): When this public event activates in Resurgence, every squad is given a Bounty Contract. Survive the target on your back and earn cash for every completed bounty.
Redeploy Drone (launch): Redeploy on your own terms with the portable R.D.B. Field Upgrade. Throw out a line for the whole squad and reposition fast.
Elite Contracts (mid-season): Seek out Elite Contracts to earn bonus rewards including an elite cache providing one of the following: the Foresight Killstreak, multiple Redacted Weapons, Specialist Perk Package, or an Advanced UAV.
Recon Flyover (mid-season): In two waves, a squadron of Advanced UAVs highlight scanned Operators as red player arrows on the map. Prepare for imminent battle.
General overview
Season 5 Combat Pack for PlayStation Plus members
PlayStation Plus members, don’t forget to grab the season 5 Combat Pack. This pack grants Élodie “Lockpick” a new Operator Skin: Apotheosia.
PlayStation Plus members will also receive the following: the Colosseum Vanquisher weapon Blueprint, the Pantheon Pummeler weapon Blueprint, the Augustan Assailant Large Decal, the Corinthian Conqueror weapon Sticker, the Golden Lion Charm, and the Aegis Emblem.
New challenges and events
Rule the ring and unlock new content across Weekly Events like the WWE SummerSlam; prove your championship status by completing challenges across all game modes to unlock rewards including an Operator Skin mastery reward.
Earn more rewards across a variety of in-game events, including the Conquest Event plus new Field Rep events like Wildlife Most Wanted, Emotional Overdrive, and Echo Endo Live!
New Store content: WWE Superstars, Toon Force 141
Superstars Cody Rhodes “The American Nightmare” and Rey Mysterio “The Ultimate Underdog” join new Tracer Pack Bundles alongside other Store offerings like Tracer Pack: Toon Force 141; take down your enemies, comic book style.
Season 5 launches July 24
Expect more content in the season, like six new Aftermarket Parts and four new weapons, including a new SMG and assault rifle plus a spear and compound bow. Compete in new Ranked Play challenges across Multiplayer and Call of Duty: Warzone, disrupt enemy electronics with the EMP Grenade, and progress through a Battle Pass featuring highlights like Operator Skins for Rhea Ripley AKA “Mami” and Ivan Alexxeve, leader of Konni Group.
Purchase Modern Warfare III on PlayStation to enjoy the benefits of two additional loadout slots, monthly exclusive Double XP events, +25% PlayStation Party Bonus XP, +5 bonus Battle Token Tier Skips with a BlackCell purchase, and a free in-game bundle each season with the Combat Pack.
This year’s Summer Sale lights up PlayStation Store from tomorrow, Wednesday, July 17. With hundreds of titles on offer for a limited time*, it’s your chance to plan your next great adventure, discover a new favorite series, and more. That includes the likes of FromSoftware’s critically-acclaimed Elden Ring (30% off), the frantic action of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III – Cross-Gen Edition (45% off) and taking your first steps into a wizarding world with Hogwarts Legacy (60% off).
There’s such a high number of discounted games, we couldn’t fit them all in here. Browse a selection of titles below, then head to PlayStation Store when the promotion begins to find out your regional discount.
A Plague Tale Bundle
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Ace Attorney Anthology
AEW: Fight Forever
AEW: Fight Forever – Season Pass 1
AEW: Fight Forever – Season Pass 2
AEW: Fight Forever – Ultimate Edition
Age of Wonders 4
Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Upgrade
Aliens: Dark Descent
Alone in the Dark
Amnesia: The Bunker
Another Crab’s Treasure
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Arizona Sunshine® 2
ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON – Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition (PS4 & PS5)
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Season Pass
Worms W.M.D
WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship
Wreckfest: Drive Hard. Die Last.
Wreckfest: Drive Hard. Die Last. Season Pass
WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition
Yakuza: Like a Dragon Legendary Hero Edition PS4 & PS5
Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 & PS5
*PlayStation Store’s Summer Sale runs from 00.00am PDT/BST/JST Wednesday, July 17, until 23.59pm PDT/BST/JST on Wednesday, August 14. Some games will be removed from the promotion early. Check a game’s PlayStation Store page for its end date.
The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) returns to Las Vegas this weekend, from July 19 to 21. Every summer as the temperature rises, so does the competition. Fans and competitors from the fighting game community head to Las Vegas to celebrate the games that bring us together. Champions will return to defend their titles while new blood tries to make their mark on Evo history.
For the second year, Evo 2024 broke the world registration record for an in-person esports event, with over 10,000 registrants and over 50,000 attendees from 63 countries around the world. As the fighting game community continues to grow, Evo is heading to a new, bigger venue: the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees will experience an expanded show floor alongside an arena finals experience for all eight Evo tournaments. The lineup this year is epic: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1, The King Of Fighters XV, Guilty Gear -Strive-, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes.
New and returning show floor experiences
This year’s event features brand-new show-floor attractions, alongside the return of fan favorites like the Free Play Arcade, Arcade Stick Museum, Cosplay Competition, and hands-on demos of upcoming games.
Evo attendees will also get a hands-on look at new and highly anticipated fighting games, including 2XKO, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Rivals 2, Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, and HunterxHunter NenxImpact.
Make sure to check out the debut of the Evo Art Gallery, a celebration of fighting game history. The Gallery will feature over 100 pieces, including illustrations, promotional posters, and more.
The Evo Cosplay Competition will showcase world-class cosplayers dressed as characters from your favorite fighting games.
The Arcade Controller Museum highlights the brands and communities of fighting games. Experience the history of the arcade controller and check out a vast collection of Evo controllers, community pieces, game-licensed fight sticks, and more.
The popular Free Play Arcade is back with more games and an expanded footprint. There are more games this year than ever before, from vintage FGC classics to modern cabinets.
Catch up with PlayStation at Evo
The PlayStation Booth will be on the floor with exclusive demos, competitions, and gear. Fans can play a demo of the upcoming Astro Bot and test their skills in Gran Turismo 7 Time Trials. New and exclusive merch will be available onsite at the PlayStation Gear Store. Players can drop in and practice their skills on all eight Evo titles.
During Evo, there will be major fighting games on discount as a part of PlayStation Store’s Summer Sale. Head to PlayStation Store when the promotion goes live on July 17.
Watch Evo this weekend
You can tune in to live coverage of Evo on twitch.tv/evo and the PlayStation Esports YouTube channel. Event Badges for this year’s record-breaking Evo will be available right up to the weekend of the event at evo.gg
Evo is defined by the fans. Your passion for fighting games makes this event something special, and we’re grateful for that support. Stay tuned for more Evo news and announcements soon. See you at Evo 2024.
The team at Red Barrels is extremely excited to dive deeper into our very first seasonal update, Project Lupara. For any newcomers, The Outlast Trials is a cooperative PvE experience where up to four players, known in-game as Reagents, participate in experiments that push their psyches to the absolute limit. Our imminent (and free) update, Project Lupara’ packs a major wallop, including a brand-new story trial (it’s gross), a brand-new map (even grosser), and a brand-new Rig.
On top of all that, we’re proud to introduce what all our Reagents have been fearfully waiting for: The sniffling, whining, bloodthirsty Franco ‘Il Bambino’ Barbi. The first of his kind, Franco hunts players with his beloved Lupara, a sawed-off shotgun that gives him range beyond any Outlast villain thus far.
The perverse son of New Orleans mafia don Salvatore Barbi, Franco is driven by craven entitlement, greed, and psychosexual violence fueled by his impotence and insecurities, a freakish “big baby” obsessed with his Pacifier the titular boom stick he suckles on when he’s not using it to blow some poor unsuspecting Reagent to smithereens (including all that fun gore and viscera you’ve come to expect from us). With a face even his mother couldn’t love, players will be introduced to Franco in the new story Trial, Poison the Medicine, which will transport Reagents to The Docks, a brand-new map, and Barbi’s home turf.
Can’t get enough Barbi? During the four weeks following the release of the update, the fine folks at Murkoff have taken it upon themselves to shuttle Franco around to the other trials in the Bambino special event. Mother Gooseberry and Sergeant Coyle have promised to play nice, though I’d continue to keep my distance if I were you.
Escalation Therapy, a new game mode being introduced alongside this update, will allow hardcore Reagents to partake in a seemingly never-ending experience that will pit them against a series of randomized Trials, with randomized variations, and randomized upgrades. No playthrough will be the same, but each one will have you clawing your eyes out until you beg for mercy. And just when you think it’s over, the cycle begins anew. Start with nothing, survive as long as you can, and reap your rewards.
If that wasn’t enough, Easterman has signed off on adding another distraction to the Sleep Room. Alongside arm wrestling and chess, Reagents will be able to challenge each other to the Stroop Test. The Stroop Test is a classic challenge based on hastily choosing between mismatched colored words. It sounds easy, but this mind-liquifying test quickly becomes a classic Outlast head trip. Who said Murkoff never did anything nice for its Reagents?
We’ve heard the pained moans of our Reagents from behind the triple-reinforced glass, and so we took the time to give all of our menus a facelift. Browse the new Catalogs to find all sorts of player rewards and sickening cosmetics. Expect Trial Boards to refresh regularly, making Weekly Programs easily accessible for Reagents looking to dive back into their favorite Trials… With a twist or two. Speaking of Trials, this update will also include a wider range of difficulty settings, starting from Introductory going all the way to Psychosurgery. Furthermore, the new Tasks system will allow Murkoff to give the particularly meticulous Reagents special objectives to tackle as they go through their Trials. Alone or together, the chances to reap more rewards have never been more bountiful.
Last but not least, Reagents can gain access to the new Barricade Rig. Use it to block the path behind you or to troll your friends. Pursuers will have to bash their way through or take the long way around to catch up. Like the other Rigs, The Barricade comes with its own set of upgrades that can be unlocked to bolster Reagents even more in their absolute moment of need. Nothing can stop you.
For those looking for that immediate staycation, The Exotica Pack will include exclusive outfits and Cell decoration items that are sure to warm even the frailest, beaten-down Reagent. The Exotica Pack will be available for purchase for $19.99 and offers a treasure trove of new cosmetics.
We can’t wait for you to discover what Murkoff has been cooking up for you with Project Lupara. This is only the beginning of the Sinyala Facilities expansion. There will be many more surprises for our loyal Reagents in the not-so-distant future. So what are you waiting for? Begin your rebirth today, but in the meantime, enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how we come up with this filth.
Hi PlayStation community—I’m Chris Stair, the creative director of Squid Shock Studios, and I’m excited to have an opportunity to share some insights into our first game, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, a hand-drawn action-platformer coming out on PlayStation 5 on July 17.
Some of the big inspirations for Bō are the 2D action-exploration games I grew up playing. I love the wonder and mystery that comes with exploration, the thrill of finding new abilities, and the sense of satisfaction when you figure out how to use those skills you’d found to uncover a secret path.
Some of my favorite games in the genre also have really memorable traversal: bombing yourself up a wall, launching yourself off enemies, or just backwards dashing through a castle hall. In Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, we wanted to create a movement and combat system with its own distinctive, rewarding rhythm—something that can make you feel like you’ve entered a “flow” state when everything comes together—and wanted to talk a bit more about that with you today.
Get the flow going
Bō isn’t capable of doing a double jump by default, so one technique you’ll need to learn early on is what we call the Bump. When Bō strikes an object or an enemy with the Equinox Staff while airborne, you’ll glow teal, giving you the ability to do a mid-air jump. If you strike something again after that second jump, you’ll glow again and can do a third jump, and so on.
You’ll frequently combine this with Bō’s Pogo move to get even more airtime. If you press down and strike an object while you’re on the descent, you’ll not only immediately bounce up and get some height, but you’ll reset your jump ability too, enabling you to perform another mid-air leap right afterward.
And as long as there are objects or monsters in the environment to hit, you can keep Bumping and Pogoing basically indefinitely, staying airborne for as long as you can keep up the rhythm. It becomes a little game of its own.
Eventually, you’ll discover other traversal abilities that let you dash or smash downward forcefully through the air. We hope that as you play and get familiar with your abilities, you’ll start to see opportunities throughout the game for all of these things to work together—enemy spawns during a boss battle, seemingly incidental environmental objects, curious platform placement—and get into a really rewarding groove.
Trouble brewing
These abilities aren’t just for movement; they power your combat skills, too. One critical component of the action is the mystic Tea Kettle you get early on from Asahi, a rabbit tentaihana (a sprite-like being) who plays a central role in your entire journey.
When you strike enemies with your Equinox Staff, including when you Bump or Pogo, you’ll siphon their energy into the kettle and brew up some tea. You can then use that tea in a number of ways, such as restoring your health (if you can find a moment of peace) or summoning one of the Daruma Dolls you’ve collected, which unleash some of the game’s most powerful attacks.
The Daruma Dolls especially love hot tea. The hotter your tea is when you summon a Daruma, the more devastating their attack will be. And the way you heat up your tea kettle is, you probably guessed it, by staying airborne in combat as long as you can. So, we really tried to create a system where airborne agility and combat prowess are intertwined.
We designed Bō’s areas and encounters around this idea. Seemingly uncrossable chasms with an archipelago of enemies who serve as your path. Boss battles where you’re bouncing higher and higher off little foes, building momentum to blast the boss’s head with a potent Daruma Doll strike. All with the goal of making it fairly simple to learn, but challenging and rewarding to master.
The boiling point
While we drew a lot of inspiration from 2D action-exploration games, the world and gameplay also draw a lot from Japanese folklore and traditions. The character of Bō is in part inspired by stories of Princess Kaguya and Momotaro. Many of the yokai and monsters that Bō battles represent our own creative twists on classic folktales, like your confrontation with the massive Hashihime who guards the bridge in Bō’s world. Bō powers up the Daruma Dolls by finding ink to draw additional eyes, which in our real world is linked to achieving goals and good fortune. Bō can also collect and equip a wide range of Omamori, amulets that grant you bonuses to customize your gameplay.
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There’s a lot more for you to explore and many more ways to find your flow for yourself, waiting in Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. We hope you’ll check it out when the game arrives on PlayStation 5 on July 17.
MLB The Show 24 is gearing up to be your source for all things All-Star. From the Futures Game and Skills Showcase to the 2024 Draft, Home Run Derby, and All-Star Game, you can count on finding all-new content, including Programs, Moments, and Missions that let you relive some of the biggest plays from All-Star Week, as well as plenty of brand-new player items featuring some of the biggest 2024 All-Star athletes. So be sure to pick up those sticks and get into a game with MLB The Show 24 during All-Star Week to experience All-Star excitement from the comfort of your own home.
Team Affinity Season 2: Chapter 2
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Diamond Dynasty* rolls out the red carpet in Team Affinity Season 2: Chapter 2 as we celebrate the 2024 All-Stars!
Find 2024 All-Star Series players like Marcus Semien, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, and one player from each of the 30 MLB clubs in TA S2:C2. Play different single and multiplayer** modes to earn the player card rewards in the six division programs.
Complete 2024 All-Star content, including missions for PXP, multiplayer stats, and more, to start earning TA points towards progression in each division reward path. Other ways to earn All-Stars in Team Affinity include exchanging players from your inventory. Plus, play the fan-favorite single-player mode – Conquest – where you grow your fanbase on a map to take over opposing teams in 3-inning games against the CPU.
Earn extra TA progress by delivering in the clutch during key games in March to October. If you’re up for a difficult challenge, try your hand at the Optional Extreme Moments featuring the Bosses in some of the most exhilarating plays of their careers. Start playing today to earn those shining All-Stars for your Diamond Dynasty squad.
Attending All-Star Week
If you’re in Arlington, TX, attending the 2024 All-Star Week festivities, be sure to stop by the MLB The Show booth to learn about current and future game content, and play games with friends and other attendees for a chance to take home some MLB The Show prizes.
Hall of Fame programs
For an encore to All-Star Week festivities, get ready to honor the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in MLB The Show 24! Relive various moments from Adrian Beltre’s, Todd Helton’s, and Joe Mauer’s careers through their own Hall of Fame programs, arriving on July 21 in Diamond Dynasty mode. As you experience their journeys and complete moments and missions, you will unlock a Diamond 99 OVR version of each new Hall of Famer.
*Internet connection required to play Diamond Dynasty mode and for content updates. **Console-specific online multiplayer subscription required.
