Share of the Week – Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Last week, we asked you to share epic moments from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, available as a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game for January. Here are this week’s highlights:

AreeLyBadPun shares The Second Sister reaches out sinisterly

Defalt368 shares Cal walking in the grass with a moon at his back

call_me_xavii shares Cal posing with a dual-sided lightsaber in a canyon

Ag_Beaver shares a Stormtrooper standing in the darkness

Retsu_Zankoku shares Cal leaping with his lightsaber drawn

RyoppyGamePhoto shares Cal standing in the opening of a massive round structure

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: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Lightsabers
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 25, 2023

Next week, it’s all about Lightsabers. Share an epic moment with Cal or an enemy’s Lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Q&A with Roberta & Ken Williams, developers of reimagined Colossal Cave, out today

Ken and Roberta Williams need little introduction among adventure game fans. The duo, who founded legendary developer Sierra On-Line in the earliest days of gaming, has been responsible for some of the genre’s most innovative, daring, and memorable titles. The two have been away from game development for quite some time, but they haven’t been out of the spotlight–in recent years, the pair has been honored with a Gaming Icon Award from The Game Awards, and Roberta received a Pioneer Award at the 2019 Game Developers Conference. 


Q&A with Roberta & Ken Williams, developers of reimagined Colossal Cave, out today

Now, the accomplished tag team is returning to the world of adventure games after 25 years with a new development team, Cygnus Entertainment. The team’s first outing is a full remake of a true classic: Colossal Cave. Originally a pioneering text adventure game released back in 1976 and called Colossal Cave Adventure, Colossal Cave transforms the lime-green-on-black text of the original into a visually captivating graphic adventure. The original game was a huge influence on many of the designers of the era, including Ken and Roberta, who are funding this ambitious remake. We sat down with the power duo to discuss their return to the world of game development and what players can expect from their return to game development. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.

PlayStation.Blog: Roberta, can you tell us about your experiences with the original text-based Colossal Cave Adventure back in 1976 or 1977?

Roberta: I had never played a computer game ever. I think Colossal Cave may be the first or, if not, then very very close to the first computer game ever. And it certainly was the first adventure game — I mean, it basically invented the concept of an adventure game. So I played it, and I loved it, and I wanted to play more, but there weren’t really any more games quite like it at the time. So I was inspired to sit down and design my own game, which ultimately became Mystery House. 

PSB: How did the original Colossal Cave Adventure influence the games you made, Roberta?

Roberta: Colossal Cave invented most of the things that many of us who do game design [rely on], especially in the adventure game genre. It developed the idea of mapping a world. Mazes, getting lost, going down a passage one way, coming in somewhere, but then getting confused.… plus levels, puzzles, and inventory objects, and creatures you can meet that might kill you. Colossal Cave put in all these elements that had never been done before, and that sort of formed the basis for adventure gaming. And maybe computer gaming. I took some of those elements for Mystery House, and I added more of a storytelling element to it. That was my process for making my first game.

With Mystery House, I had no idea where to start. I mean, I had no idea. “Why knows?” But I thought, I’ve always liked Clue, the board game. And I liked murder mysteries and detective stories and Agatha Christie books. So I thought it would be fun to do a whodunnit, that would be fun to do. But how do I turn it into a game? And I thought, well, I’m going to think about how I would play the game Clue. I put it together, write the game, and made it more story-like.

The thing I loved about [the original] Colossal Cave was the exploratory nature of it. I wanted to know where it went and how far I could get into this cave. I discovered that I loved exploring, and a cave is a perfect place to explore. So when I first started designing [Mystery House], I thought “I need to make it exploratory,” but I added the mystery story elements. I wanted to keep that sense of exploration in my games. 

PSB: What made you decide to return to game development? 

Roberta: So we were literally 25 years out of the business…. And we made the decision to do this with the pandemic and the lockdowns. We talked about it at the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. We were nicely retired here in Palm Desert, California, and sitting out in our cantina one morning having our coffee, looking out over the Coachella Valley… We were thinking about how bored we were and what we wanted to be doing. 

Ken wanted to do a project and get back into programming. I suggested Colossal Cave, and I don’t know why — It just came out of my mouth. Kind of like when I first played the original game, and I didn’t know why but I just had to sit down and write a game…I had never done that. It was weird. 

Wouldn’t you know, later that day, Ken told me he got done talking to Don Woods (one of the original Colossal Cave developers). I said, “what? How did you do that!?” And Ken says, “Well, I have my ways. I guess we’re doing it.” But that started us on this. And it’s been about a year and a half since.

And we started out with the idea that it would be kind of simple. We knew we wanted it to be in 3D. He had secretly been studying Unity and try to get his…. programming chops. And he hired an artist, and the two of them started working on it. I came in a little bit later… at first I said, “I don’t mind helping out. But I don’t want to get really involved.” I looked over their shoulder and gave them some advice from time to time.

Before I knew it, the word got out, apparently. [laughs] People wanted to interview me about Colossal Cave and King’s Quest and all that. You know, “what are you doing, are you back?!” And at first, I was like, “Well, I wasn’t really planning on that… [laughs]. But I don’t know, maybe I am?” 

Before I knew it, I was kind of pulled into a couple of meetings with Unity, and all of a sudden it’s about me being back. And I’m not trying to be egotistical or anything. It was weird, it was like everybody expected it. And I said, “well, it looks to me like I’m not going to get out of this.” And if I was going to be a part of this, then I needed to be very serious about it.

And once I made that decision that I was going to be a part of designing Colossal Cave, that I couldn’t get out of it, here we are. Since then, I’ve jumped in with both feet, arms, head, hair, everything else… but it changed the game completely. I said to Ken, “you wanted me in, I’m in.” It’s a big project, and I’m proud of it. 

PSB: What can longtime adventure game players expect from Colossal Cave?

Roberta: It is different [from our old games]. It’s not King’s Quest. First of all, it’s a first-person experience. There’s no character that you guide around. I thought about creating a player avatar creator, but I decided that I wanted to keep Colossal Cave as true to itself as it could be. Not to try to put myself into it and make it my game. It’s Will Crowther and Don Woods’ game…I am trying to bring it to modern players so that it’s fun and immersive, in the world that Will Crowther and Patricia Crowther and Don Woods had in their minds. I wanted it to come across as what I imagined it to be when I played it.

Secondly, Colossal Cave is much more pure exploring [compared to the narrative focus on my older games]. I kind of confined people to a certain extent in my older works…. You’d be in an area until you got to the next part of the story, which sends you off into the next exploratory region with new goals and other things you must do. 

But in Colossal Cave, you can go wherever you want. That doesn’t mean you won’t encounter obstacles. You can figure out how to get around them, but you can also turn around and go elsewhere. You’ll find treasures, but you might not be sure what to do with them — but then someone can steal your treasure! And that starts a strategy for dealing with the thief and the treasure. There are mazes; they’re fun, quite complex, and very interesting. And there are dwarves! They’re nasty little creatures.

PSB: How has game development changed over the past 40 years?

Ken: Well, it’s gotten better and worse. There’s a lot more competition, that’s the first thing you notice. But there are the tools, too. All those years ago, we had to write our own text editor, graphics editor, animation editor, invent how to do sound and how to get color graphics. Now for this project, we can immediately be effective because the Unity engine is free, with wonderful training materials. You can go on Unity’s site and buy assets affordably. You can go to Adobe’s site and you can choose from thousands of animations.

It allows you to focus on the art and the game design. A lot of the low-level stuff is lifted off your shoulders. 

PSB: Was it challenging to develop during the pandemic? 

Ken: We couldn’t have done it without the emergence of working at home. We needed to assemble a team quickly when Roberta came on the project, whereas I was treating it like a hobby project to kill time during COVID. Once Roberta got involved, she said, “this has got to be Sierra quality. I need artists and programmers.”  It kept growing.  And suddenly, I had to assemble a team of 30 good people quickly….being able to assemble a team and not care where they live. It’s better than working in an office, in some ways.

Colossal Cave comes to PS5 starting today, with versions for PS VR2 and PS4 also under development.

PowerWash Simulator splash lands on PS4 & PS5 January 31

Hey washers, Jess here from FuturLab!  

Since we announced that PowerWash Simulator would be coming to PlayStation (via our good friends Kenny Washmore and Jerry Cleansburg), we’ve seen such a buzz from the community. So, as you can imagine, we are thrilled to be putting the power of relaxation into the hands of players when PowerWash Simulator lands on PS5 and PS4 on January 31st, 2023. 

Alongside this launch, we are also releasing our first free Special Pack, where you can explore and clean iconic locations and vehicles from the totemic Tomb Raider series!  

Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from both PowerWash Simulator and the Tomb Raider expansion pack… 

Everything isn’t as it seems in the town of Muckingham: an active volcano smoulders nearby, the mayor’s cat is missing, and things are extremely dirty. You’ll be commissioned to clean an array of dirty destinations, from hosing down humble homes to unmasking ancient architecture. With such a diverse range of locations, you may find your mind wandering as you clean… “what gives with this town?!” 

But for all its oddities, Muckingham scrubs up quite nicely… thanks to you! The residents have noticed too. As you blast away every speck of grime that covers Muckingham, you’ll uncover secrets hidden in the dirt and objects of each level, as well as receive messages from clients that reveal the untold tales of the places you visit. You know what they say, it all comes out in the wash! 

Once you get going, word of your power washing prowess will spread quickly, and business will be booming in no time. Earn cash by completing jobs and reinvest in more powerful washers, nifty nozzles, and cool outfits to help you clean more efficiently (and in style ?). No dirt is too tough for you to handle! 

The whole aim of PowerWash Simulator is for players to wash away their worries and take a clean break from the real world; getting all the satisfaction of washing to a sparkling finish without having to work up a sweat or even leave the sofa! 


PowerWash Simulator splash lands on PS4 & PS5 January 31

Tomb Raider Special Pack 

Once you’ve finished cleaning up Muckingham, you might be tempted to put your feet up, BUT WAIT… you’re not done yet! We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Crystal Dynamics to bring players five new levels from the time-honored Tomb Raider series.  

For the Tomb Raider Special Pack, we focused on the illustrious Croft Manor, including its grounds and some of Lara’s trusty vehicles that have been muddied out on (and off!) the road.  

“Creating the Tomb Raider Special Pack has been an honour and a fantastic experience,” said Dan Chequer, our Lead Designer at FuturLab. “We can’t wait for players to get up close and personal with Croft Manor and explore its many secrets!” 

In the Special Pack, we’ve left the perilous plots to Lara whilst challenging our players to undertake the most hazardous escapade yet… cleaning her stately home! Only the very best will do when it comes to the Croft residence; so unwind and blast away every speck of dirt you can track down, whilst Lara regales you with tales of past adventures. 

“What Tomb Raider fan hasn’t explored Croft Manor and thought ‘Winston could really use some help with these grounds! I would love to power wash this place!’?” asked Dallas Dickinson, Franchise General Manager for Tomb Raider at Crystal Dynamics. “Now, with the help of Square Enix Collective and FuturLab that’s not only possible, but immensely satisfying as well.”  

“We know the community wants more to clean, and I’m delighted we’re able to kick off our post-release plans in style with this Tomb Raider collaboration,” added Phil Elliott, studio head at Square Enix Collective. “We’ve had so much great support from players, press and content creators, and we wanted to do something special to say thank you!” 

We hope that you have good clean fun discovering the secrets of Muckingham and Croft Manor alike when PowerWash Simulator washes up on PlayStation next week! 

PowerWash Simulator launches on PS4 & PS5 on January 31 alongside the free Tomb Raider Special Pack.

Tchia will release Spring 2023 on PS4 & PS5: fresh gameplay details shared

Hey everyone, happy 2023! I’m Phil Crifo, Tchia’s Game Director and Awaceb Co-founder. Last year was a very busy and exciting one for us, and I would like to give you an update on the development of Tchia and offer a sneak peek into the game. As you’ll see, it has come a long way, and we’re happy to announce the game is coming to PS4 & PS5 this Spring (stay tuned!).

A trip to our homeland

As you may know, Tchia is inspired by our homeland, New Caledonia, and it was super important for us that folks who worked on the game got to experience those landscapes, wildlife, cultures, languages and customs firsthand. If you’re interested in finding out more, we have already released a 3-part series on the topic.


Tchia will release Spring 2023 on PS4 & PS5: fresh gameplay details shared

Everything in Tchia is infused with the local culture of New Caledonia. This includes all the various landscapes that we recreated in the open-world archipelago, and that you can freely explore, swim or navigate around, and even climb on if you’d like!

This is also the case with our cast of characters that you will meet throughout your journey. We have worked with local talent to voice everyone you will encounter in either Drehu (one of the most ancient local New Caledonian languages) and French. As you can freely explore the archipelago in Tchia, we encourage you to try out various side quests to acquaint yourself with some of the island’s inhabitants and learn more about their culture and individual personalities.

Music, finally, is a major component of your adventure. All sounds and sonorities are inspired by traditional New Caledonian culture and folklore. You’ll try these out for yourself using your trustworthy Ukulele! More on that below.

Development milestones

2022 was also the year where Tchia shaped up into its final form.

To celebrate the approaching conclusion of this great adventure, and to thank you for your support and patience throughout development, here are a few highlights of what you can expect from Tchia.

Soul-Jumping

One of the main mechanics in Tchia is called Soul-Jumping. Soul-jumping lets you take control of any object or animal you can find. Any by any object we mean just that – swim as a turtle, fly as a dove or launch yourself at enemies as a lantern plus so much more. Ever secretly wished you were a coconut? Well, now is your time!

Each object or animal you can possess allows you to experience a specific move set. And with a bit of dexterity, you’ll learn unique tricks that will allow you to chain Soul-Jumps and even use a secret feature we call the Soul-Canon! You’ll need to be careful not to deplete your stamina to keep control of your animal or object. As you explore the world and complete challenges, you’ll upgrade your stamina bar for even more Soul-Jumping action.

Ukulele

Tchia’s fully playable ukulele will be a trustworthy companion throughout your journey. It’s fully playable and we’ve even been able to re-create some famous tunes by playing around with the various chords and tones implemented in this system. You’ll also encounter scripted events that will teach you traditional music pieces, but don’t worry if rhythm is not your strong suit. Tchia is super accessible, so even a Ukulele novice can complete these challenges. Getting 100% may be another story though, we can’t wait to see some of you take on the challenge.

Finally, your ukulele lets you trigger the special ‘Soul-Melodies’. Once unlocked, these mystical tunes will affect the world around you, from changing the weather to invoking magical plants and creatures to ease your journey or reach specific quest elements quicker.

Explore

Exploration is at the heart of Tchia. You can free-climb any surface and soar the skies with Tchia’s glider made of woven coconut leaves. Whenever Tchia is in mid-air, you can use special tricks to spin in various ways and show off your acrobatic skills. Those skills can also be put to the test in diving board challenges, so be on the lookout for those! That’s just one of a range of mini-game challenges to enjoy. There’s also racing, shooting ranges, and even claw machines! Each providing rewards ranging from useful items to progress in your quest, or to customize Tchia, her backpack and glider. You’ll encounter those challenges and many other hidden secrets as you sail around the archipelago’s glistening lagoons and dive to the depths of the coral reefs.

Thanks again for all the love and support you keep sending our way! 

Games Under 20 promotion comes to PlayStation Store

PlayStation Store welcomes the Games Under 20 promotion on Wednesday, January 18. For a limited time*  enjoy great games at compelling prices. That includes the like of Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition, with 72% off the PS4 version,  67% off of the PS4 and PS5 versions of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition and 50% off God of War III Remastered on PS4. 

*Games Under 20 promotion runs on PlayStation Store from 00.00am local time Wednesday, January 18 until Wednesday February 1 at 11.59pm local time.

New Forspoken Collection revealed

To celebrate the upcoming release of Forspoken, the team at Luminous Productions is excited to announce a brand new “Forspoken Collection” line. We’re thrilled to be able to finally be able to reveal this line up!


“The PlayStation Gear Store is excited to be a part of the official launch of the ”Forspoken Collection” – we have been working hard in partnership with Luminous Productions to get these pieces perfect for the community and we hope you all love them as much as we loved creating them.”

– Gerado Riba – PlayStation Global Group Manager Brand Marketing 


Gear inspired by Forspoken’s art direction

We’re excited about how everything turned out – particularly blending the Forspoken logo, added detail, and other various design elements. We love how the in-game inspiration of the designs were utilized to introduce modern aspects from a fantasy world.

While Forspoken is an intricately designed game with tons of surprises and detail, the core concept is “merging modern and fantasy”. The main story – Frey traveling from modern present day to a fantasy world – is a clear representation of this concept. In terms of art concept, we aimed to create a brand new identity of fantastical symbology and merge that with modern sensibilities.

T-shirt Logos and Coins: Gold as the Main Color

In the world of Forspoken, gold symbolizes magical power. Similarly in the modern world we live in, gold and magic have been deeply connected since ancient times. For example, alchemy involves the use of magic to create gold. Plus, economically speaking gold is inherently valuable which will always make it special to humans. We tapped into the magic of gold as a main color in creating the universe of Forspoken.

This new line’s t-shirt and coins let players bring some of Forspoken’s golden magic into their everyday lives.

Jacket: Emblem on Frey’s Pants

Do you recognize the emblem on this jacket? If so, you have a good eye! This emblem appears in-game on Frey’s jeans and is a subtle detail not everyone may have caught. The motif of this emblem is Frey’s right hand, which she uses to wield her magic.

Frey wears the emblem without knowing what it is while still living in modern day New York City, which hints that Athia may have been calling to her for some time. From a design perspective, Frey’s black jeans blend well among the fantasy world’s cloaks and belts. This emblem being on a real-life jacket is a nod to its original home on Frey’s jeans.

Pin Badges: Icons

These icons on the pin badges perfectly represent the merging of the modern age and fantasy. In terms of UI functionality, modern and simple icons are great, but icons also need to stylistically evoke a fantasy feel. We carefully merged these two seemingly opposing elements and designed the icons one by one.

The specific icons featured on the pin badges can also be seen in-game once Frey has discovered her magical abilities. These magic icons were inspired by signs Frey saw in modern New York City as well as her experiences within Athia.

This collection of Pin Badges lets players enchant their lives with stylish designs representing Frey’s most powerful abilities.

Forspoken launches January 24, 2023

Lastly, I’m excited that the day is almost here that I can share the artistic world of Forspoken, which we have been creating for such a long time. The Luminous Productions team and I hope you enjoy immersing yourself in the universe we have created.

Forspoken launches on PS5 on January 24, 2023.

PlayStation Store’s top downloads of 2022

Last week we revealed the top downloads on PlayStation Store for December. Today, it’s time to look at the top downloads for the entirety of 2022. Blockbusters rubbed shoulders with great indie titles, but even in a year of heavy hitters, there’s some surprises as older classics snuck into the charts.

Check the full lists below.

PS5 Games

US/Canada EU
1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II FIFA 23
2 God of War Ragnarök Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
3 NBA 2K23 God of War Ragnarök
4 ELDEN RING ELDEN RING
5 Madden NFL 23 Grand Theft Auto V
6 Grand Theft Auto V GRAN TURISMO 7
7 FIFA 23 Cyberpunk 2077
8 Horizon Forbidden West Horizon Forbidden West
9 GRAN TURISMO 7 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
10 Dying Light 2 Dying Light 2
11 MLB The Show 22 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
12 Cyberpunk 2077 Among Us
13 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga NBA 2K23
14 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales F1 22
15 NBA 2K22 It Takes Two
16 WWE 2K22 Stray
17 Gotham Knights FIFA 22
18 Sifu Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
19 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Sifu
20 Stray FAR CRY 6

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games      

US/Canada EU
1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II FIFA 23
2 Grand Theft Auto V Grand Theft Auto V
3 Minecraft Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
4 ELDEN RING Minecraft
5 NBA 2K23 FIFA 22
6 Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2
7 NBA 2K22 Among Us
8 Madden NFL 23 The Last of Us Part II
9 God of War Ragnarök ELDEN RING
10 FIFA 23 The Forest
11 MLB The Show 22 Need for Speed Heat
12 The Last of Us Part II The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
13 Horizon Forbidden West The Crew 2
14 Batman: Arkham Knight NBA 2K22
15 Gang Beasts God of War Ragnarök
16 Need for Speed Heat A Way Out
17 WWE 2K22 Gang Beasts
18 Dying Light 2 F1 22
19 Among Us GRAN TURISMO 7
20 The Forest Horizon Forbidden West

*Naming of products may differ between regions

PS VR Games

US/Canada EU
1 Beat Saber Beat Saber
2 Job Simulator Job Simulator
3 SUPERHOT VR SUPERHOT VR
4 Creed: Rise to Glory Creed: Rise to Glory
5 Swordsman VR Sniper Elite VR
6 Astro Bot Rescue Mission Swordsman VR
7 Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
8 GORN Batman: Arkham VR
9 Batman: Arkham VR Arizona Sunshine
10 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Free-to-Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/Canada EU
1 Fall Guys Fall Guys
2 Fortnite Call of Duty: Warzone/Warzone 2.0
3 Call of Duty: Warzone/Warzone 2.0 Fortnite
4 MultiVersus MultiVersus
5 Overwatch 2 Overwatch 2
6 Apex Legends Rocket League
7 Rocket League eFootball 2023
8 PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Apex Legends
9 Rec Room Rumbleverse
10 Rumbleverse Rec Room

The Last of Us premieres today on HBO

Here’s a sentence that I never thought I’d type: The Last of Us airs its first episode tonight on HBO and HBO Max. 

It’s a surreal feeling. Just think: In a few short hours, Joel and Ellie will be introduced to the entire world in a whole new medium. I’m incredibly grateful to the  team at Naughty Dog, HBO, Sony Pictures Entertainment, PlayStation Productions, and of course the cast and crew members that helped get us to this  historic moment.  

I’m particularly thrilled that we found Pedro and Bella to play our iconic leads, Joel and Ellie. I can’t wait for the world to experience their portrayals and the rest of these unforgettable characters in an entirely new way. 

Naughty Dog’s Co-President Neil Druckmann also wanted to drop by with a quick message for you folks: 


“It’s been an unimaginable honor (and one of my life’s highlights) to collaborate with Craig Mazin and the team at HBO to bring The Last of Us to life as a TV show. Intense pride doesn’t begin to describe my feelings to how the show turned out. I deeply believe it captures the soul of the game that so many of you have fallen in love with. As you can imagine, I’m extremely excited (and extremely nervous) for PlayStation and Naughty Dog fans to dive into the first episode and experience for themselves the love the cast and crew has poured into this adaptation. From myself and everybody at Naughty Dog, thank you! It is due to your incredible passion and support that this show exists! We are forever grateful! Endure and survive!”

– Neil Druckmann, Co-President, Naughty Dog


And another quick note for you The Last of Us veterans. The HBO show follows the broad beats of the overall story from the game, and is quite faithful in tone and spirit. But hopefully it won’t come as a shock that this isn’t a beat-by-beat, line-by-line adaptation of the games. Neil, Craig and the production team took this opportunity to weave in new characters, themes, and locations — only where they felt true to the characters and the world, the “soul” of The Last of Us. Sometimes this was done to expand on ideas only briefly explored in the games, or because it better served the narrative structure of an episodic show.  

But rest assured, The Last of Us stays true to the soul of the games. I hope you’ll join us tonight, and definitely let us know what you think! 

Share of the Week: Unlucky

Last week, we asked you to find moments where characters ran out of luck in the game of your choice, and share using #PSBlog #PSshare. Here are this week’s unlucky highlights:

ForgottenJasmin shares Aloy falling from a snapped rope in Horizon Forbidden West.

OuterRimsPhoto shares a troll about to be whipped by Kratos’ Blades of Chaos in God of War Ragnarök

masaoandm shares an unsuspecting cat lover about to be ambushed by a headless yokai in Ghostwire: Tokyo.

GameTogg shares Sam tumbling down a cliffside in Death Stranding.

MilanesfanTJG shares Nathan Drake caught in a rainstorm in Uncharted 4.

elicitus__ shares Amicia caught up in a fire in A Plague Tale: Requiem

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: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 18, 2023

Share of the Week grabs a lightsaber and hops in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, available as a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game for January. Share daring moments with Cal using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Season: A letter to the future new story trailer revealed, PS5 features detailed

In Season: A letter to the future, you play as a young woman from a secluded village exploring the world by bike for the first time, collecting memories before a cataclysm washes everything away. Your journey brings you to a strange valley where the seeds of the next Season have been planted. You meet the last remaining inhabitants the day just before they’re to be evacuated. In this last moment, you try to piece together the mysteries of the valley. Every conversation, every landscape, brings you closer to understanding: what is this Season and why is it ending?


Season: A letter to the future new story trailer revealed, PS5 features detailed

What’s the story?

Most of the themes of “Season: A letter to the future” are expressions of the anxieties of our age. We’re heading towards a future we know will be worse than the present. As this becomes more certain, it has an attendant thought that feels even darker: These awful years are also the good times. The story exists to give some kind of poetic expression (poetic meaning barely under control, the subconscious has the wheel) to these thoughts and feelings, to defamiliarize them, tear them up and put them back together in a fantasy world. There is another major motif to the story as well: The five senses.

The senses or how things feel

The game often calls attention to your senses. The screen goes black several times as the character closes her eyes to listen closer to sounds. How things taste, feel, or smell, are often described as you explore. This theme found potent expression in many of the features available only on PlayStation 5. How does it feel to ride a bicycle? The adaptive triggers let us vary the resistance depending on the speed or the steepness of the road, so going uphill feels uphill. The haptic feedback also changes as you cycle over different types of terrain. When recording audio in the game, you hear the sound but you also feel the shape of it in the vibration of the DualSense controller.

Season also uses Tempest 3D AudioTech to add a deeper level of detail to the spatial dimensions of sound. The world is populated with ear-catching sounds that demand this close inspection. Music doesn’t just exist in the score but is part of the world, self-playing musical instruments, tunes from the radio, unusual bird songs, wind singing through bamboo. These are rich details but given the thematic importance the game attaches to our senses, they take on an added layer of meaning.

Interact with the world and its people

There are many diverse people you will meet on your adventure through the world of Season. When you come across them, each is preparing for the changing Season in their own way. Join them in their final moments in their home, and record their stories. 

Kochi, a young boy, takes you on a bicycle tour of a valley the day before it is flooded. Get to know the home he grew up in as he prepares for his final goodbye.

Maytora, an outsider artist, documents the story of the valley through her sculptures. You’re the only witness to her final piece.

Easel is the last monk of Tieng Valley. Left behind by his teachers and friends, Easel awaits the change of the Season in isolation, with nothing to pray for until you arrive.

You guide them through moments of quiet crisis. In their lives, the change coming to the world is not abstract, it is immediate. They are trying to navigate, to survive, to find a way to live. You help them. You remember them. In your journal, carry them with you. 

  • A stunning bicycle road trip: Wind your way through stunning landscapes on your bicycle. Slow down and take in the incredible scenery in vista after memorable vista.
  • Explore a mysterious world: Meet a diverse cast of characters along your way, who will change the course of your story. The land of Tieng Valley is open for you to explore, investigate and learn about the past and the future of this place.
  • Document, photograph, and record: Collect memories, make recordings, and discover the secrets of this Season before it ends. Your journal is the key to understanding this world.
  • Beautiful soundtrack: Listen to the haunting score as you travel, a perfect accompaniment for your journey.
  • Important choices: Pay attention to your surroundings as you live through the story and resolve the end of Season. Choose the questions you ask characters carefully, as these choices will impact your relationships and understanding of the world. Remember, what you collect is what will be saved for the next Season.

The gameplay of Season: A letter to the future focuses on exploring, recording, meeting others, and unraveling the strange world around you. Wind your way through stunning landscapes on your bicycle. At any point, you can hop off your bike and equip a recording tool from your bag. Each captures a different element; sounds and music, art and architecture, voices of strangers, vanishing religious practices, and the traces of Seasons long past. Your tools help you examine the world more closely until you’re able to grasp the culture, history, and ecology underneath it all.Season: A letter to the future will be available digitally on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on January 31. You may pre-order now or add to your Wishlist!