The wait is finally over. This is Yang Bing, as the creator of Lost Soul Aside, I couldn’t be more excited to share some big news—our action RPG will officially launch on PlayStation 5 and PC on May 30, 2025! What started as a one-person dream (me, a computer, and endless late nights) has evolved into a sprawling adventure full of breathtaking visuals and adrenaline-pumping combat.
Let me take you behind the scenes to explore the heart, soul, and sweat poured into this game. Whether you’re here for the stylish combat or the gripping story, there’s plenty to dive into. Let’s get started!
A world that lives and breathes
Creating the world of Lost Soul Aside was like painting with imagination on a sci-fi fantasy canvas. You’ll traverse landscapes that feel alive: sunlit plains, mysterious ancient ruins, and alternate dimensions that buzz with energy. This world isn’t just eye candy—it’s filled with secrets, monsters, and unpredictable events that keep you interested.
But let’s talk about what really defines the experience—combat.
Combat that packs a punch
My goal was simple: make combat so fluid, fast, and stylish that you never want to put the controller down. Kaser’s shape-shifting weapon adapts to your combat style. Are you a precise swordsman? A fan of devastating ranged attacks? Maybe you like high-speed mobility? Whatever your preference, the different type of weapons will serve you well.
One standout moment during development was designing the boss battles. The fight with a towering dragon remains one of my personal favorites. It challenges you to juggle aerial dodges, perfectly timed counters, and relentless strikes. Not to mention, it’s a visual feast that feels like being part of your own epic action movie.
Beneath the flashy moves, there’s depth for players who love to experiment. You can customize loadouts, chain synergistic combos, and strategize with Arena, Kaser’s dragon-like companion. His abilities aren’t just support—they’re game-changers, turning tough battles in your favor when used wisely.
From moment-to-moment clashes with enemies to massive set-piece battles, combat in Lost Soul Aside is designed to keep you on the edge of your seat, pushing your skills to the limit while rewarding creativity and precision.
A story close to my heart
While combat takes center stage, Lost Soul Aside also weaves in a narrative about Kaser’s journey of redemption and discovery. As he uncovers the truth about Arena and their shared power, players will encounter a mix of personal challenges and high-stakes conflicts. The story focuses on creating memorable moments and connections, offering surprises without overwhelming the gameplay experience. And yes, there’s plenty of drama, because who doesn’t love a good gasp-worthy moment?
Made for PlayStation
Lost Soul Aside was built with PlayStation in mind, and I’m thrilled about the enhancements we’ve implemented:
Lightning-fast load times: With the PS5 SSD, you’ll transition seamlessly between exploration and combat.
DualSense controller magic: Feel the tension of every blade swing with adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
4K eye candy: The world comes alive in stunning detail with dynamic lighting and meticulously crafted environments.
PC players, don’t worry—the game is fully optimized to deliver smooth performance and retains all the core gameplay features.
Pre-order bonuses and Deluxe Edition
We’re excited to reveal the exclusive rewards for those who jump in early:
Pre-Order Bonuses:
Kaser’s original outfit from the game’s earliest reveal, giving players a nostalgic look back at how it all began.
A starter pack of in-game currency to help you kick off your adventure.
A bundle of healing potions, perfect for those challenging early game battles.
Get your hands on the standard edition (Digital/Disc) of Lost Soul Aside for SGD 79.90 / MYR 249 / IDR 879,000 / THB 1,990 / PHP 2,990 / VND 1,499,000 SRP. There will also be a Digital Deluxe Edition of the game.
The Digital Deluxe edition of Lost Soul Aside (SGD 97.90 / MYR 299 / IDR 1,029,000 / THB 2,290 SRP) will include the game, all the pre-order incentives, as well as Arena’s exclusive golden outfit, three unique weapon fragment skins, two in-game accessories that provide useful boosts for your journey, a Digital Soundtrack and Artbook.
Don’t miss out on these extras—they’re a heartfelt thank-you to everyone supporting us from the start.
Save the date
Lost Soul Aside will launch on May 30 2025 on PS5 and PC. Pre-orders will open on February 20, and you can secure your copy on PlayStation Store and PC storefronts.
This journey has been incredible, and I’m beyond excited for you to step into Kaser and Arena’s world. Thank you for your support through all the ups and downs of development. Now, it’s almost time to see what Lost Soul Aside is all about. Until then, happy gaming!
Capcom’s first ‘Spotlight’ broadcast of the year contained some surprises and one of them happened to be the announcement of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny.
This title will be getting remastered for multiple platforms including the Switch and will be launching at some point in 2025. The original version of this action-adventure first made its debut on the PlayStation 2 in 2002.
Days Gone Remastered rides onto PlayStation 5 April 25, 2025! A game nearest and dearest to our hearts, with our good partners at Climax Studios, we strived to make this the definitive way to play Days Gone for new and returning players. Step into the dirt flecked shoes of former outlaw biker Deacon St. John and feel his desperate struggle for survival in a brutal open world ravaged by feral creatures known as Freakers.
We at Bend Studio are very excited to share our first look at Days Gone Remastered with our announcement trailer, giving you a sneak peek of brand new content to play!
Built for the PS5
Days Gone Remastered is brought to new life by the PlayStation 5 console featuring improved graphical fidelity, increased foliage draw distance, improved shadow and lighting quality, Tempest 3D Audio*, VRR support** and more. Select your preferred playing experience between Quality mode for increased resolution or Performance mode for improved framerates. And with the added power of the PS5 Pro, Days Gone has truly never looked better on PlayStation!
DualSense controller support
Feel the intensity of Days Gone with its full use of the DualSense wireless controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Ride across the Broken Road and feel the rumble of your bike’s engine or the wheels gripping the dirt roads in the palm of your hands. Lose yourself in the unique environment of the Pacific Northwest with weather haptics including rain and thunder. Get to grips with the distinct feel and resistance of various weapons from Deacon’s arsenal while fighting your way through hordes of Freakers.
New Accessibility features
Accessible play is important to us at Bend Studio. Days Gone Remastered gave us the opportunity to expand our suite of accessibility features, allowing even more players to enjoy our world. To highlight a few of these new settings, Days Gone Remastered includes High Contrast mode, Game Speed, UI Narration, Collectible Audio Cues, Controller Remapping, Field of View slider, and more.
Not only is Days Gone Remastered receiving PS5 enhancements, but we’re also throwing in new content to play!
Horde Assault – A survival arcade mode
Experience an all-new way to play Days Gone! Horde Assault offers fresh and unexpected gameplay designed to challenge your skills as you try to achieve a high score while surviving as long as possible against increased horde sizes and various other enemies, like vicious survivors and evolved Freakers. And yes, we said increased horde sizes. Good luck.
Travel across familiar regions found in the story including the Cascade, Belknap, Lost Lake, and Crater Lake. But be warned: This World Comes For You. Fight your way through a brutal, ever-changing landscape where enemies escalate in difficulty the longer you survive. Move up in level to earn in-mode rewards with never-before-playable characters, new patch cosmetics, and unique Injectors to greatly impact your gameplay experience. Stay tuned for more information on Horde Assault coming soon!
Permadeath mode
Do you have the skill – and nerve – to take on the ultimate challenge by attempting to finish the compelling story of Deacon St. John’s journey in one single playthrough without dying?
In a world where everything is out to kill you, your skills will be tested to the limit and mastery is required to conquer Permadeath mode. If you meet your unfortunate end, you must either return to the beginning of the game or the start of the second act and try your luck again – dependent on which setting you choose. Achieve this great feat and be rewarded with a special graphic recording your time it took to complete, unique stats like how many Freakers you killed during your playthrough, and more. Of course, you’ll receive a shiny new PlayStation Trophy as well.
Did we mention that yet? Days Gone Remastered will have a new Trophy pack for you to unlock, specifically for the new game modes! Go get ‘em trophy hunters.
Additional content
But wait, there’s more! We love our Days Gone community and wanted to provide a small gift that keeps on giving. At launch, Days Gone Remastered will get another game mode – Equip your nitrous and race against the clock in the all-new Speedrun mode; you’ll need to play through the story as quickly as possible. Be sure to share your best times with a special end game graphic to post on social media!
For all our virtual photographers out there, we are pleased to announce our Enhanced Photo Mode. That’s right, the Photo Mode you’ve come to love is getting an improvement. Take out your virtual camera once more with additions such as time-of-day setting, a three-point lighting system, and new logo options.We cannot wait to see what new shots you will come up with!
Pricing and pre-order bonuses
Days Gone Remastered lands on PlayStation 5 as a digital-only title on April 25, 2025! For players that have purchased Days Gone on PlayStation 4, you can upgrade to Days Gone Remastered including all new content and features for SGD 11.97 / MYR 40 / IDR 150,000 / THB 203. For new players who do not own Days Gone, you can purchase Days Gone Remastered for SGD 67.90 / MYR 209 / IDR 729,000 / THB 1690****.
For new and returning players, you can pre-order Days Gone Remastered starting tomorrow to receive eight new PSN Avatars featuring several of your favourite Days Gone characters at launch, along with five Early Unlocks to gain a slight advantage when you hit the Broken Road for the first time in the Story.
Available on PC
To our PC community, rest assured that all new content and features will be coming to Days Gone on Steam and the Epic Games Store day-and-date, April 25, 2025! For all owners of Days Gone on PC, you can purchase the Broken Road DLC for only SGD 11.97 / MYR 40 / IDR 150,000 / THB 203 **** to receive:
Horde Assault – A survival arcade mode
Permadeath mode
Speedrun mode
DualSense haptic feedback support*****
New Accessibility features
Enhanced Photo Mode
If you do not own Days Gone on PC, you must buy the full version of Days Gone to also purchase the Broken Road DLC.
Stay tuned to Bend Studio on your favorite social media channels to get you ready for the road to launch!
* 3D audio via built-in TV speakers or analogue/USB stereo headphones. Setup required. ** Compatible TV or display required. *** Check PS Store at launch for local pricing. Upgrade will be available starting at launch. Owners of the PS4 disc copies must insert them into their PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital version. PS4 game disc owners who buy the PS5 Digital Edition disc-free console will not be able to get the PS5 version for the discounted price. Game redemptions via PlayStation Plus are not eligible for upgrade. **** Check store pages for local pricing. *****For DualSense controller, wired connection required to experience the full range of in-game controller features
PlayStation’s ‘State of Play’ broadcast has just wrapped and it was packed with all sorts of announcements, including a few Sega ones. Apart from a look at Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, we’ve also got an update on the new Shinobi project.
It’s now been officially confirmed Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will launch on Switch and multiple other platforms on 29th August 2025, with pre-orders now live on select platforms for $29.99 USD (with eShop pre-orders to go live at a “later date”).
Today’s State of Play included new game reveals, fresh looks at upcoming titles, confirmation of several release dates and more! We want to get you straight into the headlines of the show, so without further preamble…
You’ll find the show in full ready to rewatch below. Underneath that, we recap the individual announcements, featuring full trailers for each, and game creators share more insights into their titles through a selection of new PS Blog posts.
Borderlands 4
Gearbox shone the spotlight on its upcoming looter-shooter Borderlands 4, confirming its PS5 release for September 23. The new trailer gives insight into the intense action, devastating Action Skills, and all-new movement abilities that await you on the planet Kairos. As mentioned in the trailer’s outro, the full Borderlands 4 gameplay reveal will debut during a State of Play coming later this spring.
In this puzzle platformer releasing 2025 on PS5, take on the role of Darwin, an octopus snatched from the sea and thrust into a mysterious food factory. Darwin has all of the evolutionary features of an octopus including the ability to climb almost any surface, camouflage himself, and also the skill to shoot ink to evade his enemies.
It’s a partnership that’s sure to make a splash: Dave the Diver is joining forces with Like a Dragon. Kasuga Ichiban decides to take a well-deserved break at the Blue Hole and stumbles upon a dolphin-poaching syndicate, forcing Ichiban and Dave to dive into action. Be ready for karaoke, beat’em up style infiltration and familiar faces when the DLC launches this April on PS5 and PS4.
Days Gone Remastered rides onto PlayStation 5 April 25, 2025, and is brought to new life with improved graphical fidelity, Tempest 3D Audio, and DualSense features. There’s also new content, including survival arcade mode Horde Assault, Permadeath mode and more. Owners of the PS4 and PC versions can upgrade for $10USD.
The latest installment in the Digimon Story series, Digimon Story Time Stranger, is set to release in 2025 on PlayStation 5. In this JRPG, players will travel between the human world and the fantastic realms of the Digital World, and features an improved battle system, fan-favorite characters like Agumon and Omegamon, as well as other Digimon in brand new roles.
Meet some of the Cassiopeia’s crew in a new gameplay trailer of the upcoming sci-fi horror from Supermassive Games, which is set for release October 2 on PS5. The DNA of the Dark Pictures is still present, from branching storylines to split-second QTEs, but new, redesigned and amped up gameplay elements brings a new vision to the series.
Q-Games introduced Dreams of Another, the newest addition to the PixelJunk series, coming to PS5 and PS VR2 this year. This third-person exploration-action game is built around the philosophical theme, “There is no creation without destruction”.Rather than destroying objects by shooting, your shots materialize and rebuild the world. This unconventional mechanic offers a gameplay experience that challenges the norms of the genre and invites players into a whole new dimension.
Steel Wool Games is bringing players another excursion into the horror trappings of Five Nights at Freddy’s. Secret of the Mimic is an all-new adventure launching on PS5 and PS VR2 later this year on June 13, and this gameplay reveal teased the objectives – and some of the terrors – you can expect to encounter.
Hell Is Us
Alongside a new gameplay trailer teasing some of the characters and combat, action-adventure Hell is Us revealed its PS5 release date in today’s State of Play – September 4.
Lies of P: Overture
2023 action RPG Lies of P is receiving a prequel in the form of DLC Lies of P: Overture, transporting you to the city of Krat back in its time of grandeur, before its collapse. On the brink of the Puppet Frenzy massacre, you follow the Legendary Stalker—a mysterious guide—through untold stories and chilling secrets. As Geppetto’s deadly puppet, you’ll journey through Krat and its surroundings, uncover hidden secrets, and face epic battles that shape the past and future of Lies of P.
If you’ve been readying to head to the high seas for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s new action adventure when it launches next month, the studio has a nice surprise for you: a PS5 demo of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available February 14! It’s the perfect opportunity for newcomers to experience this spin-off featuring fan-favorite character Goro Majima.
Lost Soul Aside
Ultizero Games welcomes you to Lost Soul Aside, an exhilarating sci-fi adventure that features stylish combat with customizable loadouts and synergistic combos, as well as diverse environments, unique enemies, fascinating characters, and a compelling story, creating a world full of tension and exploration. The game launches on PS5 and PC May 30.
Described as an adrenaline rush sci-fi FPS by its creator Reikon Games, Metal Eden is set on a far-flung future space colony that’s under threat. A combat-ready android – Aska – is deployed to protect the colonists. Expect fast-paced action when the game launches on PS5 May 6.
Naked Snake sneaks onto PS5 August 28! To mark the announcement of the release date, Konami shared a new trailer for the upcoming remake, including the first in-game look at the Cobra Unit. And that’s not all, as the trailer’s end reveals the remake will include the return of the Snake vs Monkey minigame mode.
Join Jacob Diaz on his journey to find answers to his past in action adventure MindsEye. This pair of trailers tease some of the story beats and intense encounters you’ll have in the fictional near-future Americana city of Redrock. The game’s on target to launch this summer on PS5.
Capcom joined us at State of Play not only to prime players for the imminent launch of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, but also reveal the roster of colossal foes increases by at least one very soon, with the release of a post-launch Title Update this Spring!
Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
Capcom unsheathed two Onimusha-related announcements at today’s State of Play. Firstly, it revealed a new gameplay trailer for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and confirmed late, iconic Japanese samurai movie star Toshiro Mifune is to serve as the face model for its protagonist Miyamoto Musashi. While the game is slated for 2026 on PS5, the newly revealed remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny comes to PS5 and PS4 May 23 this year.
Today’s show also unveiled titles coming to PlayStation Plus Game Catalog over the coming months. February’s lineup – playable February 18 – includes Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Top Spin 2K25, and launching into Game Catalog, the first episode (Tape 1) of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, from the creators of Life is Strange. Two indie titles also launch into Game Catalog later this year – architectural adventure Blue Prince and six-player survival crafting game Abiotic Factor.
Housemarque announced its new title Saros, which launches on PS5 in 2026. This all-new action game tells the haunting story of a lost off-world colony on Carcosa under an ominous eclipse. You play as Arjun Devraj, a powerful Soltari Enforcer who will stop at nothing to find who he is looking for. An extended gameplay look will be released later this year.
The iconic Shinobi series returns August 29, 2025 in an all-new 2D action platformer revival, featuring the unique hand-drawn style of Lizardcube, the team behind the hit brawler Streets of Rage 4. This level-based game, launching on PS5 and PS4, captures the essence of the past games, with fast-paced action, special powers and more.
Sega revealed the first gameplay for its new four-wheeled Sonic racer, roaring onto PS5 and PS4 in the future. It introduces Travel Rings, transporting players from one world to a completely new location during races, and the RPG-like Gadget feature, letting players select different perks to deploy on the track.
Learn about the power of friendship in Split Fiction, a co-op adventure from It Takes Two creator Hazelight Studios coming to PS5. Playing as Mio or Zoe, you’ll encounter bizarre situations as the two traverse stories born from their own wild imaginations. You’ll be able to invite a friend to play online for free with Friend’s Pass – as long as one of you owns the game, both of you can play.
Download the image
Splitgate 2
A Splitgate 2 Alpha drops onto PS5 February 27! This alpha is built around Multi-Team Portal Warfare mode, a 3 team, 8v8v8, 24 player battle, set on a map twenty times larger than any map in the game yet. 1047 Games are continuing to improve the game based on feedback from internal and external playtests, so this is your opportunity to shape the future of the game.
The sci-fi action game teams up with Goddess of Victory: Nikke for exciting new content: a boss battle, collectible dolls, stickers, and new outfits. Both the PC version of Stellar Blade and the Goddess of Victory: Nikke DLC (available on PS5 and PC) launch in June.
The Midnight Walk
After its reveal in our last State of Play, Moonhood returns with a new gameplay trailer for its handcrafted dark fantasy adventure The Midnight Walk and comes accompanied by a launch date: May 8!
Tides of Annihilation
Eclipse Glow Studio unveiled Tides of Annihilation, a single player action-adventure game that thrusts you into a shattered, mystical London. Players will take on the role of Gwendolyn, who wields the power of a mysterious gray mist that can manifest two spectral knights at her side, with players required to strategically choose which knights to summon based on their preferred gameplay style and the challenges they face.
Dynasty Warriors gets a roguelite twist in Warriors: Abyss, which launches today on PS5 and PS4! Play as over 100 heroes while battling hordes of enemies in hell, requiring you to change up the combinations of heroes and items to discover new strategies to overcome challenging obstacles and plunge deeper into the unknown!
WWE’s Paul Heyman joined us at State of Play to introduce a new look at WWE 2K25, The trailer introduced The Island, which will feature in the game when it launches on PS5 and PS4 March 14. The Island is an online open-world environment filled with WWE-themed landmarks, quests, live events, and shops, with up to 50 other players at a time. The Island also offers deep customization, giving players the chance to personalize their MySuperstars like never before.
Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for February 2025.
Revealed during the State of Play 2025 broadcast, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, TopSpin 2K25, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 and more hit the subscription service this month.
Sony also confirmed a first look at games launching into Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium soon. This includes several games that launch day and date into PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.
It highlighted two new indie games set for Game Catalog: Blue Prince, launching day one into Game Catalog this spring; and Abiotic Factor, available in Game Catalog when it launches this summer.
Blue Prince is a “genre-bending architectural adventure. Every door is a new decision as you build out a sprawling manor, with 45 shifting rooms adding layers of strategy, puzzles, and exploration.”
Abiotic Factor, meanwhile, is a six-player survival crafting game from Playstack and Deep Field Games. “Stranded miles beneath the surface, you and a team of scientists must craft ingenious gear and traps to outwit your enemies and make this bizarre underground complex your new home.”
Elsewhere, three FromSoftware mecha action games hit PlayStation Plus Premium later this year. The first three Armored Core titles from the original PlayStation – Armored Core, Armored Core Project Phantasma, and Armored Core Master of Arena – launch soon.
On February 18, as part of Game Catalog’s February lineup, expect Don’t Nod’s first instalment of episodic narrative adventure Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1. Tape 2 launches into Game Catalog as part of April’s lineup on April 15.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and TopSpin 2K25 are also a part of February’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup, and will be available to play from February 18.
Two classics join PlayStation Plus Premium on the same day: PSP’s rhythm game Patapon 3 and PS2’s combat flight simulation Dropship: United Peace Force.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Chinese developers Eclipse Glow Games have revealed Tides Of Annihilation, a fantasy hack-and-slash set in a “twisted”, modern yet Arthurian version of London. It casts you as Gwendolyn, a baby-faced blood-letter who must defeat Avalon‘s demi-gods by *checks notes* throwing the Knights of The Round Table at them.
The internally developed racing game is set for launch across PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch. A closed network test is set for February 21.
Build your ultimate vehicle and race across land, sea, air, space, and time in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds!
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds features iconic characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe and a distinct racing mechanic that promises to transport Sonic racing fans into a “new dimension.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Obsidian has confirmed the early access release times for its upcoming role-playing game Avowed.
Early access, available to Avowed Premium Edition players, kicks off on February 13 at 10am PST across PC and Xbox Series X and S, Obsidian confirmed in a tweet. Avowed launches to those who pay the standard price on February 18. As a Microsoft first-party title, Avowed is an Xbox Game Pass day-one launch.
Set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity, Avowed is a first person fantasy RPG with a grand emphasis on player choice. The story weaves through tales of war, mystery, and intrigue, as players navigate the land and forge friendships or rivalries with those around them.
IGN’s Avowed Final Preview praised its nuanced conversations, player freedom, and said “Avowed is just a lot of fun.”
Avowed early access global release times:
10am PT, February 13
12pm CT, February 13
1pm ET, February 13
3pm BRT, February 13
6pm GMT, February 13
7pm CET, February 13
3am JST, February 14
3am KST, February 14
5am AEDT, February 14
7am NZDT, February 14
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Symphonia was released for Xbox Series X|S on December 5, 2024.
Custom level design, precision platforming and special features great for speedruns.
Deep dive into speedrunning with player perspectives and tips.
From its inception, Symphoniawas envisioned as a game that rewarded control and timing mastery. Initially designed as a game to bring classical music to the world, it quickly became apparent that its fluid mechanics and open-ended level design also made it a natural fit for the speedrunning community. After many hours spent perfecting the optimal character controls, our goal was clearly set on creating a game that would feel rewarding whether played casually or competitively, with extra layers of depth for those willing to explore them. This vision became the foundation for Symphonia’s mechanics and collectibles.
There are a few things in Symphonia that we baked in, to up the ante of the challenge for those who enjoy it. The protagonist, Philemon, is a violinist who traverses the world of the quiet and sleeping Symphonia with one goal: to reunite the prodigies of all orchestral sections. His greatest tool in the game is his violin bow. As you play through the game, you unlock mechanics that allow you to bounce through levels in different ways. The bow can be used as a pogo stick, a catapult, or a grapple, and this feeling of moving through the air at just the right time is difficult to master but extremely satisfying once you do. Precision in the timing to make every pixel count is something that lends itself very well to the speedrunning mindset of pushing yourself frame by frame.
Some of our team members have their own personal history with speedrunning, ranging from enjoying being a spectator, all the way to completing their own runs for Celeste and Katana Zero. Even in Symphonia’s earlier iteration as a student project back in 2020, our team would speedrun the game, compare times and some folks even hid glitches they found to use them as an advantage! This enthusiasm also reached members of the public. We released a free small demo online which received 500,000 downloads and saw some players submitting entries on speedrun.net. We knew that we were onto something special with this project so after university we decided to start a studio and pitch to work on the full vision of our game. It took us another four years to bring the game to full release.
It wasn’t just the precision platforming subgenre that attracted speed runners, we also deliberately wanted to keep the speedrunning spirit in mind when developing new features and even in the level design. Sometimes moving a block or a collider by just a few pixels can create an entirely new path with some creativity. Another game feature is the collectible music notes that are placed in hard-to-reach areas of the platforming challenge, rewarding you for risk, experimentation and unlocking different areas in the game. A close comparison would be the strawberries in Celeste. Once you complete a whole playthrough of the levels, you unlock a Shadow Philemon. This is a copy of your character who trails closely behind you with a small delay, waiting for you to slip up and be caught. The player is also able to tinker with unlockable abilities like double jumping, transforming all surfaces into cushions or game speed. These abilities were initially designed to be accessibility options, but some have proved useful in allowing players to experiment and create new challenges.
When the game released in December, we were really thrilled to see a sustained level of interest with speed runners and made sure to facilitate discussions and brainstorming with a dedicated channel in our community Discord.
In general, it’s amazing to see how speedrunning has grown from a niche hobby into a global phenomenon. Over the last two decades, we have watched speedruns of first-person shooters, platformers and even in genres where one would least expect it, such as roleplaying or strategy games. Thanks to the accessibility of platforms like Twitch and YouTube, speedrunning has been able to engage millions of players and raise millions of dollars for charity through Games Done Quick (GDQ). GDQ hosts two large charity events a year, and weekly Hotfix episodes to keep viewers engaged.
It’s clear to see the passion driving the creation of such experiences, when I asked Queuety, showrunner of GDQ, why speedrunning is meaningful to him, he answered,
“Speedrunning turns any game into both a puzzle and a competitive performance, something which fascinates me and keeps me coming back.”
Our publisher has been enthusiastic about the speedrunning elements of the game, with the CEO Dieter Schoeller coming from a speedrunning background himself with Quake 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog in the 1990s. Dieter says he loves speedrunning because “the person to beat is no one but yourself.” Due to this shared passion, and visible community engagement, our publishing partners reached out to GDQ for a collaboration. We are all super happy that the showrunners were drawn in by the visuals and premise of Symphonia. We then arranged to participate in a segment of the most recent GDQ Hotfix episode. This was really rewarding and a memory we’ll never forget. I personally got to provide commentary, and the dedicated members of our community supported us by running the game live. You can check out the episode here.
If this article has given you a speedrunning itch, the community is still relatively new so you can add a lot just by trying it out or by conversing with other runners and developers. We would delighted if you wanted to give Symphonia a run and check out our Discord speedrunning discussions.
Speedrunner or not, we hope you will take a chance on us and enjoy the glorious world of Symphoniain your own way.
In the realm of Symphonia, music acts as a source of life and energy. But since the founders and their orchestra vanished the inhabitants are divided, and the world slowly falls into silence. What if there was a way to gather a new orchestra? That’s the question Philemon, the mysterious musician in Symphonia, will have to answer.
Embody a mysterious violinist, brought back to life in a declining world. Your violin and bow are both your instrument and a means of transport. Catapult yourself through the world, and complete levels by solving exciting platforming challenges while re-activating the machinery that brings life and energy back to this world.
Discover a musical world, based on the symphonic orchestra, and filled with colourful characters. Each area in Symphonia has its own distinct feel and characters, and each room is hand-crafted. Meet prodigious musicians and try to convince them to join the orchestra.
A unique soundtrack, based on the romantic musical period, crafted by composer Olivier Esman. Enjoy the performance of the Scoring Orchestra Paris, recorded specifically for Symphonia and written by composer Olivier Esman and his partners Alexandre Bucas-Français and Lou Corroyer. Play engrossing concerts, each centred around one of the families of instruments – Strings, Brass and Woodwinds.
Explore, navigate, play the violin, gather musicians. Awaken Symphonia.
Features
– Experience and overcome great platforming challenges with all of Philemon’s abilities
– Discover various environments which combine music and machinery
– Play the violin to activate level elements and bring life to the realm
-Gather musical Prodigies and play breathtaking concerts to bring music, joy, and glory, back to the land
