July 2021 Sony State of Play
(Image credit: PolyArc)
In response to E3 and recent backlash, as shown in this Forbes article on frustrating PlayStation rules, Sony has put out a new State of Play. The event focused on indie and other third-party developers such as Kojima Studios, Illfonic, Sloclap, and Superbrothers. It showcased eleven titles from ten different game makers over the broadcast. Although Deathloop by Bethesda had the biggest spotlight, The Load Screen team found the overall presentation and initial reveal of another title more intriguing.
Most of the games for this State of Play have PC versions also available, other than Death Stranding: Directors Cut. However, the original base game is also available on Steam. Sega had two titles to show off that have wide platform availability. The first is Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles, which is based on the anime and coming out on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 15, according to the Demon Slayer official website. The second game is Lost Judgement which goes to PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 24, as listed on the Lost Judgement official website.
Another well-backed publisher on the showcase was Bilibili with F.I.S.T.– Forged in Shadow Torch. While their Steam page does not have a date yet, the PlayStation State of Play F.I.S.T. trailer had September 7 as the launch day for this action-exploration game on PS4 and PS5. The game is a Metroidvania labyrinth filled with hordes of fascinating human-like animals and it is the first for developer TiGames.
Other independent developers had trailers on display during the event. Illfonic showed off their multiplayer arcade smash-up named Arcadegeddon, which is out now. Northstar Games unveiled more about Tribes of Midgard out on July 27 and how the ten-player action RPG will have progressively more character depth with each new season. Indie developer Mantisco unleashed their 30-player PvP & PvE combat-based Battle Royale called Hunters Arena: Legends out August 3 for PS4 and PS5.
The final few titles do not have set release dates yet, although Jett: The Far Shore by Superbrothers is still slated for release sometime this year. However, Sifu by Sloclap is now expected for a 2022 publication. When first announced in this PlayStation Blog post on Sifu, it was projected for late 2021, so there is only a slight pushback now. The game mechanics of aging a warrior through failing at brutal hand-to-hand combat is intriguing, and hopefully, the extra time needed is to smooth out the gameplay.
The final game left in the July State of Play is ironically the first title shown: Moss Book II. The Load Screen team is super excited for the newest installment to PolyArc’s living fairy tale book. Since the last big news from the developer was an expansion into AR gaming from this PolyArc press release on Augmented Reality, the new title caught us entirely by surprise. The first installment is one of the best VR experiences to date, and it looks as if Quill’s story expands with the help of The Reader once more. However, the new game is in development for PSVR only, despite the original being readily available on most VR platforms.
The July PlayStation State of Play had a good representation of independent developers with titles coming to both PS4 and PS5. Other than Moss Book II and Death Stranding: Directors Cut, the games have PC or Xbox alternative options for playing. In fact, several of the titles featured in the event have already had E3 or other event participation. While the show focused on Deathloop, the real champion of the show for us is Moss Book II.
