Sony State of Play – July 8th, 2021 event report

Spending a good 10 minutes before the 5pm EST start time watching those sterile ?Sacred Symbols? floating in a sea of blue means only one thing, a new State of Play presentation from Sony. While they went ahead on social media to inform fans what wouldn?t be present at this post-E3 edition (it?s indies and third party titles this time folks!), this won?t stop the torrent of complaints from any gamer with access to a keyboard. However despite the lack of 1st party presence, this was a pretty good broadcast even if only one title was an exclusive (even if it was developed by a Microsoft owned studio).

In an extremely bold move, the presentation started with the reveal of a new PSVR game. Moss: Book 2, the sequel to Moss. While mine is collecting dust in its case it?s good to know PSVR fans will have something new to play on their ill supported headset. Following that was a new IP from Illfonic, utilizing a completely different color palette than their last games comes an eye popping multiplayer shooter, Arcadegeddon. Team up with some friends and save your local arcade by shooting people…ok, sure! With the color turned down slightly, the team at Norsfell Games detailed their post launch support plans for Tribes of Midgard. New character classes, new abilities and new quests will be on the docket for season one, dubbed Wolf Saga. A new trailer for F.I.S.T. from TI Games shows how much I am ready for a metroidvania in this anthropomorphic-steampunk-ish world. 

Hunter’s Arena: Legends looks like an interesting PVP arena fighting title, although it seems the reception on Steam which the title has been on early access has been mixed. However PlayStation Plus members can decide for themselves as this will be one of the free titles for the month of August. Sifu, the follow-up from Absolver developer Slocap, shows an action heavy trailer showcasing the consequences of failure…aging. So in an ironic twist to the kung master trope, the true masters are the baby faced ones, rather than the ones with sagely white beards. JETT: The Far Shore gives you intergalactic exploration as well as a look into the minds of those doing the exploring. SEGA comes out swinging with 2 titles in the showcase. One featuring one of the hottest anime properties to land in the last couple of years and a sequel from one of their most reliable studios. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is developed by Cyberconnect2 who?s got a pedigree for anime adaptions having handled games for Naruto and Dragonball. If you haven?t had a chance to read the manga or watch the anime, this title will likely be a way for you to catch up with other fans. A new Lost Judgment trailer showcase gave us another glimpse of some of the detective work you?ll be doing along with some mini-games you?ll be partaking in. Also you?ll apparently have access to a Shiba Inu, that will even assist you in combat! Following the very Metal Gear-ish announcement trailer, Death Stranding Director?s Edition brought some details as to what you can expect in the PS5 enhanced port of the Kojima Productions? first title. New missions, new equipment and new side quests hopefully will deliver a better experience for PS5 owners than those who played on the PS4.

The final title of the presentation is an exclusive developed by a now Microsoft Studio owned studio. Deathloop, the Bethesda/Arkane Lyon title which tasks you to kill 8 targets within 24 hours or you will be sent back to the start of the day with all your progress reset. With mechanics borrowed from Dishonored, a retro 60s feel and a rival character who could be controlled by a human or an AI looking to impede your progress it looks like a fun sandbox title which will hopefully provide you many ways to play. As fun as the game is conceptually, the fact that a better player can impede your progress, doesn?t sit well with me…but the trollish side of me thinks it could be fun to wreak havoc and throw a wrench on another player?s best laid plans.

Clocking in at around 30 minutes, this edition of State of Play was a good showing. I?m already sold on F.I.S.T., Sifu, JETT: The Far Shore, Lost Judgment and Deathloop. It was nice of them to announce a PS+ title a month early. First looks of Moss: Book 2 and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba were also welcomed. Let?s hope future iterations of State of Play will engender such excitement in the future.

State of Play | July 8, 2021:

DEATHLOOP ? Official Gameplay Walkthrough:

Check back later for more details and media for all the upcoming releases.