Everything Announced at Sony’s State Of Play Event

Following Nintendo’s Direct a couple of weeks ago and its Pokemon Direct shortly after, Sony had its own smaller event showing off a number of interesting game material. Some of which contained completely new footage, others were additional trailers of already announced games, and one big update to an already cherished game to close out the show.

All the announcements from the event are detailed below.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time for PS5

The presentation kicked off with the announcement of Toys for Bob and Beenox produced title, Crash Bandicoot 4, being ported to the current generation PlayStation 5.

The game boasts to run at sixty frames per second and output in 4K (as long as you have a device capable of displaying in 4K), along with providing 3D audio (again if you have the required equipment). The announcer also promised faster loading times, and speaking from experience of playing Crash 4 on an original Xbox One, this is a much-sought after improvement in my eyes.

It will also support the PS5’s Activity Cards feature, utilise the function of the new controller’s adaptive triggers, allow the transfer of your save data over from PS4, and will apparently offer an update version to those who already own a PS4 digital copy of the game.

If you’re looking to play the older versions of Crash or want to grab a new one for the  upcoming release, we suggest you checking out Gamecamp where you can find the  cheapest cd keys that video game retailers can provide.

The PS5 version of Crash 4 releases on March 12th.

Returnal

A cinematic and physical gameplay sneak peak coming from Finnish development studio Housemarque, Returnal sees you playing as “Astra Scout” Celine who crashes onto an alien world. At first glance, the game seems to play like a more action-packed and faster paced Mass Effect, with a hint of the recent Remedy title, Control.

Dying is supposedly a vital part of the game, where your resurrection will cause the planet’s environment to change in various ways. This includes where enemies appear in the world and the numbers in which they attack.

It proudly displayed its different enemies and the assortment of weapons available, each firearm’s alt function being a vivid and unique way of dispatching threats. It also appears that the player can acquire upgrades for weapons and skills, but each of these must be found in the world rather than acquired through experience points. Returnal is currently scheduled for release on April 30th, 2021.

Knockout City

Elaborating on the footage shown a couple of weeks ago at Nintendo’s Direct, Knockout City developer Velan Studios looks to replace missile launchers and shotguns with the thwack of a dodgeball.

Velan gave a rundown of the game’s mechanics; catching an incoming shot will increase the size of the ball and make it incrementally harder for the next person to catch, and trick shots can be performed to loop over walls or curve around obstacles. You can also fake a throw, dash to avoid an incoming projectile, and find special balls on certain maps and game modes.

With regards to different modes, Face-Off is a 1v1 scenario in an arena that constantly decreases in size and Team KO is a 3v3 battle. Each map has a unique mechanic,  and there are a number of special tactics that can be used with teammates.

The game is taking sign ups for the Beta right now, with the full release penned for May 21st, and will support cross-play.

SIFU

A combo-driven martial arts inspired beat ‘em up from Sloclap, SIFU has an interesting art style and gameplay that looks as fast as Bruce Lee’s punches. Available for PS4 and PS5, SIFU is coming sometime this year.

Solar Ash

Anyone who’s played the game Furi will be well-acquainted with the aesthetic of Solar Ash, a neon-soaked adventure platformer.

Pace and speed are the central features of Solar Ash, with the game looking like a blend of previously mentioned Furi, Shadow of the Colossus, and Jet Set Radio. The combat looks as if it’s been made to flow with the constant energy of the game, with enemy encounters being a compliment to the action rather than an annoyance or hindrance.

Solar Ash will drop this year.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Finally evolving its gameplay beyond staring at security monitors and avoiding jumpscares, the new FNAF had a short story trailer with a few moments of gameplay shown. Going the route of other horror titles, this outing will sport similar mechanics from games like Slenderman and Outlast, as well as a first-person perspective.

You once again appear to play as a security guard running the night shift, keeping an eye on

the kid’s party centre while surviving the creepy goings-on and not getting torn to shreds by the insane animatronics.

FNAF: Security Breach will arrive this year.

Oddworld: Soulstorm

Fans of Abe and his adventures jump for joy, the new Oddworld game will bestow PlayStation 5 owners in 2021.

The classic Oddworld game returns, with Abe side-scrolling and jumping his way around traps, threats, and through diverse environments. The game features “2.9D platforming” which will immerse players even further into the experience. A cool touch is the haptic feedback of the Dual Sense controllers will vibrate in line with Abe’s heartbeat when he’s in danger.

Where once Abe was just trying to not turn his fellow beings into alien mush, they now are much more capable, helping him solve puzzles and assisting in defeating enemies. Abe can now also loot and craft items to deal with the much greater threats found in this new game.

Abe’s latest odyssey will be available on April 6th and will be free on PS5 if you are a member of PlayStation Plus from April 6th to May 3rd.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

I may be way off, but Kena: BoS is giving me feelings of the original Jak and Daxter with its look, and a much more polished version of the Xbox 360 exclusive Kameo: Elements of Power with its protagonist and gameplay.

This new adventure was mostly cinematic, with terraforming lands, magic spells, monsters, forest dwellers, and powerful monsters all on display, and character voice-overs going story exposition.

This adventure will land on both PS4 and PS5 on August 24th.

Deathloop

This 70s themed time-centric shooter from Dishonored developer Arkane (specifically Arkane Lyon for this game) had more of its funky features shown off, with shape-shifting, invisibility, and teleporting all taking center stage. All proceedings were set to the song “Deja Vu”, with the trailer mostly displaying the unique chain-killing potential the game offers with Colt’s combination of abilities.

Deathloop is a timed exclusive for PS5 that releases May 21st.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

The epic and quintessential RPG is getting an updated version for PlayStation 5, with a new episode and character to play as (that being Yuffie), better graphics, a new difficulty (Normal – Classic), improved load times, and a photo mode.

Side-by-side footage of PS4 and PS5 were shown to display the graphical overhaul, even detailing how the game differs on visual elements like textures and lighting.

The updated FFVII will be available worldwide from June 6th, and those with a PS4 copy of FFVII can upgrade for free and import saves data. However, the additional episode containing Yuffie will need to be purchased separately.