November 2022 - n.19

PLAY

The ultimate guide to PlayStation gaming, offering complete coverage of PS4, PS3 and PS Vita

PLAY4 min read
A Plague Tale Goes Bigger And Better
When you think about the creative possibilities raised by the latest and more powerful technology, you probably think of something that’s both large in scale and pleasing to the eye. In other words, even larger groups of disgusting, plague-carrying,
PLAY2 min read
Welcome
Greetings, PLAYer. We don’t often put games you can already play on the cover, but Genshin Impact is such a sensation that it rightly bucks that trend. With the big new storyline now kicked off for version three (which will progress in the months ahe
PLAY1 min read
Taylormade News
Our arms are only so long, meaning our embraces are limited. That’s not the case for Embracer Group, which we already wrote about mere months ago when it acquired Square Enix’s western development studios. Yes, Embracer’s made even more purchases in
PLAY3 min read
Woah de Cologne
This has been a sweltering summer, but it’s been a good excuse to get outside to touch some grass. In PLAY’s case, though, we’ve been hitting concrete and braving crowds, armed with only a face mask, hand gel, and enthusiasm, as we found ourselves on
PLAY1 min read
Holmes Improvement
Frogwares is returning to 2007’s Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, giving it an overhaul and bringing it to PS5 and PS4. The original game’s story will be rewritten (it’ll follow a younger Holmes and Watson, for a start) but the setup will remain the sa
PLAY2 min read
Welcome to Hell-A
After its reveal via a pre-rendered teaser trailer at E3 2014 and almost a decade of silence since, you would be forgiven for thinking that this sequel was all but dead in the water. In a surprise rereveal at Gamescom, however, we finally got a glimp
PLAY1 min read
Edge Of Our Seats
Rumours have been swirling for months regarding the development of a premium PlayStation controller. Other consoles have premium pads, and with the arrival of the pricy third-party Reflex line from Scuf it seemed almost inevitable that the announceme
PLAY2 min read
Official Backbone Controller
Whether you’re travelling, moving between rooms, or just want to kick back, the option to go portable can be a blessing. Those of us who fell in love with PS Vita or have used remote play on our phones know it to be true. But what about the pad? Curr
PLAY2 min read
Detective Noir
Despite how influential the original, fixed-camera survival horror games were, Alone In The Dark is a series that’s always struggled to stay as relevant as, say, Resident Evil (which has had its fair share of misses, don’t get us wrong). For this lat
PLAY2 min read
A Fighting Chance
Last month the first proper Evo since PlayStation took co-ownership went off without a hitch. With plenty of standout moments and exciting commentary, it was a blast to watch. But fighting game fans weren’t only enraptured by the head-to-heads, they
PLAY2 min read
What Do We Want To See From A New Mafia Game?
The game needs to have a noir/gangster movie vibe for me, and that means whatever the era it’s set in, the character needs to be able to make choices. And some of those need to be a choice between two or more bad options; when you live a life of crim
PLAY2 min read
Photography
‘Speak softly and carry a big stick’ is an excellent life motto. It certainly works for photojournalist Jade, as she goes about trying to expose weird, alien government misdoings. Using her camera plays a key part in this endeavour. For everything el
PLAY3 min read
“Game Hangovers Cause Us To Confront Our Own Ideas About Ourselves.”
WRITER BIO The only types of hangovers that Laura Francis gets nowadays are book, TV, film, and videogame hangovers, which are the best kind. Recently, there’s been a lot of talk among various book communities across the internet about what is known
PLAY4 min read
Exoprimal
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 2023 / PUB CAPCOM DEV CAPCOM / PLAYERS 1-10 The year is 2040 and the cities of Earth are under attack. The enemy? An endless stream of deadly dinosaurs pouring out of portals in the sky. Exoprimal may not be quite the tense suc
PLAY2 min read
“There Are Lots Of Reasons To Welcome A New, Free, Skate Game.”
WRITER BIO Dan Solomon has played practically every notable skating game since THPS1 in 1999. He is still somehow pretty bad at them. Defending the criticisms of a free-to-play model isn’t why I’m here – though they’re many and valid. (Particularly,
PLAY3 min read
Project Code Name M
FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB NOVECT / DEV NOVECT / PLAYERS 1 Visual novels from new studios don’t often have a big impact, but The House In Fata Morgana did (it’s yet to be released on PlayStation in Europe, though was released on Vita in Japan, and V
PLAY2 min read
Ship Of Fools
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 22 NOV / PUB TEAM 17 / DEV FIKA PRODUCTIONS / PLAYERS 1-2 Tarot readers have a surprisingly positive interpretation of the Fool. When this card crops up in a spread, the Fool can represent a willingness to give over to the proc
PLAY1 min read
On The Horizon
Can’t get enough of hunting for booty? Climb aboard this pirate game, finally ready to set sail. FORMAT PS5 / ETA 8 NOV PUB UBISOFT Head to to the red planet to save humanity. A cinematic adventure with puzzles and even rock climbing. FORMAT PS5, PS4
PLAY1 min read
Gear: Stuff We Love
SQUARE ENIX £159.99 STORE.EU.SQUARE-ENIX-GAMES.COM Static Arts returns with another premium figure, and it’s one no Cloud fan will want to miss. Sporting one of his iconic outfits from Wall Market, the statue’s dress is impressively detailed, includ
PLAY2 min read
Afterimage
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA LATE 2022 / PUB AUROGON SHANGHAI / DEV AUROGON SHANGHAI / PLAYERS 1 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, but it’s a saying this metroidvania is taking literally – in our our time with the opening we experience gorgeo
PLAY2 min read
Moonbreaker
FORMAT TBC / ETA TBC / PUB KRAFTON DEV UNKNOWN WORLDS ENTERTAINMENT / PLAYERS 1-2 We love miniatures but the thought of buying more fills us with the sort of panic we only ever feel during the end-game of a particularly fraught round of Tetris. Wher
PLAY4 min read
The Dark Pictures: The Devil In Me
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 18 NOV / PUB BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT DEV SUPERMASSIVE GAMES / PLAYERS MULTI Many a myth surrounds HH Holmes, who’s regarded as America’s first serial killer and who committed his crimes in the late 19th century. One of the m
PLAY1 min read
Tintin Reporter: Cigars Of The Pharaoh
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA EARLY 2023 / PUB MICROIDS DEV MOULINSART / PLAYERS 1 What better genre for an adaptation of everyone’s favourite Belgian reporter than the adventure game? Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Cigars Of The Pharaoh casts
PLAY1 min read
Phantom Hellcat
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA TBC PUB ALL IN! GAMES / DEV IRONBIRD CREATIONS / PLAYERS 1 When her mother’s kidnapped, Jolene has to step up and take centre stage in getting her back. We mean that literally; our half-masked protagonist has to hack-and-slash t
PLAY1 min read
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA AUTUMN 2022 / PUB THE ARCADE CREW DEV JOYMASHER / PLAYERS 1 Having stolen our retro hearts with the Contra-like Blazing Chrome, Joymasher is back at it again with another throwback to the 16-bit era. It’s set in a grim future wh
PLAY1 min read
Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game
FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2023 PUB GOOD SHEPHERD ENTERTAINMENT DEV TERAVISION GAMES / PLAYERS 1 What is it with game adaptations of ’80s movies being asymmetrical online multiplayers? The trend might feel played out, but you can’t deny that – just like the bi
PLAY1 min read
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 11 NOV PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV SQUARE ENIX PLAYERS 1 The original Tactics Ogre, of which this is a remaster, was a landmark strategy RPG when it was released in 1995. Looks familiar? It shares DNA with Final Fantasy Tactics, as Ta
PLAY1 min read
The Lords Of The Fallen
FORMAT PS5 / ETA 29 SEP PUB CI GAMES / DEV HEXWORKS PLAYERS 1-2 How’s sticking a ‘the’ in front of a title for adding a classy vibe? But despite lacking a ‘2’ (and having almost exactly the same name as the original), this isn’t a reboot of PS4 souls
PLAY1 min read
Dune: Awakening
FORMAT PS5 / ETA 2022 / PUB FUNCOM DEV FUNCOM / PLAYERS MULTI Fear might be the mind killer, but excitement can wreck your thought processes too. With blustering cloth physics, wonderfully rendered hair that blows in the harsh breeze of Arrakis, and
PLAY1 min read
The Rumble Fish 2
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA WINTER 2022 / PUB 3GOO / DEV 3GOO PLAYERS 1–2 At a glance you’ll recognise The Rumble Fish 2 as part of the wave of ’00s Japanese fighters with flashy animation and gorgeous pixel art, but you’d be forgiven for not quite knowing
PLAY9 min read
Going Green
FORMAT PS5, PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HOYOVERSE DEV HOYOVERSE PLAYERS MULTI With tens of millions of active players, live musical concerts, and huge, eye-catching booths at gaming events, it’s almost strange to think that Genshin Impact’s imminent anniver
PLAY7 min read
The Adventurer’s Guidebook
The all-encompassing nature of HoYoverse’s open-world RPG means things can feel a bit complicated whether you’re a newcomer or already on your travels across Teyvat. It can be easy to miss vital mechanics that’ll make your questing a lot easier… but
PLAY7 min read
Live, Die, Repeat
Well, without spending many pennies [Mr Bond? – ed]. To play most games online, you’ll need a PlayStation Plus Essential subscription at the very least. But as far as the games themselves go, we’re only considering the ones you can nab for free from
PLAY6 min read
The Last Of Us Part I
FORMAT PS5 PRICE £69.99 ETA Out now PUB Sony DEV Naughty Dog PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 8-10 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Customisable subtitles and HUD; visual sound indicators; gore and infinite breathe toggles; adjustable motion blur, camera shake, and film grain;
PLAY10 min read
Earning a Knighthood
You can take Batman out of Gotham City (which has already happened in Gotham Knights owing to his untimely and unfortunate demise), but his long, indelible shadow still falls across its mean streets. In this eagerly anticipated game you play – either
PLAY4 min read
Sword And Fairy: Together Forever
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £34.99 ETA Out now PUB EastAsiaSoft DEV Softstar PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 20-30 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Easy mode Surprised to notice a rise in online videos of gorgeous Chinese action RPGs inspired by China’s mythology and cultu
PLAY2 min read
Thymesia
FORMAT PS5 PRICE £24.99 ETA Out now PUB Team 17 DEV OverBorder Games PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 12-15 hrs ACCESSIBILITY N/A Another month, another soulslike. We thought that with time, games seeking to capture FromSoftware’s magic would begin to do more with
PLAY2 min read
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £34.99 ETA Out now PUB THQ Nordic DEV Black Forest Games PLAYERS 1-2 (main game single-player only) LENGTH 8-10 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Tutorials, lock-on, vibration and subtitles on/off; change difficulty during play T
PLAY5 min read
Soul Hackers 2
FORMAT PS5, PS4 PRICE £49.99 ETA Out now PUB Sega DEV Atlus PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 40 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Voice-over language switchable in main menu; vibration and camera tracking on/off; three text speed options (subtitles always on by default); adjustabl
PLAY2 min read
Rollerdrome
FORMAT PS5, (revieweed) PS4 PRICE £24.99 ETA Out now PUB Take-Two Interactive DEV Roll7 PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 4-6 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Invertable Y and X axes; trigger effect, vibration, screen shake, and screen flash on/off; subtitles; adjustable subtit
PLAY2 min read
We Are OFK
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £15.99 ETA Out now PUB Team OFK DEV Team OFK PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 6 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Basic subtitles; adjustable text message speed; controller vibration and dialogue choice timer on/off Adult fans of animation are
PLAY4 min read
Digimon Survive
FORMAT PS4 PRICE £34.99 ETA Out now PUB Bandai Namco Entertainment DEV Hyde PLAYERS 1-4 LENGTH 30+ hours ACCESSIBILITY Text speed options; vibration options; expanded volume controls Let’s be clear: Digimon Survive is exactly what it says on the ti
PLAY2 min read
Dusk Diver 2
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £44.99 ETA Out now PUB Reef Entertainment DEV Wanin International PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 15 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Subtitles Action games come in a lot of different speeds and flavours, and while Dusk Diver 2 might look like
PLAY2 min read
Cursed To Golf
FORMAT PS5, (reviewed) PS4 PRICE £15.99 ETA Out now PUB Thunderful Publishing DEV Chuhai Labs PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 4 hrs per run ACCESSIBILITY n/a Sisyphus, eternally pushing a boulder up a hill, had it easy in the afterlife. Struck down moments befor
PLAY5 min read
Saints Row
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £54.99-£94.99 ETA Out now PUB Deep Silver DEV Volition PLAYERS 1-2 LENGTH 25+ hrs ACCESSIBILITY Closed captioning; extensive mission difficulty settings From fighting rival gangs on the streets of Stilwater to fe
PLAY2 min read
Cult Of The Lamb
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE £19.99 ETA Out now PUB Devolver DEV Massive Monster PLAYERS 1 LENGTH 15-20 hrs ACCESSIBILITY Text scaling; alternate control schemes; difficulty settings You’re a literal sacrificial lamb, this story beginning where
PLAY1 min read
Midnight Fight Express
FORMAT PS4 PRICE £15.99 ETA Out now PUB Humble Games DEV Jacob Dzwinel PLAYERS 1 Fancy fighting your way through a train while dodging sniper shots because a drone told you to? Then your weirdly specific wish is about to be granted by Midnight Fi
PLAY2 min read
Three To Play
Every month, loads of games come to the PS Store. You’d be hard pressed to play them all, so we’re looking at some that didn’t quite make the cut. This month we’re looking at three that feel like loving throwbacks while definitely doing their own thi
PLAY5 min read
PS5 Hall Of Fame
Endlessly stylish, we keep coming back to this time and time again. Trapped on a time-looping island, Colt must blast his way out by assassinating eight targets in one day, using special powers to get the upper hand, all while avoiding a (sometimes p
PLAY3 min read
Rumbleverse
FORMAT PS5 (reviewed), PS4 PRICE Free ETA Out now PUB Epic Games DEV Iron Galaxy OFFLINE REVIEW N/A PLAYERS 40 CROSSPLAY PC, Xbox CROSS-GEN Yes Originally slated for release back in February, this wrestling battle royale was delayed owing to the fee
PLAY4 min read
PS4 Hall Of Fame
You won’t find another open world quite like this, the streets of Los Santos paling in comparison to this gorgeous western sprawl. Arthur Morgan’s wild west adventure is epic, emotional, and has enough teasing mysteries on every Horizon for no two co
PLAY2 min read
Play On
Disco Elysium is one of a kind, but we enjoy a challenge. Whether you love it for its central mystery, the unorthodox way it unravels through the many voices in your amnesiac detective’s own mental chorus, or even its critique of capitalism, you’ll l
PLAY2 min read
Still Playing
Cake The Cat is finally mine. She is, I’m told, an in-universe fanfiction genderflip of Jake The Dog. Here she’s a skin for the Adventure Time character. I’ve spent far too many hours completing mindless tasks, sometimes against bots, like doing a ce
PLAY5 min read
PSVR Hall Of Fame
Tetris, yeah? It might be a great game, but it’s easy to understand why you’d brush this version off as ‘just more Tetris’ at a glance. Yet Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s trippy, transcendent take on the block-based puzzler is nothing short of a masterpiece. Su
PLAY2 min read
What’s New Plus-sy Cat?
Last month’s PS Plus lineup kept things snappy, with the rapid action of fighter Granblue Fantasy Versus and racing game Need For Speed Heat (both on PS4). Rounding out September’s offering was photography game Toem on PS5, which we’re *ahem* focusin
PLAY2 min read
The LOTR: The Two Towers
PUB Electronic Arts DEV Stormfront Studios RELEASED ON PS2 RELEASE 2002 IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY THIS… To scratch that high fantasy hack-and-slash itch without booting up original hardware, we recommend Warhammer: Chaosbane. Based on Peter Jackson’s
PLAY3 min read
Sega Rally Championship
Any arcade vet could tell you Sega Rally Championship was a big deal in the mid-’90s, vying with the likes of Ridge Racer for arcade-goers’ £1 coins, and later providing one of the few great reasons to buy a Sega Saturn. It’s a fantastic arcade-to-ho
PLAY1 min read
Don’t Delete
Save icons for these November moments spin in the PLAY hive mind. Do you remember this? The final episode of Guardians Of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series debuted half a decade ago, concluding the saga of the Eternity Forge. Featuring the needle drops
PLAY2 min read
Sonic The Werehog
After the catastrophe that was 2006’s Sonic The Hedgehog, the Blue Blur had hit rock bottom, meaning Sonic Team could finally begin to rebuild and repair its mascot’s reputation. So you have to wonder what Sega was thinking when it robbed Sonic of hi
PLAY2 min read
No Heroes Allowed
PUB Sony DEV Acquire, Japan Studio RELEASED 2010 Every worthwhile villain has their share of aliases. The wrong’un in this dungeon defence series is no exception – to the point the first PSP entry debuted in North America under the moniker Holy Inva
PLAY2 min read
A Feast For Crows
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV ASOBO STUDIO / RELEASED 2019 Hoping to find refuge at a nearby chateau, a pair of noble children on the run from the French Inquisition stumble upon a shocking scene. A newly silent battlefield spre
PLAY1 min read
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Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA Editorial Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent @MrOscarTKoscar.taylor-kent@futurenet.com – 01225 442244Managing Art Editor Milford Coppock @milfcoppockOperations Editor Miriam McDonald @crinolinerobotGames Editor
PLAY1 min read
A BRIEF HISTORY OF Narrative games
Don’t Nod’s first game was action-adventure Remember Me. Player actions affect the character fates in Pyre. Supermassive Games started by developing DLC for LittleBigPlanet. The original Telltale Games was founded by ex-LucasArts staff. Oh man, a

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