Yuki revolves around the titular character, a Space Ranger whose duty is to guard the Star Flower, a celestial body responsible for nurturing the universe with creativity. The object of desire of the evil Yokaliens, Yuki sees her beloved universe in danger once they steal all of its creative force, setting the universe towards a destructive path. Joined by the immeasurable powers of a kid’s wild imagination, Yuki will blast through infinite bullets and chilling creatures so that together, they can save the universe.

Now that you are on board for this adventure, you might as well know a bit more of the universe you are about to delve into! In this article, we share with you the game’s core fantasy, an important pillar that helped us sustain most of our design choices.

With the immersive capabilities of PlayStation VR, Yuki takes us back to our childhood, when, with our favorite toy in hand, the four walls of our bedroom would suddenly become too small to fit the worlds we would imagine. Being a game that revolves around creativity, we wanted the player to feel like a kid again, and with Yuki’s action figure in hand, embark on a perilous adventure to save the universe. Basically, every design choice came from that principle, which we called the core fantasy of the game, and helped us base every major decision during the making, including the bedroom, the game’s entryway.

It was very important for us that each player had their own take on the game while still feeling like they belonged there, and most importantly, we wanted each player to have a unique connection towards Yuki’s action figure, just like they had with their favorite toys growing up. For that, we decided to set the game in a reality based on our own, but without any specific mention of where the story takes place apart from a kid’s bedroom. Not any bedroom, this one belongs to a clearly huge fan of Yuki, a decision made in order to strengthen the player’s sense of who they are in the game straight away. 

The key to entering the imagination world, picking up Yuki transports the player to where the real action takes place. While the main focus here was to create a challenging mix of bullet hell with roguelite elements, it was important that the game’s core fantasy remained present. Therefore, obstacles and bullet patterns that constantly reminded the player that they were holding a toy were created. At the same time that it’d be fun to see if Yuki could go through the narrow bars of a gate, or experience the thrill of dodging seemingly infinite bullets, it’d also be an instinctive way to strengthen the bond between Yuki and the player. It was interesting to see this happening during our playtests, where testers would hide Yuki behind them, once too many bullets would risk her safety, or even apologize to her once she got hit.

Hello everyone, my name is Kazuhiko Aoki, and I was the event designer for Final Fantasy IX. I was responsible for bringing the characters of the game to life, as well as the different scenarios players would experience.

In honour of Final Fantasy IX’s release on PlayStation Now, I thought I’d share some of my personal memories of the game’s development.

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Starting out

I was assigned to the Final Fantasy IX team from the very beginning. I’d previously worked on Final Fantasy III, IV and VII, so I was no stranger to working on the series, but one thing in particular was going to be different this time: the game was going to be made in Hawaii.

That was a big move for me – I wondered what the development environment would be like over there, for example.

However, I didn’t start working on Final Fantasy IX right away. Right before development was due to begin, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the director of the game (and original creator of the Final Fantasy series!), asked me: “How about you make Chocobo’s Dungeon 2?”

As a result, I ended up taking the development staff for that game to Hawaii with me and we made Chocobo’s Dungeon 2 there as well. Maybe some of you played it on the original PlayStation!

Once that game was complete, I joined the Final Fantasy IX team and we started working on the game together. 

Looking back while moving forwards

From the very beginning, Mr. Sakaguchi said that he wanted Final Fantasy IX to be a return to our roots. Final Fantasy VII and VIII had been set in science-fiction-inspired worlds, and we wanted to go back to the fantasy style established in the earlier Final Fantasy games.

This did cause us a few issues, however. For example, we’d built up a lot of experience depicting taller characters with the two previous games, but in order to best support the fantasy atmosphere of Final Fantasy IX, we needed more stylised designs.

That meant we couldn’t rely on the techniques we’d learned – we had to essential

The world of Horizon is inhabited by highly advanced machines — technologically advanced robots that have become Earth’s dominant species. They come in all shapes and sizes, based on various life forms that existed throughout history, such as dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and birds. Awe-inspiring yet ferocious, they pose a serious threat throughout Aloy’s mission.

Spoiler Alert: Please note this article contains some spoilers for Horizon Zero Dawn and its storyline.

Some of the machines encountered during the events of Horizon Zero Dawn will also be present in the upcoming sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. The Watcher, for example: resembling a small theropod, these machines often patrol larger herds and scan for potential threats. Or the Snapmaw: lethal, crocodile-like beasts which were originally created to purify water and went feral as a consequence of the Derangement.

The Forbidden West is also filled with new dangers… in the Horizon Forbidden West gameplay trailer, Aloy meets a few of them, such as the fast and agile Clawstrider and the deadly mammoth-like Tremortusk. Of course there will be many more machines to fight, mount, or run from, so Aloy – and you – should be prepared for any circumstance in these forsaken lands.

Awe-inspiring metal beasts

Principal Machine Designer Blake Politeski has been with Guerrilla since the first machines were concepted at the start of Horizon Zero Dawn. Together with Asset Art Lead Maxim Fleury, their teams (among others) have been working on some great additions for the upcoming sequel.

“We’re getting to explore a new area within the world of Horizon,” begins Blake. “It was interesting to figure out what type of machines would live in different ecological zones, and how they would interact with each other, their environment, and of course humans. Machines are the so-called caretakers of this world, so how they perform their roles and what the player can do to use these behaviors to their advantage was always interesting to consider.

“During Horizon Zero Dawn’s development, we had a ton of ideas — of course not everything could make it into the first game, but now with Horizon Forbidden West we’ve been able to match some exciting ideas that previously weren’t feasible with new and interesting concepts!”

Maxim elaborates: “Blake’s team provides us with a design document that describes the general look of the machine, what type of (interactive) parts it has, and what sort of attacks it can do. There’s some top-level drawings to explain the document further, but then the real visual design moves to the Robot and Weapon Asset team.

The Shivering Isles return

Those familiar with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will get a kick out of Saints & Seducers with the return of The Shivering Isles, Sheogorath’s Daedric Realm. In this creation’s main story, a devious mage aims to weaken the barrier between the Isles and Tamriel itself, risking immense chaos for the continent. 

As you play, you’ll uncover armor, weapons and even side quests referring to Sheogorath’s otherworldly domain. “The Shivering Isles holds a special place in my heart,” Lee reminisces. “This creation is packed full of nostalgia.”

Gear, gear, gear

Speaking of weapons and armor, Saints & Seducers is chock full of new items to collect, including new artifacts, pets, armor, weapons and alchemy ingredients. “Enjoy heavy armor?  Like to use a bow?  Prefer to conjure allies?  Are potions and poisons your weapons of choice?  This creation has it all covered,” says Lee. “There really is something for everyone.”

Concept of a Madness Battleaxe – Find enough elusive Madness Ore and you can craft one of the strongest weapons in the game for yourself.

More than a quest

“The creation isn’t confined to its main quest, there are plenty of secrets to discover,” Lee adds. Even after completing the main storyline of Saints & Seducers, players have plenty to do from smithing side quests to everything offered in Rare Curios, a bonus creation that comes as part of Saints & Seducers. With Rare Curios, players can obtain special items from all over Tamriel via Khajiit caravans, including ingredients to craft all-new potions and poisons. 

New threats to encounter

Skyrim’s roving bandits and ferocious wildlife are fine enough foes when traversing the wilds, but why not spice it up? Saints & Seducers features new enemies to fight, including Corrupted Spriggans and juvenile Elytra Nymphs. Don’t let their smaller size fool you, those Nymphs can sometimes be just as deadly as their fully grown counterparts!

We’re super excited to announce you’ll be able to don your time travelling shoes on January 27, 2022. Get ready to take a step back (and forward) in time as you attempt to prevent the collapse of civilization. 

Unite a generation through music. Take the stage in 1969 and give the performance of a lifetime. 

An epic PlayStation VR time travel adventure game, Wanderer takes you back through the ages to reshape the course of history. Playing as Asher Neumann, you find yourself in an alternate, apocalyptic timeline where the search begins for your grandfather’s lost apartment and the mysterious artifacts that are hidden within. 

With the announcement of our imminent release and retail pack (yes, you’ll be able to hold Wanderer with real hands) we wanted to share a few new areas and mechanics that offer unique in-game challenges and discoveries. 

Black holes 

Time travel within Wanderer is anchored in the concept of black holes and singularities, and harnessing these to manipulate time and space. Learn what it takes to manipulate time to help you in your quest to reset the clock.

Temporal transporter

Harnessing these black holes will need some management. Learn how to operate and programme the mysterious time transporter – the more you progress and time jump, the closer you’ll come to understanding the transporter, and, more importantly, how to use it.

The future’s looking a bit grey

Messing with time can lead to multiple versions of the future. See Boston 2061 in a new light, with a modern, futuristic setting that’s designed with all the modcons one could dream of or is this the nightmare you were warned against? 

One aspect I’m particularly proud of is the all-new Chaos Theory mode. Here you’ll take charge as you revisit pivotal moments from the Jurassic World film franchise in a series of ’what if’ scenarios. The rich lore of the Jurassic World Universe provided such amazing inspiration for Chaos Theory mode. We wanted a way for players to rediscover and reimagine their favourite movie moments. By focusing on each of the five films, and one particular, cornerstone moment within those films, we’re able to include iconic characters, stories, and locations that we then work into different challenges.

Whether realising John Hammond’s dream of an operational Jurassic Park, showcasing a T. rex in the San Diego Amphitheatre, or building and running a new Jurassic World park, control events like never before in the Jurassic World franchise.

There are five levels in total. The first takes place where it all began: Jurassic Park. Here you’ll bring John Hammond’s original vision to life. Taking place on Isla Nublar, you’ll endeavour to avoid the disasters we see in the film and welcome in the park’s first guests. Authenticity is key, so we’ve made sure to include all the era-specific Jurassic Park Buildings, such as the iconic visitor centre, as well as that famous entrance gate, alongside all of the familiar dinosaurs you remember.

In the Jurassic Park 3 level, you’ll work with Simon Masrani to rescue the dinosaurs that will birth Jurassic World. This one takes place on Isla Sorna and involves you locating, monitoring, and releasing dinosaurs. One of those dinosaurs is the ferocious Spinosaurus, a towering carnivore that gave a T-rex trouble in the film. From this scenario’s beautiful tropical environment, you may even spot the iconic aviary nestled in the distant valley, it captures the feel and excitement of Jurassic Park 3.

The last Chaos Theory mission I want to expand on is our homage to Jurassic World. This level see’s you picking up where you left off with Simon Masrani, to create the Jurassic World, working alongside another iconic character Dr. Wu (voiced by BD Wong) to see if you can avoid the mistakes of the past. You’ll be responsible for creating iconic landmarks and moments such as the Innovation Centre, Mosasaur’s lagoon, Gyrosphere Tour, and even create a one-of-a-kind hybrid dinosaur: the Indominus Rex.

Research for Chaos Theory was a lot of fun since it mainly involved us watching every movie in the series many, many times in order to dig out details we thought were fun or interesting. For example, when we were recreating the San Diego Amphitheater in game, we h

Hi everybody, how have you all been doing? Over the past few months, we have been delighted to receive messages from fans around the world telling us how much you have been enjoying Astro’s Playroom. What particularly stuck out were comments regarding Astro’s look, so we figured it would be nice to get arty and share with you a couple of drawing tips from three artists who worked on the game. We hope you find this fun, and it inspires you 😊

But first, let’s quickly explain where Astro came from. To find his roots, we need to time-travel back to 2013 when Team Asobi was just formed and started working on The Playroom, a collection of augmented reality experiences that came preloaded on PlayStation 4. One of those experiences saw a dozen of small, funny robots living inside the DualShock 4 controller that would come out to play with you on your living room floor. These tiny guys nicknamed “AR Bots” would go on to become the origin of all the bot-like characters appearing in subsequent games. To be truthful, while designing the original bots, we had constraints and focused on getting an impactful look while keeping the shape and design as simple as possible. We aimed to strike a balance between cuteness and coolness, something that would reflect the Sony legacy of product design. And after a few tests, voila! The AR Bots were a thing. It was love at first sight.

“The AR Bots as originally found in The Playroom for PS4”

The bots then returned in The PlayroomVR (2016); a collection of multiplayer party games available as an introduction to PS VR. One of those games was Robot Rescue, a single-stage 3D platformer featuring a heroic bot going on an adventure looking for his lost comrades. Our robotic hero (he had no name yet) came complete with a jetpack, hover boots, a holographic scarf and that iconic blue livery pattern that would later define the Astro look.

“Original artwork from Robot Rescue”

Astro then took centre-stage in 2018 in his very own PS VR game Astro Bot: Rescue Mission to great acclaim and later returned to become your guide into the amazing world of PS5 and DualSense wireless controller in Astro’s Playroom (2020).

Today, we’d like to pick your creative curiosity and share with you a few tips on how to draw Astro, directly from the hand of three members from Team Asobi: Toshihiko Nakai (concept artist), Miho Kinebuchi and Mayu Kawaguchi (3D artists). Each member had a go at drawing Astro using their very own style and have shared some of their thoughts on what makes Astro a special character. Enjoy watching and reading!

Toshihiko Nakai (Team Asobi – Concept Artist)

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