Sonic is back and in a very familiar way. Sonic Superstars returns the speedy blue hedgehog to his 2D retro roots, complete with playable appearances from some of his best friends to defeat Doctor Eggman again (or Robotnik, if you’re feeling super nostalgic). But don’t let the classic exterior fool you. Superstars is here to show that an old hedgehog can still learn new tricks.

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Four playable characters

Like most classic Sonic titles, Sonic Superstars features more than just the headlining hedgehog as a playable character. This time around, there are four heroes to choose from, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and sporting her original Sonic CD outfit, Amy Rose.

In the retro Sonic spirit, each of these characters has their own abilities that make them perfect for different playstyles and types of playthroughs. Sonic has the speed, Tails has his high flying, Knuckles can glide horizontal distances and climb up structures, and Amy has her hammer, which can break walls and allows her to double jump with the widest damage radius of each character. These characters alone are reason enough to revisit the game more than once, but they aren’t the only thing that will keep you playing.

Four-player simultaneous co-op

For the first time in the series, four players can venture through the world of Sonic at the same time. You and your squad can pick from the four selectable characters and work together to collect the Chaos Emeralds and save the innocent animals from the mechanical clutches of Eggman.

Zones full of fresh air

Sonic Superstars harkens back to the series’ 2D origins, but there is nothing but all-new zones here. That means new-level themes, new setpieces, and a lot of new eye candy while you roll around at the speed of sound. These include things like a foggy jungle, a forest full of natural rail grinding, bungee jumping vines, and much more. It’s visually rich and contemporary but in keeping with the classic series vibe. But you better keep your eyes off the scenery and focus on where your feet are going…

A new roboticized rogues’ gallery

This year’s Summer Game Fest hosted tons of new gaming faces. Between all the familiar friends and new arrivals showcased, there’s almost an overwhelming amount of new titles to be excited about coming to PlayStation. Whether you’re looking for an indie fix or a new spin on an old icon of the industry, here are some of the games we got our hands on that you’ll want to keep an eye out for.

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Viewfinder

A picture is worth a thousand words and may just be the doorway to even more paths. In Viewfinder, you find yourself in a mysterious world with nothing but pictures found and taken along the way to guide you. But these pictures have properties allowing them to be placed anywhere and traversed through. You’ll be tasked with using the images to make your way through various puzzles in ways that only your mind can limit you.

Take an image of a hallway and place it on the roof to have items fall on top of you. Or maybe take an image of a building and place it sideways to make a bridge across a fatal pit. And with so many art styles spanning a simple child’s crayon drawing to classic pixel art, there’s tons of eye candy to take in and use to your heart and eyes’ content. Arm yourself with your camera on July 18, 2023.

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A varied lineup of exciting games coming to PlayStation was revealed in the Capcom Showcase livestream! From a new look at the highly anticipated Dragon’s Dogma 2, to the reveal of the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, we featured games for all types of players.

Ascend, Arisen, and slay the dragon

The Capcom Showcase dove deeper into Dragon’s Dogma 2, which made its grand unveiling just a few weeks ago at the PlayStation Showcase. The game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, explained a few of the game’s core elements, and revealed a bit about how the sequel is upping the ante on PlayStation 5.

At the heart of Dragon’s Dogma are two key features: the Pawn system, and best-in-class action-RPG combat. Pawns are AI controlled companions that join you on your adventures. You’ll take a main Pawn with you that can be customized to your heart’s content, and two others that can be hired from other players. With your party of up to four, you’ll enjoy companionship and camaraderie on your adventures.

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s action is all about choice. Wield swords, bows, or magick, it’s all up to you. Your chosen vocation determines how your Arisen plays in combat, and there’s a wide variety to choose from. Choice is also a key part of combat scenarios. You’ll constantly be challenged to try and take on situations in your own way, whether it’s seeing what happens when you destroy a bridge or toppling a monster over by pulling their leg. 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 leverages Capcom’s RE Engine, resulting in a densely populated world about four times the size of the original, woven with the latest graphical technology, physics technology and character AI to immerse you in its fantasy world.

Two important characters that are featured in the key art will play an important role in the Arisen’s journey. UIrika, a woman who wields a bow and has a deep connection to the Arisen, and Nadinia, a high priestess of the new beastren race, will impact the Arisen’s destiny and help shape their fate.

A trio of Ace Attorney Games take the stand

Take that! Court is back in session with Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

Hi PlayStation Blog readers! Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora debuted a bunch of new gameplay in today’s Ubisoft Forward. Here at Ubisoft, we’re thrilled to bring you a little more insight into the world of Pandora and the Western Frontier directly from the game’s creators.  

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will launch on PlayStation 5 on December 7, and PlayStation players will receive the Aranahe Warrior Pack for free, which grants them exclusive character and weapon cosmetic sets. Developed by Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio in collaboration with James Cameron’s production company Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora lets players take on the role of a Na’vi who awakens on Pandora years after being abducted as a child and raised by the Resources Development Administration (RDA), a human militaristic corporation.  Now a stranger on Pandora, you must learn what it means to be a Na’vi while reckoning with the RDA and the threat they pose to the birthplace you are only just becoming familiar with.    

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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Creative Director Magnus Jansén explains that this push-and-pull between two different worlds shapes the heart of the game. “This character has never connected with Pandora,” he says. “You’ve never set foot there. You don’t know the ways of the Na’vi. You must learn how to become Na’vi, and that is what a big part of this journey is about.”  

Being a child of two worlds has its practical uses, too, and your knowledge of humans uniquely positions you to combat the RDA. “You know how humans think,” says Jansén. “You know their gear, you know their tech, and that gives you an enormous advantage.”    

A new world 

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an expansion of the Avatar lore, and as a result Jansén and his team at Massive were afforded an exciting sense of freedom, one they wanted the game itself to reflect.   

“It brought me great joy very early on in the project when it was clear that Lightstorm didn’t want a game that repeated events that you see in the movies,” says Jansén. “In the world of Avatar, the joy comes from discovering and seeing mind-blowing new stuff.”   

With this in mind, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place on a never-before-seen region of Pandora: the Western Frontier. “The Western Frontier hasn’t been explored in any other media, and we’re excited to take players on an all-new adventure,” explains Jansén.   

Creating a character from the ground up can be daunting, but developing a character’s growth through progressive storylines is a raging beast of a task in itself. Santa Monica Studio took on this challenge through its comprehensive development of the beloved Atreus, son of Kratos in God of War Ragnarök, where the main focus was to shape shift Atreus from “boy into a young man” with his own unique motivations.

A new God of War Ragnarök deep-dive featuring perspectives from developers at Santa Monica Studio details the journey of Atreus’ character development, specifically turning him into a playable character and narrative driving-force. One fascinating facet of Atreus covered is the story behind Atreus’ weapon choice in God of War Ragnarök.

Fans may be surprised to hear that while brainstorming ideas for Atreus’ weapons there were other options considered along with the bow, which ultimately became the focus.

“There was a lot of talk early on about whether we should give Atreus a sword or a knife, but we didn’t want to overload players and wanted to leave room for Atreus to grow” says Bruno Velasquez, animation director at Santa Monica Studio.

The decision to not overload players with weapon choices gave developers a chance to flesh out the bow and how it can be used in diverse ways, considering ranged and melee attacks, as well as simple tasks like prying open chests to gather items.

More than just how he uses it, honing in on the bow presented the opportunity to explore why Atreus uses the bow and his connection to it.  

Atreus’ mother Faye gave him the weapon and taught him how to use it, making it much more than a tool. The bow is a small piece of her that he carries with him, as well as an extension of himself, as we see in the multitude of ways he uses it to interact with the world. 

“We want players to understand that the bow is part of him – he’s always using it, he’s always thinking about it” says Grace Pan, animator at Santa Monica Studio.

Check out the full article for more on the journey of Atreus’ development in God of War Ragnarök.

For those just beginning their adventure, God of War Ragnarök is part of the Days of Play sale on PlayStation Store*. Learn more here.  

*The Days of Play sale is available on PlayStation Store until June 12, 2023 at 11:59pm local time.

Venba is a game about culture, cooking, and change and how food can wonderfully represent it all, coming to the PS5 on July 31. We spoke with Abhi, creative director of Venba, on the ways the game showcases the challenges of immigrating to a new home and the things it can teach us as a person and community.

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PlayStation.Blog: What inspired you to make Venba?

Abhi: A lot of immigrant media focuses on the assimilated children and their struggles, but we felt that the story of the parents is often overlooked. Moving to a completely different country is a huge risk and often isolating. This makes their cultural identity very important to them, and this is what we wanted to explore in Venba. 

PSB: How did you get your start in the gaming industry?

Abhi: I have always had a huge interest in playing and making video games. I pursued a Computer Science degree with the intention of becoming a programmer in the game industry. Once I graduated, I started working at a mobile game studio right up until I left to start my own studio.

PSB: How many iterations/angles did you explore before landing on Venba being a narrative cooking game? Was it always planned this way?

Abhi: Venba was always a narrative cooking game! The idea of telling the story through cooking was very compelling to us and was a core concept from the start.

However, the specific way we approached the cooking gameplay took a lot of iterations and prototyping. Ultimately we settled on the idea of restoring a lost recipe book and framing the cooking sections as puzzles, which we feel fits the game really well. 

PSB: What motivated you to start your own game studio?

Abhi: I didn’t set out to start a studio, but I’ve always wanted to make my own games and tell certain stories. While at my full-time job, I would often be working on a side project or two. Venba was one such game, and its reception has allowed me to transition to working on it full-time and starting a studio!

Greetings, everyone! I’m Sky, Lead Designer at Hotta Studio of Perfect World Games and I’m absolutely thrilled to share some exciting news with you. Our highly anticipated open-world RPG, Tower of Fantasy, is making its way to PlayStation this summer, published independently by Perfect World Games. Pre-orders will start on June 20 (UTC+0), I can’t wait to introduce you to this incredible world!

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Open-world, immersive exploration in various styles

At Hotta Studio, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of open-world gaming, exploring different forms of ‘openness’ to create truly immersive experiences. From the desolate sci-fi wasteland of Astra to the vibrant cyberpunk desert metropolis of ‘Vera Sector’, Tower of Fantasy offers a diverse array of freely explorable worlds. Our commitment to innovation and unique styles challenges us to consistently deliver high-quality game content that captivates players. 

Domain 9, an exquisite Eastern magical world

Speaking of Domain 9, in Tower of Fantasy, we aim to create a unique Eastern aesthetic by seamlessly blending Eastern architectural elements with our sci-fi universe, resulting in a distinct art style. The new Domain 9 map features mountains, the Great Wall, citadels, and floating ships, intricately interconnected. You’ll encounter traditional Eastern cultural adornments like the eternal flame lamp and traditional ink-wash paintings, alongside futuristic elements like neon lights and floating structures.

Final Fantasy XVI fans, great news: while Final Fantasy XVI launches in just under two weeks, you’ll be able to commence your journey to Valisthea tomorrow as the game’s demo launches June 12.  

The demo will give PlayStation 5 players a taste of the game’s vibrant world and fast-paced action combat with two lengthy sections showcasing what you can expect from FFXVI. The first is the game’s opening prologue, approximately a two and half hour slice of gameplay giving players insight into Clive Rosfield’s past and the events that set him on his present day journey.  Save data from this portion can be carried over to the main game when it launches next week.

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Completing the prologue then unlocks a special battle demo, approximately a two-hour, action-heavy segment. This features an infiltration of a fort at night, with Clive supported on his mission by his faithful wolf Torgal and Cidolfus Telamon. You’ll encounter various enemies and epic bosses. While you won’t be able to save your progress in this segment of the demo, it will let you test out the fuller range of combat options by way of numerous unlocked abilities and accessories. This can be replayed as many times as you’d like, giving players a head start on experiencing Clive’s full-fledged action battles. Need a primer? Get an idea of what to expect here.