PlayStation Now’s June lineup features open world adventuring, 30^th anniversary celebrations, the return of a fighting icon and a compelling combination of roguelike and card building. Starting tomorrow, June 1, you can hunt monsters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Game of the Year Edition (also known as the Complete Edition), celebrate Sonic’s birthday with a trio of fantastic titles starring the blue hedgehog, battle friends locally or online in Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown and attempt to Slay the Spire.

Let’s take a closer look at each game.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition

This story-driven open world role-playing game is set in a visually stunning fantasy universe, full of meaningful choices and impactful consequences. Play as a professional monster hunter tasked with finding a child of prophecy in a vast open world rich with merchant cities, dangerous mountain passes, and forgotten caverns to explore. The Game of the Year Edition includes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, all 16 DLCs, and two Expansion Packs: Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on PlayStation Now until September 6, 2021.

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Team Sonic Racing

The speeding ‘hog switches sneakers for wheels in this thrilling, competitive style arcade racer. Face-off with friends in intense multiplayer racing, race together across stunning worlds and work together as a team by sharing power-ups and speed boosts. Pick one of the Sonic franchise’s iconic faces,

Get ready to make your move. Auto Chess Season 12 arrives May 31, along with new Chess Pieces, a new Race, and optimized PlayStation controls. You’ll be able to control the cursor anywhere in the UI, speeding up gameplay so you can focus on the exciting battles.

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Introducing Horn, a brand-new race

Horn are northern nomads who worship the power of nature through their totems. The Horn are natural warriors who thrive in the frozen plains of the north, making them especially cold-resistant and physically strong.

Siblings Sunchaser Servant and Sunchaser Shaman grew up as poor orphans in the Horn tribe, taking care of each other to survive their tough childhood. Their fate changed when Sunchaser Shaman inherited the Sunchaser Totem and was chosen as the heir to the Great Shaman. Her brother trained hard as an elite warrior and was selected to become one of the Great Shaman’s guards earning the name, Sunchaser Servant. They have each other’s back both on and off the battlefield and have never lost a match yet.

Medal System

You can now earn medals to boast your achievements with the Medal System. Equip them to your personal information interface to flaunt them in front of your friends and rivals. Collect four types of medals: Set Medal, Career Medal, Championship Medal, and Event Medal.

4v4 team mode

Ready to dig into some multiplayer battles? Get ready for the new 4v4 team mode. Eight players are divided into two teams of four, and the team with the most points wins. Players earn match points based on their ranking, and team points are the sum of all members’ match points. Make sure not to get knocked out – if all your team members get eliminated, you lose!

Season 12 Chess Pass and Senior Pass

S12 kicks off with the introduction of an all new theme: Sleepless Night.

Open the Sleepless Cube for the chance to get the Purple Skin Dark Musician or Orange Skin Rhythm Musi

Last week, we asked you to take on a challenge, and face off against some of tough enemies in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. From otherworldly foes to oversized monstrosities, here are this week’s challenging highlights: 

AscensionDawn shares Aloy facing down a Stormbird in Horizon Zero Dawn.

GameonFocus shares Amicia going against a whirling swarm of rats in this A Plague Tale: Innocence moment.

justinphotomode faces an oversized foe in this Demon’s Souls share.

tlou_captures shares a harrowing moment Abby faces in The Last of Us Part II.

AlfredoVasini shares this monstrosity from The Evil Within 2.

JRPyznar shares Selene facing down Nemesis in Returnal.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Resident Evil Village

SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on June 2

Next week, we’re stepping in Ethan Winters’ shoes and facing our fears in Resident Evil Village. Share your most terrifying moments using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Hey everyone, we’ve been very happy to see Returnal resonating so strongly with players, and this time we wanted to do a deep dive into one of our Bosses. In general, Boss battles have always been an essential test of skill for players in action games, and of course they’ve been a strong staple of the Housemarque formula in our past titles as well. With Returnal we really wanted to dedicate some time to create something special for our Boss encounters, and provide players with some powerful and memorable moments. We’ve been thrilled to see that players have been enjoying our Bosses so far, and today we wanted to share some notes on Hyperion, who seems to have quickly become a favorite among players!

SPOILER WARNING: this piece contains spoilers about the story of Returnal. It’s generally recommended that you read this only after defeating Hyperion, and ideally have seen credits roll. 

The inspiration 

From the very beginning, our goal with the story of Returnal was to haunt the player. On a personal level, many special and haunting moments I’ve experienced in games and film have often been accompanied by powerful music. In many cases I feel that music can be single-handedly responsible for creating the emotional impact and mood of a scene. This ability of music itself to express very complex, raw emotions in a unique way – to express the intangible – was the initial seed of inspiration here.

This importance of music was also directly woven into our story, along with our other central elements and themes early on. It started by envisioning our key story beats (beginning, middle and especially our end), and then consciously working backwards from there: identifying which puzzle pieces we would seed throughout the experience to get under the player’s skin, and create the feeling of an overarching, layered mystery for players to solve.

One of the crucial puzzle pieces was intended to be a specific piece of music, and throughout the game there are multiple clues that a particular melody is very important to Selene. (Note that I’m being intentionally vague to avoid spoiling too much here!)

In parallel, we also knew that we’d want to have some epic bosses in the game. These would need to be memorable highlights that would provide a challenge for players and serve as milestones of progress, but they would also need strongly resonate with players emotionally and be thematically tied to our story as well. In addition to the harsh, dark sci-fi elements of Returnal, we also wanted to explore some more psychological/surreal themes with our story. Our Bosses would serve as climactic manifestations of those themes. So from very early on we knew that we’d have one Boss that would play with this theme of musicality. This boss was simply codenamed “The Musician” internally, eventually this became Hyperion.

The idea for the Musician came first, and then the rest of the Echoing Ruins was built around it to support its presence.

“The Musician’s” visual design 

There were some keywords we used to guide our initial concepting for Hypersion: unsettling, musicality, tragic, dramatic, theatricality. Much like our other Bosses, we wanted to make this encounter feel majestic. And what could possibly be more majestic than using an alien Church Organ?

I’ve always found the church organ

Hey everyone, my name is Kevin and I’m a designer at Klei Entertainment. I’m really excited to give everyone a look at Griftlands which launches June 4 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility. Griftlands is a narrative RPG featuring multiple branching stories to experience based on your actions and choices. It’s also a deck-building card game with deep interlocking systems driving both combat and negotiation through card mechanics. We think players are going to have a lot of fun fighting, lying, cheating, bribing, and smooth-talking their way to victory. Let’s dive in.

There are three main characters in Griftlands, each with their own problem to solve. Sal the bounty hunter wants revenge. Rook the spy is working on a mysterious contract. Smith is trying to collect his inheritance, and have a good time doing it.

Those high-level goals are the same every time you play, but the day-to-day obstacles that you overcome in their pursuit vary wildly. Different subplots and events get drawn from a pool each time. The cast of characters shifts as different NPCs get cast in different roles and react to your choices. Your friend in one playthrough, with their unique mechanical strengths and weaknesses, may be your enemy in the next. We even switch up the boss fights that you encounter at the end of each day, to keep things fresh.

Most problems in Havaria can be solved either with your words or with your fists. However, in Griftlands both are driven with unique card deck gameplay mechanics. You play out both physical and verbal battles by playing cards! Playing cards make them stronger each time they’re played and picking one deck over another will give you the option of adding a new card to it at the end of successful encounters. 

Succeeding comes down to having the right cards and playing them correctly in each situation. But you can’t always do exactly what you want – context matters. Your decks get stronger with use, so it’s important to balance your use of each, lest one of your skills falls behind and you get caught off guard by a powerful opponent. NPCs will also notice everything that you do and treat you accordingly. Saving someone from wild animals will earn their respect but killing someone’s best friend for example will have them seeking revenge and actively working against you. 

Get ready to challenge again! The noble knight Arthur sets out on a new adventure to rescue the princess from the Demon Realm in Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection, coming to PlayStation 4 (and backwards compatible with PlayStation 5) on June 1.

Some 35 years ago, the first Ghosts ‘n Goblins made its grand debut in arcades. Few players knew what would await them as they dropped that first quarter into the machine, and fewer still could have guessed that beating the game would set them up for a ghoulish surprise; the game wasn’t over until you completed it a second time after a brutal second loop of the game.

The hard-as-nails legacy of Ghosts ‘n Goblins has earned the franchise a reputation for its difficulty over the years but for this entry, we’ve kept the challenge while making the game far more accessible. Not only are there multiple difficulty modes that cater to players of all skill levels, we’ve also included a series first: two-player local co-op.

To shine a light on the decision to give this traditionally single-player experience a two-player twist, we spoke with the game’s Chief Producer, Yoshiaki Hirabayashi (a.k.a. “H”). Best known for his work on the Resident Evil franchise, H was kind enough to speak with us about how this mode came to be. 

“The local co-op mode was an idea that existed from the earliest stages of the development phase, and was brought up by Director Tokuro Fujiwara,” says Mr. Hirabayashi. Long-time Capcom fans may recognize that name – Mr. Fujiwara was also the director of the original Ghosts ‘n Goblins, and returned to direct Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection, as well. 

“The first time the format and goals of this mode were presented by Director Fujiwara, I felt that it was spectacular and I wanted to make it happen, ” says Mr. Hirabayashi.

When you consider how long the franchise has been a strictly single-player affair, it raises the question: What made this the right time to add co-op? 

“This IP has been loved by many players for over 35 years, and those who played the earlier titles may now have kids of their own,” explains Mr. Hirabayashi. Mr. Hirabayashi recalls that the entire dev team was excited by the idea of co-op mode, hoping this addition would allow the game to transcend generations and offer a great way for long-time fans to share this arcade-style experience with their kids or even family and friends who may be new to platformers. 

“Of course, it was a challenge for us to prepare this mode, as we knew there were going to be certain expectations since this is the first title within the series that supports this kind of gameplay,” says Mr. Hirabayashi. “Overcoming the difficulty the game provides while having fun playing and communicating with your friend or loved one is a brand new concept, and we weren’t sure how players were going to react to this.”

Despite these concerns, Mr. Fujiwara seemed confident in its inclusion and the joy it would bring to players both young and old. 

“When Director Fujiwara first explained the

Today, we at Zen Studios could not be happier than to announce free DLC for Star Wars Pinball VR right here on PlayStation Blog. The classic Han Solo table from the Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within pack, enters the game as the ninth amazing table, joining the likes of Classic Trilogy tables, Rogue One, The Mandalorian and more. But what goes into creating a table like Han Solo? If you haven’t already run off to download it (and I really can’t blame you for that), let’s take a look behind the curtain.  

1. Picking the theme

First, we have to figure out our topic — something we work very closely with Lucasfilm Games to decide. Sometimes the topic ends up being a show like Star Wars Rebels, sometimes it’s a general theme like Jedi versus Sith in Masters of the Force; in this table’s case, it’s a wisecracking Correllian smuggler. Han Solo was a natural fit to get his own board, as his life is filled with funny shenanigans, exciting moments, plus he flies the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.

2. Pinball table layout

Once we agree on the topic, that’s where things get technical. As pinball legend Roger Sharpe, famous for lifting the ban on pinball in New York City in 1976, told Vox, “Each game is different — each game has different geometry, each game has different rules.” This means we need a strong base of lanes, rails, sinkholes, and everything else you might recognize on any machine. This gives you the main gameplay layer, where a satisfying ramp shot can make or break a table, whatever theme you put over it. 

3. Translating iconic moments to missions 

Once we’ve nailed the concepts, that’s when we turn on the pizzazz! All the different rules, multiballs, lamps and animated characters come into play. This is where we have to nail the best moments and translate them to pinball form. For Han Solo, our design team got together and created an extensive list from the classic-era happenings involving our favorite nerf herder — and his loyal copilot.

The different “modes” (which are missions on a pinball table, each needing you to shoot a different part of the table, or a combination) will take you back to epic moments like freeing Princess Leia from the Death Star in A New Hope, navigating the asteroid field from Empire Strikes Back, and escaping from Jabba in Return of the Jedi. If you complete all of Han’s adventures, it all culminates in what we call the ‘Wizard mode’ (anyone like The Who?) named General Solo. This is an epic mode w

Hello, Travelers! Your Genshin Impact dev team is back once again, bringing you details for Version 1.6 coming on June 9. As the world of Teyvat enters the hot summer season, in the upcoming update we’ve prepared for you tailor-made summer outfits and a brand-new series of sea and island adventures to refresh everyone from the heat. Meanwhile, Kaedehara Kazuha, the first new playable character from Inazuma, will join in and lead the Archon Quest to a new chapter.

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Travelers who’ve completed the main storyline in Liyue will be able to move onto the new Archon Quest with Kazuha. You may also spend some of your splendid summertime in Teyvat in an uncharted sea area for a limited time during Version 1.6.

Midsummer Island Adventure

If you’re fond of sailing, exploring, and fighting, we may have something for you in Version 1.6’s main seasonal event: Midsummer Island Adventure. The story begins when Klee receives a mysterious letter from a Dodo-King threatening to take Dodoco away from her. To help Klee and Dodoco, the Traveler will sail on a boat called a Waverider and explore a secluded archipelago scattered over a remote sea area.

The Midsummer Island Adventure main event will be divided into four stages, each featuring unique gameplay. In the first stage, players need to sail on the Waverider and destroy enemy floating towers and encampments, either through firing your boat’s cannon or in close combat. In the next stage, players will be challenged in a race that combines both sailing and flying. The third stage will put your combat skills to test with the new opponent, Maguu Kenki. And finally, players will be asked to clear out nearby monster encampments with the aid of three kinds of Harpastum Bombs.

We also want to introduce a bit more about the new monster mentioned earlier, Maguu Kenki. With its unique Inazuma-style aesthetic, Maguu Kenki also has its own attack style. When Maguu Kenki’s health falls below a certain amount, it will summon phantoms and can deal both Anemo and Cryo damage against players. In addition, any ranged attack will be blocked if Maguu Kenki is not engaged in close-range battle, forcing players to confront it face-to-face.

Bountif

We’re excited to share the very first gameplay reveal of Horizon Forbidden West with you on State of Play. This unique episode features 14 minutes of never-before-seen gameplay footage captured directly on the PlayStation 5 console, as well as a quick recap with Horizon’s Game Director Mathijs de Jonge and myself.

Horizon Forbidden West continues six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, a machine hunter, has travelled west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. In these uncharted lands, she will meet strange new tribes and encounter ever more deadly machines. Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this dangerous frontier to find the answers she needs to save life on Earth.

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In the State of Play gameplay footage, Aloy has sent her loyal friend Erend into the remains of San Francisco to recover an important artifact. But he quickly runs into trouble, encountering a rebel faction of the Tenakth tribe – vicious fighters who have somehow acquired the power to override machines. Aloy must cross the ruins and fight multiple enemies to rescue her friend and continue her journey. 

This dangerous and unfamiliar land is full of challenges and threats, but Aloy will have new tools to help her on her way. The Pullcaster speeds up climbing, getting her quickly out of trouble; the Shieldwing allows her to safely descend from great heights (or surprise enemies from above); and with the Diving Mask, a whole new underwater world is open for exploration. Not to mention big upgrades to her Focus, which now shows areas that allow free-climbing and gives her the ability to override more machines for mounts or combat.

Speaking of combat, Horizon Forbidden West puts the emphasis on tactics and choice by giving the player a huge variety of weapons. Aloy’s trusty Spear is good for close combat and enables a new set of combos. Bows with specialized ammo types strip armor off machines to expose their weak spots. Adhesive grenades can be fired from slingshots, temporarily stalling foes. Plus many more, and all of them can be upgraded at a workbench.

We’re thrilled to announce that Dying Light 2 Stay Human launches on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on December 7. To mark the occasion, we’ve got fresh gameplay details.

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Survivors, the sun is setting! It’s been over twenty years since the virus took over Harran, driving it into ruin. Humanity lost there, but now a glimmer of hope emerges in The City, one of the last bastions of mankind in Dying Light 2 Stay Human—for the survival of the entire human race, but also for you, a wandering pilgrim, serving as a connection between the scattered settlements. Driven by a promise of unveiling the secrets of your past and finding the one you’ve lost, you pause your travels and begin forging your own legend there.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human offers a broad, tiered open world full of unique architecture. As civilization has fallen back to the Dark Ages, The City interlaces modern urban structures with medieval buildings and agricultural land. Your main way of traveling is your parkour abilities, but you’ve also got a grappling hook and a paraglider to navigate smoothly through its many levels. Most often, there’s more than one way to reach your destination, so try to be creative and play with your skills to discover new possibilities and test your limits.

During your adventure, you’ll learn that The City’s a living and breathing world. Its inhabitants have opinions, relationships, and form factions, constantly struggling to tip the scales toward them. It’s often up to you who’s going to have the upper hand in the ongoing conflict, but remember that the consequences of your choices are yours to face, too. The City is a complex organism that will react to your decisions. Depending on whom you support, the setting around you will change, offering you new opportunities, but also posing many new challenges.

When it comes to combat, your choices are equally crucial. The world of Dying Light 2 Stay Human is full of brutal fights and unexpected encounters. You’ll need to adju