We got the rundown on Sony’s latest State of Play, and oh boy, was that a big one.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
The livestream kicks off with an update on Capcom’s now best-selling title, Monster Hunter World. It looks like we finally have a date for its upcoming Iceborne expansion, plus some more information on the new monsters and the icy realm it will be set in.
The Iceborne expansion sees the return of series favorite Nargacuga, as it hunts lesser monsters in the New World. It will also feature a new area to play in, covered by ice and populated with gigantic beasts. The trailer briefly showed some of these, including what seems to be a giant goat rolling a boulder (expect some more rage and salt once that update drops). It also featured a new mechanic you can do with your grappling hook, which allows you to get up close to enemies to strike them.
The best part is we won’t have to wait long for this update, as Sony has shown the release date for it; it’s due to arrive on September 6, 2019, so save the date Monster Hunter fans. Sony has stated that the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne update will be expanded on Capcom’s own livestream, which follows Sony’s State of Play. Check it out here for more information.
Riverbond
Sony also briefly teased an upcoming four player co-operative dungeon crawler, Riverbond. It features blocky art styles and destructible environments, and it looks like it will be an all-around comfy couch co-op title.
Riverbond also features eight crossover skins from different games, including:
- Robot 05 from Planet of the Eyes
- Demelza from Knights and Bikes
- Lover Mu from Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
- Juan Aguacate from Guacamelee!
- The Kid from Bastion
- Raz Aquato from Psychonauts
- Shovel Knight from Shovel Knight
- Bullet Kin from Enter the Gungeon
What’s amazing is that each skin look like it will carry over some of the powers of their characters from their original game, which just adds to the variety of Riverbond. It’s nice to see Sony making good use of the licenses it has to fund an actual fun-looking title.
Riverbond is set to be released this summer.
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Finally, a new exclusive that’s not a single-player narrative-driven experience. Sony has officially announced Predator: Hunting Grounds, an asymmetric multiplayer game in the same vein as Friday the 13th – The Game and Dead by Daylight. Instead of focusing on horror elements, however, this title will play more like a thriller – one player gets to be the Predator, a member of a space-faring alien species who lives for the thrill of the hunt. The other players take on the role of members of an elite paramilitary team. It’s kill or be killed in this game of cat-and-mouse, and I’m already digging the vibe. Let’s hope it can live up to the hype as well.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is set to be released sometime in 2020.
MediEvil Remake
Of course, to the surprise of no one, Sony also showed off a new story trailer for its MediEvil remake, including some gameplay in the mix. The title looks to be massively overhauled for the PlayStation 4, although I thought the framerate is a bit suspect. In any case, Sony still has time to do something about it in case it ends up affecting performance.
MediEvil is set to be released on October 25, 2019.
Away: The Survival Series
This is a strangely charming one. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to play a part in an ecological system as a lesser predator? Well, it seems Sony thinks there’s a booming market for that, since they just announced Away: The Survival Series. The gameplay shows off your character, a rodent that can glide called the Sugar Glider, in a setting deep in the heart of nature. Along the way, you hunt lesser prey, while avoid being a meal yourself. The concept seems very interesting, and I can’t wait to see more of it in the coming months.
Away: The Survival Series is coming to both PCs and the PlayStation 4 at a still unspecified date. You can check out the game's website here.
Days of Play Limited Edition PlayStation 4
Sony also announced that it will be releasing a limited-edition PlayStation 4 for its Days of Play event. We’ll probably find out more as the event draws near.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
And Sony has saved the best for last, as it finally showed off new footage from the much-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake. We get our first look at Aerith, Barret and the antagonist Sephiroth. We also got a glimpse of the overhauled gameplay, which is somewhat similar to the mechanics introduced in Final Fantasy XV.
Sony has also somewhat finally confirmed Final Fantasy VII Remake’s appearance at E3 this year, as it stated we will get to know more about the title this June, which of course is E3 month.
Overall, it seemed like Sony took some lessons from the past State of Play and made this episode into a much better one. It was short, sweet and direct to what the players really want, which are the games. Stay tuned for more of our coverage for the announced titles tomorrow.
