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As the saying goes, keep your expectations low and you’ll never be disappointed. I had fairly low hopes for Sony’s latest PlayStation State of Play presentation but, in truth, I still found myself a little disappointed. It’s no surprise, though. After all, the industry is in such dire straits at the moment that a sparser release schedule is the grim reality. The State of Play wasn’t bad, as such, but it struggled to build momentum and lacked a wow factor. That said, three games shown really stood out to me and are now firmly on my radar.
Play Has Limits
One of the top comments on the English language State of Play video, above, is “Play has limits.” Indeed. The ninth console generation has never really got going, affected by spiraling budgets and unprecedented layoffs and studio closures. Sony has certainly not been immune to this with PlayStation 5. While we’ve had some standout first-party games on PS5, such as Astro Bot and God of War Ragnarök, they’ve been few and far between. This generation just hasn’t seen the consistent quality and regularity that saw PS4 become one of the best-selling consoles ever.
As I foresaw last year, it’s now plainly apparent that big-budget, high-profile “AAA” games will be thinner on the ground going forward. The risks involved are simply too high for even the biggest publishers to regularly take. We should therefore expect more smaller-team, iterative games, such as many of those on display in this State of Play. And honestly, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For me, however, three games in particular stood out in the presentation, for differing reasons.
The Midnight Walk
There was only one game shown in the State of Play that totally blew me away with its aesthetics and art style. Swedish studio MoonHood gave us a close look at what its creators call “a cosy horror game created entirely in clay.” I mean, if that pitch doesn’t immediately strike a chord, I suspect you’re not the intended audience.
The Midnight Walk is one of those games that will no doubt be pointed to in the ridiculous “Are video games art?” debate. As a non-artist, it’s hard for me to describe just how stunning the Tim Burton-inspired art style is. Somehow, the clay-sculpted creatures and environments are simultaneously both comforting and eerie. As a little lantern creature, you’re tasked with bringing fire back to this dark world filled with monstrous terrors.
I particularly liked The Midnight Walk showing because it was one of the few titles that actually showed gameplay, albeit too little. It seems the game will be a horror-filled first-person experience. Surprisingly, the footage showed off some rudimentary shooting mechanics, so it won’t just be a walking simulator, either.
The Midnight Walk was undoubtedly the most visually-compelling game shown during the State of Play. For fans of claymation, or just quirky horror games like Little Nightmares, it’s one to watch. The Midnight Walk is scheduled for release May 8 2025.
Tides of Annihilation
Perhaps the biggest surprise reveal was Tides of Annihilation. An action-adventure game developed by unknown Chinese studio Eclipse Glow Games, it was probably the most cinematic offering in the presentation.
Inspired by Arthurian legend, the fantasy game takes place in a ruined version of contemporary London, complete with the red phone boxes that non-natives seem to think are still prevalent in the English capital. As protagonist Gwendolyn, it seems you can command the Knights of the Round Table to help you in combat against a series of Arthurian legend-inspired enemies.
In all honesty, the whole setup didn’t strike me as particularly original or compelling. Taking Arthurian legend as inspiration is different, granted, but the powerful lone survivor in a hostile world isn’t hugely innovative. That said, the environments looks simply incredible, with astonishing attention-to-detail. And the combat looks fast and fluid in the vein of Black Myth Wukong and Stellar Blade.
There’s no release date for it yet, but Tides of Annihilation is definitely one to keep an eye on. We can expect to see many more games of this ilk coming from Chinese developers going forward.
MindsEye
The last game that stood out to me in Sony’s State of Play was MindsEye. Developed by the wonderfully-named Build A Rocket Boy, it’s described as a “story-driven, action-adventure thriller, set in a fictional near-future Americana.” It looks a little like a nearer-future Cyberpunk 2077 in many ways. MindsEye looks set to explore the well-trodden, prescient theme of the challenges that face humanity by seeking to integrate rapidly-advancing technology into our lives.
The reason MindsEye stood out for me is simple: it’s narratively intriguing. Few other games’ trailers built intrigue by posing interesting questions as to what’s going on and the protagonist’s story. MindsEye, however, really left me wanting to know more about its near-future, high-tec dystopian world.
It also doesn’t hurt that MindsEye‘s gameplay looks very solid, too. The driving mechanics look deeply reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077, and the third-person gunplay weighty and explosive. In fact, there were a lot of explosions. That’s always a winner. As are killer robots hellbent on humanity’s destruction.
Of course, the real test will be how MindsEye plays and makes the most of its intriguing narrative setup. It’s due for release Summer 2025, so hopefully we’ll hear more soon.
So, there’s my rundown of the games that stood out to me in the latest PlayStation State of Play. I should give an honorable mention to Housemarque’s latest project, Saros, which I’m sure will be great. But we were only treated to a cinematic trailer, and it’s not due to release until 2026, so it’s too early to get really excited about it.
Also, and I’m serious now, Sony, where the heck is the Bloodborne remaster!?
