Play Station Official Magazine - UK (2020-11)

PS5 HOT FIVE

027

PS5 HOT FIVE

Creepy dolls, disembodied hands scampering

spider-like across hardwood floors, and a

teacher who’d rather slap you senseless with

a ruler than make you do lines: this sequel has

the makings of something incredibly unnerving.

If Blumhouse Productions made Roald Dahl’s

The Twits, it would look something like this.

As a newcomer to Tarsier’s macabre world of shadowy delights, the

bag-headed Mono is on a quest to find the Black Tower and confront

the mysterious Broadcaster. Perhaps he’s seen the finale of Doom Patrol

series 2 and was not happy. The latest demo isn’t giving much of Little

Nightmares II’s story away, but it does reveal how we’ll puzzle past

some snappy traps – throwing pine cones onto hidden bear traps sets

them off in an addictively exciting manner. It’s like popping bubble

wrap, but with the threat of losing a limb.

Along the way we pull and puzzle across weird, almost Tim-Burton-

like levels, and meet an AI-controlled Six from the original game. With

her we’ll overcome anything the deviously-minded dev has in store.

Now the game’s coming to PS5, and we can’t wait to see how Little

Nightmares II makes use of ray tracing and DualSense’s haptics.

Some of Team OPM really

can’t get enough anime

nonsense, and so this

melee combat RPG from

the team behind the flawed but stylish

Code Vein attracts our attention.

The people of New Himika have

become so technologically advanced

they can access psychic powers from a

brain gizmo called the Psynet. This in

turn has attracted the attention of The

Others, alien beings who feed on brains.

What are the chances?

Combat looks pacy, and on PS5 we’ll

get a solid framerate. Will it be perfect?

Probably not. Will it feature surreal and

grotesque anime combat? Oh yes.

Your village holds the

Seed Of Yggdrasil, which

protects the Norse gods

from the threat of other

realms. As a human Viking you’ll need

help defend it from various beasts and

the Giant of Jotunheim, who wants to

destroy Midgard and the world.

Handily you can team up with nine

other players to prep for war,

scavenging, crafting, and building

defences. But it’s PS5’s 3D Audio that

should impress. It can use many layers

of sound that convey enemy movement

and what’s going on in distinct areas

of the environment to clue you into

what’s out there, in the wilds.

04 05

Little Nightmares II

ETA 11 FEB / PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV TARSIER STUDIOS

03

TRIBES OF MIDGARD

ETA 2021 / PUB GEARBOX

PUBLISHING / DEV NORSFELL

SCARLET NEXUS

ETA 2021 / PUB BANDAI NAMCO

DEV BANDAI NAMCO STUDIOS

We’ll be able to poke around

the village next year. We

should feel brave enough to

tackle its horrors by then.

027

PS5 HOT FIVE

Creepydolls,disembodiedhandsscampering

spider-likeacrosshardwoodfloors,anda

teacherwho’dratherslapyousenselesswith

a rulerthanmakeyoudolines:thissequelhas

themakingsofsomethingincrediblyunnerving.

If BlumhouseProductionsmadeRoaldDahl’s

TheTwits,it wouldlooksomethinglikethis.

Asa newcomertoTarsier’smacabreworldofshadowydelights,the

bag-headedMonois ona questtofindtheBlackTowerandconfront

themysteriousBroadcaster.Perhapshe’sseenthefinaleofDoomPatrol

series2 andwasnothappy.Thelatestdemoisn’tgivingmuchofLittle

NightmaresII’sstoryaway,butit doesrevealhowwe’llpuzzlepast

somesnappytraps–throwingpineconesontohiddenbeartrapssets

themoffinanaddictivelyexcitingmanner.It’slikepoppingbubble

wrap,butwiththethreatoflosinga limb.

Alongthewaywepullandpuzzleacrossweird,almostTim-Burton-

likelevels,andmeetanAI-controlledSixfromtheoriginalgame.With

herwe’llovercomeanythingthedeviously-mindeddevhasinstore.

Nowthegame’scomingtoPS5,andwecan’twaittoseehowLittle

NightmaresII makesuseofraytracingandDualSense’shaptics.

SomeofTeamOPMreally

can’tgetenoughanime

nonsense,andsothis

meleecombatRPGfrom

theteambehindtheflawedbutstylish

CodeVeinattractsourattention.

ThepeopleofNewHimikahave

becomesotechnologicallyadvanced

theycanaccesspsychicpowersfroma

braingizmocalledthePsynet.Thisin

turnhasattractedtheattentionofThe

Others,alienbeingswhofeedonbrains.

Whatarethechances?

Combatlookspacy,andonPS5we’ll

geta solidframerate.Willit beperfect?

Probablynot.Willit featuresurrealand

grotesqueanimecombat?Ohyes.

Yourvillageholdsthe

Seed Of Yggdrasil, which

protects the Norse gods

from the threat of other

realms. As a human Viking you’ll need

help defend it from various beasts and

the Giant of Jotunheim, who wants to

destroy Midgard and the world.

Handily you can team up with nine

other players to prep for war,

scavenging, crafting, and building

defences. But it’s PS5’s 3D Audio that

should impress. It can use many layers

of sound that convey enemy movement

and what’s going on in distinct areas

of the environment to clue you into

what’s out there, in the wilds.

04 05

Little Nightmares II

ETA 11 FEB/PUBBANDAINAMCO/DEVTARSIERSTUDIOS

03

TRIBESOFMIDGARD

ETA 2021 / PUB GEARBOX

PUBLISHING / DEV NORSFELL

SCARLETNEXUS

ETA 2021 / PUB BANDAI NAMCO

DEV BANDAI NAMCO STUDIOS

We’ll be able to poke around
the village next year. We
should feel brave enough to
tackle its horrors by then.