May 2023

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection launched and basically immediately succeeded. Within about two weeks, sales figures hit a million. It's a fantastic compilation of games, and Siliconera spoke with Director Masakazu Eguchi to learn more about how it came to be.

Jenni Lada: When did Capcom decide to create the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, and how long has it been in development?

Masakazu Eguchi: The decision was made roughly two years ago. Thanks to the support of many Capcom fans over the years and their desire for Mega Man Battle Network ports, we began development for the Battle Network Legacy Collection.

What sorts of challenges did the team face when preparing the games for the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection?

Sony has "fairly interesting and quite aggresive plans" for cloud gaming, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has teased.

Details of this initative were teased by Ryan last night as part of Sony's latest financial results briefing, though the exec declined to reveal specifics.

Ryan did however say that cloud gaming would be "fundamental" to allow Sony to "exploit that trend of mobility".

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How are you all doing? I'm here to tell you about what's coming for supporters this month on Eurogamer. And quickly, if you didn't know, yes we have a Supporter Programme that we overhauled earlier this year. It's £3/$3/€3 a month and features ad-free viewing of Eurogamer plus the kinds of things you'll read about below.

In case you missed it, we launched the first proper episode of our behind the scenes podcast recently. It's called Inside Eurogamer and in the first episode, I hear from new editor-in-chief Tom Phillips about his vision for the site, as well as from reviews editor Chris Tapsell about our move to a five-star reviews score system. We also had time to answer some of your questions so do keep sending them in - we'll email you asking for them in the build up to the new episode next month.

We've been doing some giveaways, too, and I've got a new one that's 'coming soon', as the gaming world says - though I do actually mean soon. As in, next week, and I think you'll like this one a lot.

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British actor Matt Berry, who is known for the likes of The Mighty Boosh, IT Crowd and What We Do in the Shadows, is in talks to join Warner Bros' Minecraft film adaption, Deadline reports.

While Berry's part is not yet set in stone (be that cuboid or otherwise), should these negotiations follow through, the actor will be joining Aquaman and Fast X's Jason Momoa on the big, blocky, screen.

Last year, it was revealed this upcoming Minecraft film had also landed Napoleon Dynamite's Jared Hess as its director. Meanwhile, Dune producer Mary Parent will produce the film, alongside Roy Lee.

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Shares in Swedish games company Embracer have plummeted after an unknown "major strategic partnership" fell through.

The deal would have included over $2bn in contracted development revenue over six years, reports Reuters.

As a result, shares in Embracer have dropped by 40 percent.

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For a few years now, we’ve heard Final Fantasy XVI is inspired by HBO’s Game of Thrones, and during my cover story trip to Tokyo, Japan, to speak with Creative Business Unit III, I learned more about this. Specifically, and perhaps critically, I learned that the team was inspired by the first four seasons of Game of Thrones. Or at least, that’s where it started. 

“Right around the start of the game’s development back when we’re in that early period is right about when [Season 4 of Game of Thrones on HBO] was airing,” FFXVI producer Naoki Yoshida tells me. “We had seen it grow into this television show that was loved around the world, not just by older generations but younger generations as well. So we bought the Blu-Ray box of Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4, and made everyone on the team watch it basically to get across to developers that this is what’s trending in the world – that this is the type of fantasy that people are enjoying.”

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom carries the time-honored Zelda tradition of giving Link a horse to ride on, but like Breath of the Wild, you don’t get gifted these majestic steeds to carry your ass across the map, you have to befriend them. And by befriend, I mean you have to sneak onto their backs and pat…

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage, billed as a return to the series’ roots, is set to come to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 12, according to a recently leaked listing for Japanese retailers. It’ll be the first new game in the stealth-action series in three years, the longest gap in the franchise’s…

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With the wind at their back, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan and head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst recently presented the state of the PlayStation 5 ecosystem to investors and hinted at what’s coming in the near future. Among other things, the company promised new IPs, more live-service games, and a …

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You technically don’t need to spend a whole lot of money to play Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop roleplaying games. But like most hobbies, the game is more than happy to welcome your investment with endless maps, minis, countless dice, and, of course, rulebooks to purchase. Now, it seems, the game is going to get…

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Ahead of the Genshin Impact Duel: The Summoners’ Summit event beginning on May 25, 2023, HoYoVerse explained how to take part and what it entails. The requirements to begin aren’t too taxing, and there is a quick start option if people didn’t complete every Archon Quest. People will be able to go through A Tour of Wonders, Zero Hour Invokation, Evermotion Mechanical Painting Invoker, and Heart of the Dice activities, then earn rewards like Primogems and the Ibis Piercer bow.

How to start the Genshin Impact Duel: The Summoners’ Summit event.

As usual, things start with an Adventure Rank requirement. You need to hit 32. You also need to have finished the Inazuma Archon Quest “Ritou Escape Plan” and the “Battlefield of Dice, Cats, and Cards” Mondstadt World Quest that unlocks Genius Invokation TCG. The latter is because the minigame features prominently in this storyline.

Other required quests include the Sumeru Archon Quest “Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises,” the first act of Mona’s Story Quest, and the second act of Raiden Shogun’s story quest. However, the quick start option allows people to skip these requirements so long as they already met the prior ones.

HoYoVerse often releases official wallpapers for its games via its free N0va Desktop PC and mobile application. Now, the first official Honkai: Star Rail live wallpaper is there. It is available for anyone with an applicable PC or Android device to use. Also, unlike some live wallpaper options in this application, it works on phones, PCs, and tablets. (Some only can be used on PCs.)

Here's how the Honkai: Star Rail live wallpaper, known as Interstellar Journey, looks in landscape and portrait formats. Each one pulls from the official art and shows Astral Express members Dan Heng, Himeko, March 7th, and Welt. Both the Caelus and Stelle versions of the Trailblazer avatar are also present.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="964790,964787" link="file"]

While there wasn’t an official announcement about it, there are also two static Honkai: Star Rail wallpaper options that appeared alongside the Live one. If you switch to that section in the N0va Desktop app, you can choose between ones of Dan Heng and March 7th.

Here’s how those two look:
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="964789" link="file"]

Honkai: Star Rail is available on PCs and mobile devices. It will also come to the PS4 and PS5. N0va Desktop is available on PCs and mobile devices, but not all wallpapers are available for every platform.

The latest event in Fate/Grand Order, Fuun Karakuri Illya’s Castle, will add a new playable Servant, Kashin Koji. She is an SSR Assassin, and will remain available in the story gacha even after the event ends. Prizes for playing through Fuun Karakuri Illya's Castle include the usual enhancement materials and QP.

Fuun Karakuri Illya’s Castle starts with Sitonai hijacking the combat simulator to create a castle full of traps. Chaldea’s Master and Servants must clear the floors in order to escape. The Kashin Koji banner also features Danzo and Kotaro, who will be major supporting characters of the story. Other characters in the event story include the Prisma Illya trio, Merlin, and Jiang Ziya,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j848bD3AYS8

The latest Final Fantasy XI May 2023 update released. It is the second update for May, after producer Yoji Fujito stated the volume of content was larger than anticipated for a single update.

Final Fantasy XI's newest update brings The Voracious Resurgence story to an end after its three-year run. Completing this story chapter will enable players to reforge their Prime Weapon to stage three, but they will need a stage two Prime Weapon to continue the story. In addition, the update adds new items, new titles, and new enemy behavior when taking part in a Sortie.

The previous May update mostly focused on Ambuscade, switching the enemy encounters to Orcs. No other adjustments were made to this month’s Ambuscade, and Fujito encouraged players to dust off their old strategies. The update also contained new recipes and items, along with general maintenance updates and client environment adjustments.

Previously, Yoji Fujito had updated players on Final Fantasy XI’s upcoming roadmap. He stated they would be aiming for a “more realistic” roadmap that focuses on maintaining the game’s existing content. The 21st Vana’Versary Celebration Campaign is currently taking place as part of these plans, and will end on May 31, 2023.

Final Fantasy XI is available for Windows PCs, and the latest update released on May 24, 2023.

After about eleven years of radio silence, Shakugan no Shana will return. Kadokawa announced via its Dengeki Bunko Twitter account that a new volume for the series, with the working title of Shakugan no Shana SIV, will come out some time in 2023. [Thanks ANN!]

Miki Kazuma, an editor for Dengeki Bunko, teased the news in the early hours of May 23, 2023 by stating that there will be news that’ll move veteran Dengeki Bunko fans to tears. The news in  question, of course, is the announcement of Shakugan no Shana SIV. This will be the fourth short story collection following SIII. For reference, SIII came out in Japan on November 10, 2012. There’s not much concrete information beyond this, though.

In a Q&A segment on the official Square Enix Twitter account, Live A Live Producer Takashi Tokita remarked on the possibility of a Live A Live 2. He also answered questions about the influence of collaborating artists and if the Near Future chapter was inspired by mecha anime. He discussed what time periods the team would like to explore if a sequel happened too.

Here is Tokita's response to being asked about a potential Live a Live sequel:

If the Steam and Playstation Editions of the game can sell a million copies, then I would be very confident in proposing a Live A Live 2 to the company! So I need all of you guys help with that!

He also commented that he would like to collaborate with different kinds of creators from around the globe, rather than restricting collaborations to just manga artists.

You can view the segment below:
[embed]https://twitter.com/SquareEnix/status/1661356773733982210?s=20[/embed]

Tokita mentioned he feels that he would like to see a section set in the modern day of 2023. He remarked that since it has been 30 years since the development of the game, utilizing concepts like the internet or AI could lead to a fun sci-fi or near future feel in a potential Live A Live 2.

Live A Live is readily available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5. A demo is also available.

As part of the celebration of the release of the the upcoming Sailor Moon Cosmos movie, a popcorn bucket in the shape of Luna’s head and a drink cup holder inspired by the Eternal form costume of Sailor Moon will be available at select theaters in Japan. The items will be available from June 9, 2023, to coincide with the release of the first part of the Sailor Moon Cosmos movie. [Thanks, Comic Natalie!]

The Sailor Moon Cosmos Luna popcorn bucket also comes with a removable special strap. It includes the symbol of each Sailor Guardian on it. Meanwhile, the drink cup holder includes a motif based on the Sailor Moon Crystal design of the Eternal Moon Article. As these will be at theaters, people interested in one may need to turn to a proxy service and Yahoo! Japan Auctions or look to eBay.

As a reminder, there are several official short and long trailers for the upcoming Sailor Moon Cosmos movie duology, and one of the trailers includes the song “Tsuki no Hana,” performed by artist Daoko. A recent short trailer focuses on Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter.

Small form factor (SFF) PCs are definitely in right now. I've built my fair share over the past few years, but new models continue to come into the market offering impressive looks, thermals, buildability for their size. One recent release is the Asus AP201, a Micro ATX case that offers excellent cooling potential, a stylish, unshowy appearance and a very reasonable price - especially today, as the black and white versions of this SFF case have dropped to $70 on Newegg following a $15 discount.

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Logitech make some of the best peripherals in the business, including some of my favourite keyboards. I normally prefer mechanical fare here, but their MX Keys low profile scissor switch keyboard is the exception. It provides a full-size UK layout, pleasant typing experience and long battery life when connected via 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth. It's normally at its £120 RRP, or close to it, but today you can pick it up for £81 - the lowest we've seen it since January.

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Update: Ubisoft have confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s will arrive on October 12th, with a lengthy new trailer shown during this evening's PlayStation Showcase. I've embedded the new trailer below.

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Well then. Mere minutes after Nvidia hit the launch button on the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, AMD rocked up with a new 1080p graphics card of their own: the Radeon RX 7600. Though it’s likely more of an RTX 4060 rival, given the RX 7600 will go on sale tomorrow – May 25th – at £260 / $269, slightly less than the $299-tagged 4060.

Based on the same RDNA 3 architecture as the Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX, the RX 7600 nonetheless targets a much more widely-used monitor resolution than those 4K-minded GPU hulks. Which makes a nice change, and means AMD will beat Nvidia’s RTX 40 series to the punch on a sub-£300 GPU, with the RTX 4060 not set for release until July.

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This month, Amazon were already giving away 15 games to all Amazon Prime subscribers, but they’ve now sweetened the pot with 8 more, including some real good indies up for keeps. The new additions are available to claim starting today, up until June 26th - giving you a little over a month to grab the lineup below.

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As Netflix's live-action The Witcher adaptation prepares for its return on 29th June, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has shared a little more on Henry Cavill's decision to hang up his shoulder-length Geralt wig after season 3, admitting the team 'had the choice to end the show' after Cavill's departure, but felt there were "just too many stories left to tell".

Netflix revealed The Witcher's third season would be Cavill's last in October 2022, much to the disappointment of fans - Cavill has, afterall, been one of the few genuinely bright spots in a deeply uneven adaptation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the show's popularity, Netflix confirmed that instead of winding the series down it had instead recast the lead role, with Liam Hemsworth stepping into Geralt of Rivia's shoes for season 4 onward.

Now, however, in an interview with Total Film (thanks Games Radar), showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has confirmed the team was given the option to wrap the series up with Cavill's departure, but instead opted to press on. "I mean, we had the choice to have Geralt exit and to end the show," Hissirch explained, "[but] that's not something that we were willing to do. There's just too many stories left to tell."

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UPDATE 9.45pm UK: Assassin's Creed Mirage will indeed launch on 12th October.

Ubisoft confirmed today's leaked date with a flashy new trailer for the game, aired during tonight's PlayStation Showcase. Watch it below:

ORIGINAL STORY 4.45pm UK: Stealthy Japanese retailers appear to have outed the release date of Assassin's Creed Mirage - the upcoming Baghdad-set entry in Ubisoft's historical stabathon series.

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It's sort of summertime which means it's sort of press conference time which means Sony's doing a PlayStation Showcase tonight, and you can watch it right here with us from 9pm UK time. That's 10pm CEST or 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT.

The show will be an hour long, apparently, and I'll be live reporting everything going on while chatting with you in the comments, because I have four hands.

So what can we expect? Well, Final Fantasy 16 will no doubt feature highly, what with it being a timed exclusive for PlaySation 5 and all, and with it being due next month. Will we get a demo date, perhaps? I'd also expect a solid look at Insomniac's new Spider-Man 2 game, due this autumn, which we still haven't seen a great deal of.

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Movie star Will Smith will be the face of forthcoming mobile survival RPG Undawn.

Smith will play Trey Jones, a legendary survivor (eerily similar to his role in the film I Am Legend), who acts as a guide to help survivors navigate the world four years after a global disaster.

You can see the star's reveal in the trailer below.

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Japanese fashion brand MAYLA will release high-heel shoes inspired by Sailor Moon Cosmos as part of a collaboration event to celebrate the release of the movie. Each pair costs 28,600 JPY (roughly $206). The lineup includes five different models, with each one based on a different Sailor Guardian. The pumps will go on sale on May 26, 2023, and they will be available from the MAYLA online store until July 11, 2023. It does ship outside Japan via WorldShipping. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The five available models in the collaboration are designed after the Eternal versions of Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. The pumps has a glossy finish due to the enamel material used on them. Each pair also comes with a ribbon and a charm representing each Sailor Guardian. The charm can be removed. The shoes also incorporate in them the V-shaped designed of the sailor uniforms. The outsoles have an elaborate design that includes motifs from each character, as well as a moon and star motif.

You can take a better look at the Sailor Moon Cosmos MAYLA shows here:

[gallery ids="964679,964678,964677,964676,964675,964674" link="file"]

Bandai Namco Holdings announced that the Gundam franchise made 131 billion JPY in its 2023 fiscal year. This is a a record-breaking amount of profits for the series. Masaru Kawaguchi, the president of Bandai Namco Holdings, specifically cited The Witch From Mercury for revitalizing interest in the series. [Thanks, ANN!]

For reference, 131 billion JPY would equate to around $944 million. Much of these profits came from Gunpla sales, which fits the trend that started in FY2020. Of these Gunpla, the Aerial is one of the most popular models. This fits with the high interest in The Witch From Mercury. In the previous fiscal year, Bandai Namco Holdings made 101.7 billion JPY. So there is a difference of about 30 billion JPY.

Sega announced that Power, the fearsome Blood Fiend in Chainsaw Man, will inspire a new 1/7 scale figure of accompanied by her pet cat Meowy. The statue will be a part of the Sega S-Fire line of figures. The figure will cost 27,500 JPY (or roughly $200). The new Power and Meowy figure is scheduled to release sometime on June 2024. The S-Fire online store will accept pre-orders for the new statue until July 31, 2023. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

The new S-Fire figure depicts the Blood Fiend Power smiling as she summons her signature blood hammer, as well as other blood weapons such as spears and swords. Accompanying the fiend is her pet cat Meowy, as it stands on her shoulders meowing while she wraps her arm around it.

You can take a better look at the new Chainsaw Man 1/7 scale figure of Power and Meowy in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="4" ids="964667,964666,964665,964664" link="file"]

As a reminder, a new Chainsaw Man Figma figure of Public Safety devil hunter Aki Hayakawa is on the way from Good Smile Company.

The new Chainsaw Man 1/7 scale figure of Power and her cat will be available for pre-order until July 31, 2023 from the S-Fire online store. It costs 27,500 JPY (~$200) and is expected to release sometime in June 2024.

It's been a few days since Capcom's Street Fighter 6 "How to Play" series looked at a new character, but that changes today as Manon takes the stage. The latest brief video focuses on her moveset and abilities. It also calls attention to one attack in particular, her Renverse.

The video begins by pointing out how heavily Manon relies on kicks and throws, but also points out she’s “well-rounded.” It then shows how kicks can be used for poke attacks or combos. Renverse is specifically noted as working well for both situations.

Watch in awe.

Manon is a well-rounded character with quick, balletic kicks that let her dictate the flow of a match, and powerful judo throws that she can use to break through someone's guard once she's closed in. pic.twitter.com/ptdIHsDOMb

— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) May 24, 2023

Prior to Manon, we saw a video featuring Dee Jay.

VTuber agency Hololive Production is holding auditions for its English speaking branch. Though the company hosts a permanent audition page, Hololive and its parent company Cover sent out the call again ahead of the first English concert, Connect the World. The English branch currently consists of Myth and Council, as well as the Vsinger unit Project: Hope. The male branch, Holostars English Tempus, consists of the Vanguard and HQ groups.

You can find the announcement tweet with links to the application form below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/hololivepro_EN/status/1661205381908164610?s=20[/embed]

The audition site lists the following general requirements:

• Age 18 or over at the time of auditioning
• Ability to fully commit to content creation and streaming/submitting content at least 3 times per week for an extended period of time
• English fluency
• Has clear goals and objectives as an entertainer
• Not currently affiliated with an entertainment agency/label or has the ability to terminate any affiliation if given the opportunity to debut
• Ability to comply with rules and regulations regarding the audition process

Additionally, extra consideration will be given to applicants with the following skills or traits:

Nintendo revealed more details about new weapons and a returning stage coming to Splatoon 3. These details mark the latest round of content updates about the upcoming Sizzle Season, which begins on June 1, 2023. The new stage is Humpback Pump Track and the weapons are the Annaki Splattershot Nova and Splatana Wiper Deco.

Humpback Pump Track first appeared in Splatoon 2 and is now returning for Splatoon 3. It’s based on a BMX track, with a prominent hump in the middle of the stage. It’s also full of uneven terrain, adding a greater challenge.

https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1661375890599686153

Two more new weapons for Splatoon 3 have been revealed. The Annaki Splattershot Nova is a variant on the Splattershot Nova giving it a sleek blue look. It comes equipped with an Ink Mine sub weapon and the Inkjet special. The Splatana Wiper Deco is a variant on the Splatana Wiper weapon. This version comes with a Squid Beakon sub weapon and a Tenta Missile special.

https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1661356625431609345

Gathering Korok Seeds is one of the most time-consuming tasks in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Between finding Koroks hiding in every nook and cranny of Hyrule to reuniting lost ones with their friends via elaborate Ultrahand constructions, Link’s got his work cut out for him gathering all those pieces of …

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Hey, remember that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake Ubisoft announced back in 2020? The one it’s delayed twice, and that has switched developers at least once? Well, it turns out that at some point after the switch to a new studio development on the remake completely restarted, which makes it sound like the…

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Tears of the Kingdom injected a number of fun mechanics into Breath of the Wild’s take on the Zelda series. One such was Fusing, the ability to meld items and weapons together to increase durability and attack strength. But glitch hunters have found an even more obscene way of fusing. Introducing “Zuggling,” a…

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Three and a half years after its announcement, numerous delays, and a new developer later, Ubisoft's beleaguered Price of Persia: Sands of Time remake is still in the "conception" phase.

Ubisoft's "fully-fledged" Sands of Time remake was officially revealed in September 2020, with an anticipated release date of January the following year. However, its troubled development saw the publisher twice delay its release, before finally shifting control of the project from Ubisoft Pune and Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal.

Following that major upheaval in May 2022, Ubisoft would only say its Sands of Time remake would release "when it's ready". However, a new development update on the Ubisoft website now suggests that "ready" may still be some considerable way off.

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The rumors were true. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is getting remade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox. 

The remake is officially called Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. A cinematic teaser showcased a jungle filled with dangerous animals vying for dominance, with Naked Snake emerging from the depth of a bog to show off his remade look. Originally released in 2004, the title is a 1960s-era prequel to the Metal Gear series that tells the origin story of Big Boss and lays the groundwork for the entire Metal Gear fiction.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see gameplay, and the title doesn’t have a release window, but the first three Metal Gear Solid games are also being bundled in a collection heading to PlayStation 5 this fall. What do you think of this first look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater? Let us know in the comments!

Today’s PlayStation Showcase brought the reveal of Sword of the Sea, a new game from Giant Squid, the development team behind Abzu and The Pathless.

The most striking visuals of the new game come from a vast desert that brings to mind thatgamecompany’s Journey. That’s not coincidence, since Giant Squid’s founder is Matt Nava, who was previously art director at thatgamecompany. But while this new game is destined to draw strong comparisons to that classic title, there were some notable differences on display. First, the desert itself looks much more like a flowing sea, and the character you control like a surfer moving through the water. In certain sequences, the desert seems to actually transform into water, suggesting a mystery at the core of the game.

In the footage shown, we see a focus on flow movement for the protagonist as they ride across the sand and trick off of half-pipes. From surrounding descriptions about the game, we know that you control a character named the Wraith, who was brought back to life to restore life to a ruined world, while facing off against vast leviathans that attempt to block progress.

Sword of the Sea is coming to PS5, but no word yet on a release date.