The Legendary Bounty Hunter Dante has his largest arsenal of weapons yet in Devil May Cry 5. Along with his old favorites including Rebellion and his twin handguns, he'll also find new armaments including a demonic hat that uses red orbs as ammunition, and a powerful motorcycle that transforms into massive chainsaw swords. However, there's one weapon in the game that can be very easy to miss, opening up access to a set of firearms, that when combined together, form one of the game's most powerful guns.
For some background, one of the weapons that Dante will acquire later in the game (and seen in the many trailers) is the Kalina Ann II--a heavily modified rocket launcher that was specially built for the bounty hunter Lady. The original Kalina Ann was also a weapon that Dante could use in Devil May Cry 3. The second version of the weapon was intended as a replacement after the original was lost in a battle. The souped-up Kalina Ann II can fire off powerful missiles and mini-rockets, causing serious damage to all surrounding enemies. However, there's a way to track down and acquire the original Kalina Ann in one of the missions.
In Mission 11, you'll control Dante as he explores a ruined town. During the mid-point of the level, you'll come to a massive tower that's tangled in demonic tendrils. Attacking the first blood sac will kill the first set of tendrils, causing the building to sink. Below the platform are two more blood sacs. Though you can destroy the one closest to the exit to proceed with the level, there's another one near the tower that will cause it to sink further. Destroying this particular sac will also open up access to the Secret Mission in the area. You can also find an opening in the section below the floor that leads to a room. Enter the room and approach the broken table to find an item. Picking it up will grant Dante the original Kalina Ann rocket launcher.
If you have both rocket launchers in your possession, Dante will combine them together to form the Double Kalina Ann firearm. Essentially wielding both rocket launchers in tandem, switching off between shots, the high-powered weapon is the Devil Hunter's most powerful firearm. In addition to firing off rockets with great speed and power, Dante can merge both weapons together to open up new moves, including a powerful laser attack. In Gunslinger style, the Double Kalina Ann's move-set and power increase further, adding a variety of other options in a fight.
This weapon offers a ridiculous amount of firepower, but if you find that wielding two rocket launchers at once is simply too much to handle, you can adjust your loadout to use only one--choosing either the original Kalina Ann or its upgrade. Still, the Double Kalian Ann is a surprisingly versatile weapon, offering quick, crowd-clearing moves, and also powerful single-enemy attacks at your fingertips.
For more on Capcom's Devil May Cry 5, including the location of all the Secret Missions and how to find the hidden ending, but sure to check out our continuing coverage of the game. Also, if you haven't check out our full review yet for DMC5, written by editor Matt Espineli, be sure to give that a read as well.
In Devil May Cry 5, you'll need to up your skills in combat to see some of the game's most exciting and satisfying moments. Just like in previous games in the series, Capcom's action game features some hidden secrets to uncover, and they'll require players to put their skills to the test in order to unlock them. Though in a slight change from past games, which feature post-credits easter eggs at game's end, Devil May Cry 5's secret ending can be seen during the opening mission of the game.
In the Prologue, you'll play as Nero--sans his iconic Devil Bringer. As it's revealed in the first act of the game, his demonic arm was torn off by a mysterious figure, and he's been hellbent on exacting revenge ever since. In the state Nero is in during the beginning of the game, the scrappy protagonist isn't as well-equipped compared to his outing in DMC4, which makes his first major encounter with the all-powerful Urizen a major battle to overcome. This first boss fight is intended to show how powerful this big bad is, and that Nero will need more power to stand a chance. Having said that, it's actually possible to defeat Urizen in this battle--ending the threat before it even begins to have a major impact.
First off, I'd like to stress that unless you're a highly skilled DMC player that wants to show off, you're much better off saving this particular fight for when you've successfully cleared through the game at least once. It's not worth doing multiple attempts on this mission right at the beginning. Since you're free to replay every mission in the game at any time, bringing all of your upgrades and new skills to old missions, it will make for a much more 'fair' fight if you come in prepared. As the prologue mission clearly illustrates, Nero is outmatched. But even when you revisit this mission more prepared, you're still in for a tough fight. If you want to see this ending, it's recommended you try this fight on the Devil Hunter difficulty.
The key to winning this fight is to keep moving and to avoid all of Urizen's attacks. While this seems simple and a pretty obvious tip, the new demon king is extremely effective at keeping you at a distance and overwhelming you with attacks--all of which deal heavy damage. You're essentially fighting a near end-game boss right at the beginning, and he'll pull out all the stops to take you down, and all without getting up from his throne. In order to strike Urizen directly, you'll need to destroy the crystal that protects him. This crystal not only shields him from damage, but it will also has attacks of its own. Generally speaking, you'll want to stay as close as possible to him and keep attacking the crystal until it shatters. This will leave Urizen vulnerable for a limited time, allowing you to get some hits in. He'll regain his posture soon after and conjure up another crystal--repeating the process again.
If you're able to fend off Urizen's attacks and go in for the critical blows when he's vulnerable, then you'll be treated to a somewhat uneventful if a bit humorous ending celebrating your feat. You will also gain an achievement/trophy for clearing the tough battle. Though it may not seem worth the effort, it is a particularly interesting fight to brute force your way through, and it'll be a nice feather in your cap. With that said, a real challenge will be clearing this battle on Dante Must Die mode, DMC5's hardest difficulty.
For more on Devil May Cry 5, including the locations of all the Secret Missions and how to beat them, and along with our full review of the game.
By Anonymous on Mar 10, 2019 09:30 pm Pathfinder is the fastest Legend and here's how to get good with the Grappling Hook, Zipline Gun, and find the next ring's location.
Ever since its unveiling at E3 2015, Shenmue III has had very little new information revealed about it. Aside from gaining an official release date after suffering not one but two delays, publisher Deep Silver has kept the project largely away from the all-seeing public. However, a new trailer shows off the game's engine and combat. And it looks pretty good.
The trailer, just a smidge longer than two and a half minutes in length, starts with series protagonist Ryo Hazuki wiped out on the floor with the mysterious girl, Ling Shenhua, kneeling over him. Some random thug with hair like a helmet, who's likely the one responsible for Ryo lying on the floor, mocks him.
The trailer then cuts to Ryo following up on reports of some goons searching for something called the Pheonix Mirror. After the duo investigates some leads, we then see Ryo training with some mysterious hermit familiar with his father, Iwao Hazuki. It's here where we see Ryo engaged in two battles, showing off the game's combat. It's reminiscent of early 90s/early-aughts fighters like Virtua Fighter or brawlers like The Bouncer. You can view the trailer below.
Shenmue I & II launched on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 21, 2018. The collection coupled the two Dreamcast classics together with HD visuals, smoother frame rates, and reduced shimmering effects. Thanks to publisher Sega and the collection's developer d3t, this Shenmue I & II collection is the best way to experience the cult classic on modern hardware.
Shenmue III is slated to launch on August 27, 2019 for the PC and PlayStation 4.
Anthem, BioWare's looter-shooter, has had some trouble since it launched early February. The game has been crashing hardware and a bug has made Anthem's starter weapon a bit overpowered. Those are just a couple of the issues the game has faced. However, BioWare has committed to improving Anthem, and the developer has revealed a host of fixes in its latest patch, which is live now.
According to a post by EA community manager Jesse Anderson, Anthem's 1.0.3. update addresses a number of issues both known and unknown to players. Chief among them is a improvements to platform stability, a problem that's rendered the game unplayable for numerous Freelancers. The patch also brings audio fixes, loot changes, and more.
Respawn timers for Crit-Path, Agent Missions, and other non-end game missions are now 10 seconds. Strongholds, Legendary Contracts, and other end game mission respawn timers are now 30 seconds. Freeplay respawn timers, meanwhile, have remained unchanged.
In addition to addressing gameplay issues, the new patch is reported to fix a plethora of problems plaguing the hub area, Fort Tarsis. Players should now be able to interact with NPCs with no issues. Freelancers can launch a mission from anywhere in Fort Tarsis instead of having to head to the launch bay. The vault is inaccessible in the forge now as a means to improve performance.
The patch notes are long. While they don't address every issue players have encountered--and quite a few remain, such as potential audio crackling in Fort Tarsis, being unable to quit a quickplay mission through the map UI, bugs that make other players and NPCs non-interactable, and more--BioWare's demonstrating its commitment to bringing Anthem up to the standards the player base holds the developers to. Some of these other issues are supposed to be addressed in the next path, according to the post.
High level fixes and changes
Respawn restrictions have been removed - Respawn timers are now based on the activity a player is in. Crit-Path, Agent Missions and other non-end game missions now have a respawn timer of 10 seconds. Strongholds, Legendary Contracts, and other end game missions now have a respawn timer of 30 seconds. The respawn timer Freeplay remains unchanged.
Loot Changes - Common (white) and Uncommon (green) drops will no longer appear for players that are level 30.
Improved stability for all platforms - this includes fixes for a number of issues that were causing crashes or connection problems
Audio Improvements - Fixed a number of issues that could cause audio to drop out
General Fixes and Improvements
Fixed a number of issues that were blocking players from accessing the Forge
All missions should now properly end when all conditions have been met
The inbox now properly displays information on PC (the inbox is found in the newsfeed)
Fixed an issue that would cause players to be unable to interact with NPCs in Fort Tarsis
The vault is no longer accessible from the Forge. This change was made to improve performance
Fixed an issue that would cause the game to hang when entering menus while on an expedition
Titans will no longer respawn on missions after they are defeated. Example: if players defeat 2 out of 3 titans and then wipe on the third, the first two will not reappear when players respawn during a mission
Server shutdown messages should now appear less often
The ability to Quickplay into a Stronghold has been added back to the game
Mouse button 4 is no longer bound to the back button for PC players
Crashes that occurred while selecting certain conversation options when interacting with an NPC have been fixed
Players should no longer get stuck at the end of the "Tomb of General Tarsis" mission
Players should now run into less issues during Quickplay missions. Additional improvements to Quickplay will be coming in future updates
Players should no longer get stuck behind fogwalls on missions or in strongholds as often
Players should now receive credit for the "There Be Giants" challenge when they are downed and when the event is active
Improved the audio when defeating creatures to provide better feedback
Changed wording for server shutdown messaging to better indicate that it is just the players server shutting down, not the entire game server
Players may now launch an expedition from anywhere within the launch bay and Fort Tarsis.
PS4 led lights will now change based on the javelin being used
It should now be harder for players to get stun locked by certain enemy compositions
The values on max flight time inscriptions have been increased
The appearance of the N7 vinyl on Legion of Dawn armor has been improved
Haluk will now properly face players during certain dialogue scenes
The message "Open the Cortex to track the legionnaire Challenges" will no longer pop up after completing the appropriate challenges
Strongholds
Fixed an issue that would cause players to get stuck at the entrance to the sewers in the Temple of the Scar Stronghold
Creature Updates
Titans: We have made several balance changes to all variations of Titans
Reduced overall damage mitigation from 100% to between 70% and 75% depending on the damage type.
Increased the time that weakpoints are exposed.
Fixed an issue that prevented effects from applying and thus preventing combos.
Increased the damage the Titan takes from weakpoint hits.
Lesser Titan's weakpoint's have been changed to always be active.
Improved the collision on the ring and seeking projectile attacks. This should make them easier to dodge.
Decreased the radius of the seeking projectile attack.
Decreased the damage done by the self-destruct ability.
Frozen Scar Enforcers and Scrappers can no longer move or attack while frozen.
The Monitor's health has been greatly reduced in the Heart of Rage Stronghold.
Force
Players will be less likely to be repeatedly staggered by heavy attacks.
Adjusted the force applied by some creature attacks down which will lower the frequency of player's being staggered.
Damage and Item Scaling Changes
Adjusted the damage scaling of secondary damage sources. These now scale with Average Item Power. This will allow these damage sources to better scale in the Grandmaster Difficulties. This will increase the scaling of the following:
Melee Damage
Combo Damage
Ultimate Damage
Status Effects
Item Procs (e.g. Proc from Yvenia's Thunder)
Item Power scaling has changed to better reflect the actual power of the item based on its rarity. This is applied to all items retroactively. Players will see the Power of their items go up.
Gameplay Bug Fixes
The Ultimate ability bar will no longer appear full at the start of a mission when it isn't actually full
Weapon recoil will now stop once an exo is looking straight up
Fixed a number of animation issues that could occur when the Colossus was using its shield
It should no longer be possible for the Interceptor to become Frozen while starting up their ultimate
Interceptor Aura damage will now deal the correct type of damage based on the active aura
Players can no longer equip abilities from one javelin to another
The Colossus can now use gear faster after being attacked by a heavy hit from enemies
The Colossus can now shield charge through destructible objects such as explosive canisters or harvest nodes
The Colossus now recovers faster after crashing into walls
Item Balance Updates
Increased the base health of Wind Wall and Bulwark Point to provide better scaling in higher difficulties. The duration of these has been reduced to 20 seconds, down from 60 seconds
Burst Mortar's damage has been increased to 300, up from 145 and its cooldown has been reduced to 6 seconds, down from 10 seconds. Its description has also been fixed
Flak Cannon's damage has been increased to 42, up from 30
Battle Cry's description has been updated to explain that it also reduces the resistances of affected targets
Wraith Strike's damage has been increased to 250, up from 200 and it will now apply elemental effect to targets based on the active aura
Note: Description text for Wraith Strike will be updated in 1.0.4.
Item Bug Fixes
Wind Wall should no longer block or interfere with other player abilities
Ranger Grenadier Component will now correctly lower the cooldown of grenade abilities
Fixed an issue where certain weapons were not firing where the crosshairs were aimed
The Ice Blast ability for the Storm javelin now has the primer icon correctly displayed
Inscription Bug Fixes
The Thruster Delay Recovery inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
The Overheat Delay Recovery inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
The Weapon Reload Bonus inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
Note: These will have non-updated text values until the next patch (1.0.4)
Masterwork Item Balance Updates
Increased the base damage of the following Masterwork Weapons.
Ralner's Blaze
Rolling Carnage
Cycle of Pain
The Last Stand
Glorious Result
Insult and Injury
Sentinel Vengeance
Gnosta's Balm
Vassa's Surprise
Soothing Touch
Renewed Courage
Artinia's Gambit
Masterwork Item Bug Fixes
Ralner's Blaze - Will no longer roll with incorrect inscriptions
Ablative Shielding now provides the proper boost in shield and armor
Badge of Devastation will now generate more ultimate charge when triggered
It should no longer be possible to stack the effect from Gunslinger's Mark more than once
In addition to the above updates, we wanted to let you know of some other known issues that the team is working on fixing:
When loading into the game for the first time after a patch the Shields and Armor on a javelin will be incorrect. The first time a player enters and exits Freeplay or any other activity the issue will fix itself.
Players are not receiving their level 20 Match Consumables. Players were granted item blueprints instead of the recipes when they hit this level previously.
Some players may experience audio crackling while in Fort Tarsis.
There may be some instances where players are unable to quit out of a Quickplay mission through the map UI.
A number challenges may not be tracking properly, such as the objectives under the "Legendary Freelancer" challenge.
Some players may encounter a bug where they are unable to interact with any objects or players.
Visual effects on javelin thrusters are not functioning properly while stormy weather is present in game.
Inactivity messages may not be able to be dismissed after a player returns from being away.
There are a number of Origin error messages that some PC players may encounter, including Origin showing that it is offline when it actually online and that the friends list is accessible when in offline mode.
The UI may not display events for some players when an event has spawned nearby in Freeplay.
There is a bug where armor pips can change in between activities. This is both a display and gameplay issue.
In our Anthem review, we said the game has "good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution," saying that "you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment--of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you'll inevitably come crashing back down."
How do you follow a pop culture juggernaut like Get Out? After not only smashing the box office but earning a screenplay Oscar, Jordan Peele is ready to haunt our collective nightmares again with Us--while also proving he's the perfect guy to reboot The Twilight Zone.
Like the best Twilight Zone episodes, Us has both twists and social commentary. Jordan Peele has said before that he wasn't going to do another film about race, so for his sophomore feature he expands his scope and tackles the entire United States in a film that asks us to look within, and see the danger we ourselves have become. To this end, we begin with a prologue set in 1986, where a young Adelaide Wilson (Madison Curry) watches a commercial for Hands Across America--a campaign to make a human chain across the continental United States--before stumbling across a hall of mirrors under a Santa Cruz pier. She finds more than mere reflections, an event that leaves her traumatized.
Some 30 years later, the burden of that encounter still haunts an adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o), who returns to Santa Cruz with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and their children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) for the summer. Jordan Peele shows he is adept at writing compelling and fully-formed characters, as he instantly makes you fall in love with this family. Sure, they are not perfect. Gabe is awkward and has an endless supply of dad jokes ("You don't need the internet. You have the outernet!"), and the kids fight constantly, but you feel the love between them. Adelaine has a bad feeling about this trip, and a series of eerie coincidences don't help alleviate her concerns.
After a trip to the beach with their friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker), the Wilsons return home to find four shadowy figures standing in their driveway. It's the doppelgänger spotted in the trailers, wearing creepy blood-red jumpsuits and gloves, and sporting very sharp scissors. The sight of Lupita staring in horror at herself is the latest instance of what should become known as the "Peele stare, as instantly iconic as Daniel Kaluuya's hypnotized, glazed expression in Get Out.
If Get Out was a victim of the "is it really horror?" question, Jordan Peele made sure Us wouldn't fall for the same trick. This is a horror movie through and through, full of references to everything from Friday the 13th and Night of the Living Dead to more recent fare like Black Swan. Like Hereditary last year, the best scares come from simply being able to glimpse something in the dark corners of the screen. The home invasion sequences will make you want to cover your eyes, but the craftsmanship at hand will prevent you from looking away. However, Peele doesn't shy away from making you laugh, with a perfectly balanced mix of horror with humor that doesn't feel out of place. Winston Duke especially brings a necessary levity to the film, with his corny sense of humor being relatable and likeable enough to make you stop thinking about him as just the guy from Black Panther. Peele not only excels at mixing horror and humor, but at writing smart characters. Like in Get Out, the Wilsons are quick to react to the creepy figures in their driveway, and immediately call the police and start planning their stand-off.
Visually, Us is already a candidate for the most beautiful horror film of 2019, mostly thanks to cinematographer Mike Gioulakis the man responsible for the stunning It Follows. Gioulakis's camera swirls, creeps out, and hunts the characters almost as much as their doppelgänger counterparts, and his use of light and shadow is as effective as any jump scare. Also the score, by Get Out composer Michael Abels, will haunt your nightmares for days to come, while also bringing to mind Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Omen, except without the demonic child.
Winston Duke may be a surprisingly convincing and likeable dad, and the kids are fantastic at playing innocent one moment, and plain evil the next, but Us works as well as it does because of one person: Lupita Nyong'o. Despite winning an Oscar six years ago, we have barely got to know her range, though between this and Little Monsters we are definitely living in the year of Lupita. She plays every emotion in the book, and every muscle in her body is used to convey those emotions. Watching her play the dual roles (like the rest of the family) of her regular self and her crazy and evil counterpart is delightful and terrifying to see, a performance to rival Toni Collette in Hereditary. In a fair world, Nyong'o would earn her second Oscar nomination with this film.
Like Get Out, it is easy and valid to enjoy Us at face value, as the film offers enough thrills, laughs, and scares to merit all praise. But this is Jordan Peele we are talking about, so the script is filled with metaphors and tiny details that demand multiple viewings to even begin to grasp the director's full intent. The biggest theme that emerges from the movie is that of apathy and the rejection of the underprivileged in the U.S. (it isn't a coincidence that the film's title is written as US). However, by the time the film dumps some exposition on the audience and explains what the doppelgängers want, the logic of the film starts to fall apart somewhat. Peele isn't interested in spelling things out, but this in turn uncovers holes in the story that may have you scratching your head as soon as you start thinking about the motivations and the meaning behind certain imagery and actions.
Despite some questionable choices, there's no denying that Jordan Peele avoided the "sophomore slump" and has now cemented himself as one of the great contemporary horror minds. Us is not only a brilliant exploration of current-day America, but one hell of a prologue to Peele's The Twilight Zone reboot.
The Good
The Bad
Lupita Nyong'o slays in dual roles
Script crumbles a bit towards the en
Winston Duke plays the dad you've always wanted
Slightly predictable
Smart characters who act believably in terrifying situations
Not being able to sleep because of Us-induced nightmares
Beautiful cinematography and haunting score
Layer on layer of detail that you'll want to uncover
By Anonymous on Mar 10, 2019 04:30 am Mary Kish and Mike Mahardy share a ton of new series fan art, shortly before delving into the poop-covered sewers of Raccoon City.
Bend Studio, the developers behind the PS4 exclusive Days Gone, have seen the PlayStation platform grow through the ages. Starting out with Bubsy 3D, one of the earliest 3D platformers, they pivoted to great success with the Syphon Filter series--one of the original PlayStation's more defining first-party games. In the time since, Bend Studio worked closely with other developers on franchises like Uncharted and Resistance, but on the year of Syphon Filter's 20th anniversary, the studio is launching its first new IP in two decades.
After spending some hands-on time with the game, we spoke with creative director John Garvin and game director Jeff Ross about the studio's formative years and how the new open-world game set in the Pacific Northwest aims to shake up the familiar trappings of the setting. The following interview has been edited for clarity and readability.
Bend Studio is actually one of the oldest PlayStation developers still around today. This is the first new IP coming from the studio in a long time, so with that, there seems to be a lot of perspective on what makes a good Sony game.
John Garvin: Well for 20 years, I worked on the Syphon Filter series, Resistance: Retribution, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and among others. We've always been working on third-person shooters that are narrative-driven, that's really what we do. But you're right, it's our first new IP in a long time. However, we're always thinking of ways to push the gameplay and ourselves further. The thing about working on Days Gone, is that the PS4 obviously has got a lot more power than anything we've worked on before. We couldn't have done something like the hoard gameplay on any other platform like the PS3 or Vita, and it was really exciting for us to do work on the PS4.
Jeff Ross: To me, Bend Studio just always goes for it. We're in Central Oregon, we're kinda outsiders, but we're about making this big game. This one is certainly the biggest, but as a developer, we're small, scrappy and we're willing to kinda go for it and let it all hang out on this title.
Garvin: And we're really lucky because Sony, I think, is unique to publishers and to platform holders because there is so much longevity in the production team. Some of the people on staff have worked on Bubsy 3D, and they've gone on to work on bigger games. But to your point about seeing the evolution of PlayStation, it's been pretty incredible because I love the fact that Shuhei Yoshida is willing to take chances and say, "Hey, how about a next-gen handheld platform? Or how would you guys like to build an Uncharted game on that?" That was quite an opportunity for us and that was something that we really appreciated happening.
So Bend Studio has been making Days Gone over the course of six years, and we saw the game for the first time during the midpoint of that at E3 2016. Over this period, both Sony and the popularity of the zombie sub-genre has changed. Can you talk about how the game has changed over the years, and what's stayed constant?
Garvin: Here's the funny thing about Days Gone, the core idea has been the same from day one. We had a concept painting that our art director had done, just spitballing ideas, and it's this character--we weren't calling him Deacon St. John back then--but he was sitting on the roof of an old sawmill and 1,000 zombies are snaking their way up to him. Our first tech demo was a re-creation of that and you have this one guy who's going to be fighting them. So we really asked ourselves "how do we turn that into a game?" You see movies that kinda do that, but the question is, how do you turn that into a game and make it fun? That was literally what drove the development early on for Days Gone.
Ross: That key image, as a matter of fact, was the basis for our first E3 2016 demo. We knew it was a risk to come out with our biggest asset. That sawmill from the original concept piece was our first public demonstration of the game and we executed on that vision. Six years is a lot of time, but we also see it as a plus. It gives us the time to get things right. It's a great luxury. It is a long time to work on a game, but it's also a huge open world, dynamic game in next-gen fidelity.
All the highways are destroyed and you're doing a lot of off-roading because they were trying to stop the hoard. These pieces all kind of tied together and basically what it's taken over the last six years is turning that into a game that had elements that were familiar because we feel really strongly that that's what genre is. It's the players that bring expectations to a game and they want to experience something that they're going to have fun with, but at the same time, we actually want to go against those expectations as well.
I actually kind of appreciate that this game is set in the Pacific Northwest. It's a bit of an unusual area to have an open-world game.
Garvin: Yeah from the beginning we wanted it in the Pacific Northwest. Most people actually don't know that the region is actually the mostly desert. Seattle is on the west side of the Cascade Range, as is about a third of Oregon, and that's where all the rain is. That's where all the green forest is. Where we live, it's mostly all desert which means that it's all scarred by volcanism. Which means you have ravines, you have buttes, you have all these steep sort of crevices everywhere. So all the vegetation is built up around that because it's high desert, it's very harsh, very extreme.
We haven't seen this in a video game, and we thought it would be interesting, fun to explore and it would look beautiful. What better backdrop to fight a horde than this amazing environment that you're in.
It actually went against a lot of my own expectations for what the setting was all about.
Garvin: Yep, and it's all absolutely real. All this stuff is heavily researched so like the Belknap Crater is a place you can go in central Oregon. Something that we really haven't talked about, that we're really proud of, is the fact that all the different regions in the game have unique weather systems. It rains a lot less in the Belknap area, whereas the Cascade region it rains a lot more. As you move further south and into other biomes, you're gonna run into other types of weather patterns that are totally unique to those regions.
Ross: Right, it's a beautiful and sinister environment. And honestly, it's like a character in the game in its own way. It can be snowing in the morning, it can be hot at lunch, then it can be snowing again or raining at night. It can snow as late as June or July too. It's really a dynamic environment, so we're not really stretching much for the game. We're just delivering on what's there.
A common element for a lot of first-party PS4 games is that there's a strong focus on character, and Deacon seems to find himself in a lot of different events with other characters. I noticed there was a section in the main menu called Storylines, which kept track of your current relationships and objectives for these key characters.
Ross: I'm glad you noticed the Storylines. We wanted to make sure there was very little dissonance in the open world and the story. We haven't really shown a lot of the main story yet, but everything you do in this world matters for an important reason. The Storylines mechanics was a way to kinda emphasize advancing the smaller threads in the larger storyline. It's a way for us to connect the open world activities that the player is doing and kinda frame it in a way that shows why it matters. There is a really tight integration between the two--the story and the open world systems.
Garvin: I can tell you that when it comes to making a Sony first-party PS4 AAA exclusive, there's a heavy emphasis on character-driven storylines and narratives. You see a little bit of that in the demo, where you might see the storyline where you meet this girl you have to rescue. Last time I beat the game, it took me 30 plus hours to beat the golden path. That's one of the things we've been doing at Bend Studio for all these years; Character-driven experiences, and Days Gone is absolutely no exception.
The release of this game is slowly coming up. So after spending so long on this game, is there anything about it that sticks out most for you?
Garvin: Yeah I mean, to me, when I'm still playing I always have to pinch myself. It's something that we set out six years ago. We kinda told Sony that "Alright, we are going to make this huge open world game, with all these systems". And nobody really believed us, they trusted us, but they didn't believe it. To see that stuff come together, ultimately, when you get to the final credits of the game, the feels are there. Everything you've said it came together and the game stung, and it's everything we set out to make and more.
Ross: It's really transformed us. When people tell us no, that redoubles our effort. It's like when they say something is impossible, we'll prove that we can do it. And man, I think we did it. So I'm really super proud of that. From my point of view, like you said, it's all about the feels. People are not expecting it and they're going to be surprised. By the time you get done with it you're going to have experienced a lot.
Garvin: I think [Days Gone] is everything Bend Studio represents. We are sort of punching above our weight. We are really ambitious and we really want to create something that is awesome, even when we're just a small studio in the middle of the high desert.
As is tradition, Devil May Cry 5 features a series of secret challenges tucked away throughout the main story. Some of these are easy enough to finish in a single attempt, there are others that will put your combat skills and patience to the test. In this guide, we're breaking down where to find all of Devil May Cry 5's secret missions and how to complete them.
Unlike past DMC games, which often used obscure notes to signify the location of a secret mission, the newest game in the series takes a more puzzle and reflex-oriented approach to find these hidden challenges. Some missions house special glyphs that serve as the gateway to these special encounters. Often times you'll see strange red streaks stretched across certain rooms or areas in the environment, which serve as indicators that a secret mission is nearby.
Once you find where the secret mission is, you'll need to adjust the camera's perspective while standing on a specific spot to line up the red streaks to form a glowing glyph, which will enable the hidden challenge. After you activate the secret mission, you're tasked with completing some of the games more unusual challenges. Though rest assured, if you find yourself stuck on a particular mission, you're safe to back out of it and try again in the main menu--which allows you to replay them at any time.
Here is GameSpot's complete breakdown on how to find and complete all 12 secret missions in Devil May Cry 5. If you want more info about Capcom's new action game, be sure to check out the full review, and along with our gameplay montage of some of the best fights we've had so far with Dante, Nero, and V.
Secret Mission 1
Found In Mission 2: Located in the hotel, this is an easy one to find since the game makes a point to highlight it for you. To activate the secret mission, walk over to the side of the bed against the furthest side of the room and point the camera toward the open door to line up the glyph.
How To Complete: As the first secret mission, this will be the easiest. Simply cut loose and use all the tools you've got to eliminate all the enemies before the time runs out.
Secret Mission 2
Found in Mission 3: About halfway through the Flying Hunter mission, you'll come to staircase shortly after arriving in the sewer. Jump down to the bottom of the stairs, walk towards the sewer grate, and look up to the ceiling to line up the secret mission's glyph.
How To Complete: Finishing this mission can be tricky, but it's still doable early on. You'll find a set of Red Empusa scattered around the roof, you'll need to aggressively attack one at a time in to defeat the entire group before they escape. Take advantage of your devil breakers and Nero's exceed mechanic to lay the damage on fast to defeat one enemy, then quickly move on to the next one. Though they're prone to escape, they'll only do so if they're threatened.
Secret Mission 3
Found in Mission 4: After making it past the bridge, you'll find a Nidhogg Hatchling outside a warehouse. Taking the hatchling will lead to a fight with demons. After this battle, head inside the warehouse keep moving forward until you reach the streets below. In the distance, you'll see a giant mural on the side of one of the buildings. Summon Nightmare to have him crash through the wall. Jump through the opening to find a back alley passage to the second Nidogg Hatchling. If you stick to the streets, you'll likely find the familiar red streaks on the ground. Continue forward and make a left at the fork in the road to find two demonic gates blocking the path forward. After using the hatchlings you have in your possession, continue inside the building and enter the room on the top floor. Through the opening in the wall, look down to the streets below to line up the glyph and activate the secret mission.
How To Complete: As the objective states, you simply need to find all the red orbs in the room before time expires. This simple mission can be made a bit easier by purchasing V's sprint skill--where he rides on the back of Shadow to move faster.
Secret Mission 4
Found in Mission 5: Once again, you'll need Nightmare's help to open up a hidden pathway. After encountering the second leg of the giant demon walking above, you'll see a poorly built wall directly ahead. Summon Nightmare to break the wall and continue forward to enter another battle. Once this fight is complete, look to the side of the room to find a metal staircase. Reach the top and swing the camera towards the metal rafter to find the glyph.
How To Complete: As described, you'll simply need to defeat all the enemies without getting hit. Both of Shadow and Griffon's sweeping and charged up attacks are very helpful in this battle, but to give you an extra offensive edge, summon Nightmare. Take advantage of V's evasive maneuvers with either Shadow or Griffon, and keep as much distance as possible to come away unscathed.
Secret Mission 5
Found In MIssion 8: Throughout this mission, you'll come across some weird sections that will have you travel through giant demonic blood veins and large lava falls that flow upwards. Towards the end of the level, you'll find a second lava fall, which just so happens to be close to the end of the level. Instead of going straight to the top, jump off the platform on the right to reach a set of grapple points. Use your wire-hook to grapple upwards and into a hidden area. Head into the middle of the area and turn your camera around to open up the way to the secret mission.
How To Complete: This secret mission can be a challenge. To activate the grapple points, you'll need to shoot at them to allow for the wire-hook to get a hold of it. The tough task is managing to maintain the rhythm of shooting and grappling, one after another. One frustrating occurrence is building up too much momentum, which will cause Nero to overshoot the grapple point, leading to him either missing the next one or crashing to the floor. The key to finishing this mission is to stay patient and maintain a rhythm. If you need some extra help, Gerbera's air-dodge can help you reposition if you're slightly off course. However, it's best to just stick with the basics for this mission.
Secret Mission 6
Found In Mission 9: The secret mission in this stage can be especially tricky to find. Before reaching the sections leading to the catacombs below, you'll find a cluster of tendrils blocking the pathway to a blue orb fragment. Though you may feel inclined to backtrack, you actually have everything you need to open the way forward. Simply walk up to the tendrils, and then summon Nightmare. The hulking familiar will crash land on the blood sack ahead of you, killing the tendrils and opening up the way forward. Once you get the blue orb fragment, turn the camera towards the entrance to activate the glyph for the next secret mission.
How To Complete: With only twenty seconds to kill three enemies, you'll need to go for the fast and sweeping attacks to get it done. Start off by charging up Griffon's sweeping laser attack, while having Shadow go in for quick attacks. Don't bother summoning Nightmare, as he's far too slow to be of any use during this mission. Activating the attack boosts for your familiars (using LT or L2 buttons) can up their strength to make it easier.
Secret Mission 7
Found In Mission 10: Throughout this level, you'll encounter special doors that close up after a set amount of time has passed. Usually, you'll encounter these doors prior to a fight, forcing you to take out the enemies fast to enter the closing passage. In the later section of Mission 10, you'll enter a room with two doors, and along with a large group of enemies to fight. After the fight, rush into the door on the right and head up the winding passage. At the top, you'll find the location of the secret mission.
How To Complete: As the objective states, you'll need to target the Death Scissor's weakpoint and take them down with a single bullet. To do that, you'll need to force an opening in their defense. Carefully attack their giant scissors--which they use to block attacks. Parrying their strikes is especially effective when trying to create an opening. Causing any damage to them before they expose their weakpoint will result in mission failure. Once their weapon is broken, wait for a red aura to appear around their head, and then open fire. To be safe and avoid any excess damage, stick with a charged up weapon like Ebony and Ivory for accuracy.
Secret Mission 8
Found In Mission 11: This secret mission is actually fairly easy to find. When you reach the light-puzzle section involving the tendrils and crumbling tower, destroy the first blood sac that you find--Dante will even point it out for you. After a section of the tower sinks, backtrack to the opening that you came in from. Stand in the center of the opening and line up the glyph to activate the next secret mission.
How To Complete: In order to maintain that S rank, do your best to avoid taking damage and maintaining a steady of flow of damage on the enemies. The toughest foe in this battle are the demons that wield cleavers. They also happen to gain super-armor when they bounce back after an attack, though you can knock them out of it if you can manage to deflect their strikes. Focus on eliminating the high-risk foes first, and then keep your evasive maneuvers and attacks going to stay on top.
Secret Mission 9
Found In Mission 12: Though there are several winding paths throughout this stage, the secret mission is actually located after you have opened the hidden entrance beneath the statue. Once you reach the caverns below, you'll eventually come to a large set of steps before the exit leading back outside. Immediately turn around to find a small overhang above. Jump up to the platform above to find the sign for the secret mission. Turn the camera around to find the glyph.
How To Complete: The key to making it through this challenge is having the right weapon in your arsenal. A surprisingly good melee weapon to use for this mission is the Cavaliere motorcycle. With the Swordmaster stance, the Caveliere's aerial style move is very useful for staying in mid-air. Repeatedly mashing the style move with the Cavaliere will keep Dante in the air for long enough to complete the objective. However, if you receive damage at any point, you'll instantly fail the mission.
Secret Mission 10
Found In Mission 14: After completing V's boss rush section, you'll be able to proceed into the tail end of the level. In this section, you'll encounter Dante and Nero fighting in the distance. Destroy the nearby blood sac to open the pathway forward. Once you make your way down the path, hang a hard left to find a pathway leading to another blood sac. Destroy it to find a smaller area behind it. Approaching it will show the sign for the secret mission. Turn the camera around towards the ceiling to find the glyph.
How To Complete: This mission can be especially vexing even if you feel like you've got a solid handle of V's movement and abilities. Without touching the ground, you'll need to reach the blue orb fragment to clear the mission. However, Griffon and Shadow's abilities aren't especially useful when trying to cover such a great distance. But when all else fails while playing as V, just summon Nightmare. At the beginning of the mission, conjure up your demonic golem and it will appear on the ground below. If you have the Promotion skill, you'll be able to leap onto its back and safely move Nightmare to the goal.
Secret Mission 11
Found In Mission 15: This is one of the more...interesting secret missions to get to. Once you reach the upgrade statue after completing the first section of the stage, hang a right around it to find a path leading below. On the easier difficulties, you'll find a Punch Line devil breaker on the ground and some steep slopes ahead of you. If you've been practicing your rocket surf skills throughout the game, then this section is the ultimate test of your handling of the Punch Line. Activate the Rocket Surf skill and ride up the slopes and inclines till you reach the end spot. Just further ahead, you'll find the location of the secret mission.
How To Complete: Though this is a fairly simple platform section, you have only 30 seconds to reach the goal. The hardest part of this mission is the final part with the moving platforms. An easy way to get to the finish is by using the Gerbera's aerial dodge move, which can give you extra airtime. If you can reach the platform closest to the top, you can use Nero's aerial skills to make it to the blue orb fragment, completing the mission.
Secret Mission 12
Found In Mission 16: The final secret mission is easily missable, which can be frustrating if you flub any jumps or forget to observe your surroundings. Throughout Dante's stage are three massive pits that lead down into the lower depths of the level. While you can skip past these sections and jump straight down, there are several platforms that have red, white, and green orbs for you to collect. In the second pit, you can find a small alcove housing access to the secret mission. Once you reach the second pit, carefully jump down onto each platform and look around for the small opening. Once you find it, head inside and look back out to find the glyph.
How To Complete: With only one Empusa--one of the weakest enemies in the game--and the goal of reaching 900 red orbs, you'll need to be efficient with your moves to complete this mission. As you might have guessed, the best weapon to use for this mission is the Dr. Faust firearm. One of the more unusual aspects of the Faust is that it manipulates red orbs to amplify damage, while also leading to a higher payout for defeated enemies. Carefully use the Faust's attacks, particularly the Hat Trick move, to rack up red orbs and defeat the enemy. If you've upgraded the weapon, you can defeat the Empusa and collect more orbs than you need in only a few hits.
The PS4 exclusive Days Gone is approaching its release on April 26. Coming from Bend Studio, the developers behind the Syphon Filter series and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, the third-person open-world game takes a lot of cues from previous Sony AAA titles, all while set within the popular setting of a zombie apocalypse. After a recent hands-on session with the game, GameSpot editors Edmond Tran and Alessandro Fillari came together to share their thoughts on what it was like exploring Days Gone's take on the Pacific Northwest during harsher times.
For more on Days Gone, check out our interview with the developers from Bend Studio about the making of the game, and stay tuned for our video impressions detailing how the new open world game stacks up.
Alessandro: So to start things off, what do you think of Days Gone in the broader sense? The basic premise is essentially Sons of Anarchy by way of The Walking Dead, and I certainly got the impression it was sticking fairly close to those sources of inspiration. Like the main character, Deacon St. John, seems like he'd fit right in within either of those shows.
Edmond: I've never seen SOA and I actively dislike the TV adaptation of TWD, so Days Gone didn't spark excitement in that sense. My reaction to the trailers and demos was that it looked okay, if a bit generic. But after reading preview coverage from yourself and Oscar last year, where you both sounded pretty unimpressed, this just flew way off my radar and I had very low expectations going into my first experience of the game.
Alessandro: Yeah, I was fairly underwhelmed by last year's demo. To reiterate a bit, in addition to it feeling a bit run of the mill as an open world game, a big factor that left me unimpressed was the poor technical performance. In the 2018 demo, this was particularly noticeable during moments when you encounter massive swarms of Freakers--zombies, basically--which made these encounters a major drag. However, this recent build of the game was far more improved. I still felt a bit underwhelmed by some parts of what Days Gone is about, but I ended up finding more to like in this newer slice.
The Freakers
Edmond: Oh wow, I actually didn't see any of the huge hordes of zombies--I'm sorry, "Freakers"--in my three hours of the game at all so I can't really speak to how I found those, but I did run into one noticeable technical hiccup: I raided an enemy encampment where all the environmental dressing failed to load, so enemies were taking cover behind nothing and pickup items were floating in thin air. But I'm taking a "whatever" stance on bugs since this isn't the final product.
Alessandro: Yeah, I saw some weird bugs as well, like some moments characters had their guns stuck to their hands during cutscenes. But anyway, the times I saw herds of Freakers during this demo were some of my favorite moments during my playthrough. The first time was in a cave, which they like to hide out in, and the other time was when I was trying to rescue a survivor. When I went back to my bike after helping this NPC out, I found it surrounded by a hoard of freakers. I tried running for my bike, but they quickly got to me and I died. It was a brutal way for Deacon to go out, but with that said, I actually really dig how much of a presence the undead have because of their sheers numbers and how easily they can catch you off guard. They're a lot more unnerving to encounter than in most other zombies games.
Edmond: Please, Alessandro. The "Freakers" don't like to be associated with common zombie folk, since Freakers are not actually undead, they're just really messed up living beings, hence the hibernation in caves and their need to eat and drink. Also a factor which really makes things very uncomfortable when the game put me in a situation where I had to kill freaker CHILDREN. It's messed up.
I saw a few other freakers types, which were basically Witches and Boomers from Left 4 Dead, or Screamers and Bloaters from State of Decay, but the kids, the "Newts", mostly avoid you unless you're low on health. I got into a situation where I had to beat one with a baseball bat and I don't think I'm going to heaven anymore.
Alessandro: Yeah, Newts only appear in specific areas where they set up dens, so thankfully they don't come up too often. It was very off-putting seeing them watch you from afar, just sort of looming in the distance. They'll only attack if you get in their space.
The Open World
Edmond: Which is something you don't necessarily have to do. I hate being reductive, but I really think the best way to describe this game is a narrative- and character-focused State Of Decay with a Far Cry level of freedom in approaching scenarios.
My biggest takeaway from this game was how much I enjoyed the different ways you could use your variety of abilities and the environment to complete objectives, whether that be to get into a place, or destroy people or things. I respect any game that attempts to emphasise a flexibility to move back and forth between stealthy and loud approaches, or the fluidity to switch between ranged, melee, and guerilla combat techniques on the fly. I like mixing things up.
Alessandro: That's actually a pretty fair way to describe the game. You do go around collecting herbs and helping survivors in the bases around the map. It channels a lot of the survivalist-experience you'd find from State of Decay, all within a large open world like Far Cry.
And you know, I actually have to say that I ended up enjoying the setting of the Pacific Northwest a lot more than I thought I would. It went against a lot of my expectations for the region and it was pretty educational to be honest. The second area we got to explore in the demo seemed fairly close to a desert environment. It was inspired by the Belknap Crater, a real location that has a volcano. On one occasion I kinda got distracted by the beauty of the world that I totally didn't catch an obvious ambush spot in the road that was set up by one of the enemy factions.
Edmond: Oh man, I was really caught off-guard by the random ambushes, and they led to some great watercooler moments, kinda like getting mugged in Red Dead Redemption 2. There was a moment during my session where I was wandering around, deeply focused on using the game's tracking mechanic to search the ground for some footprints, when I got jumped and overwhelmed.
There were too many to fight close-quarters so I booked it into a nearby forest when I got an opening, dodging gunfire by weaving between the trees. I eventually ran down a hill, over a big rock, and hunkered under it. They lost sight of me but eventually, one passed right by the rock, I ambushed him as he wandered past, and thought: "thank you, varied environment for giving me that movie-like chase." They're definitely pitching the "high desert" and variable weather and terrain thing pretty hard. I've never been to Oregon, but the developers lead me to believe that there can be a blizzard in one region, real hot in another, there's no sales tax and everyone has their own craft beer, all of which affects how enemies behave, and how your motorbike reacts.
Deacon's Bike
Alessandro: Yeah, your bike is like your best friend in this game. It's your lifeline and it'll get you out of trouble fast. In addition to some general upkeep and keeping it gassed up, you can also upgrade the different parts to make it more durable. This all ties back into the survivor camps as well, since you can only upgrade it with their mechanics once you've built up enough trust with these camps.
Edmond: ...which you do by completing missions, side stories, and bringing back freaker ears, animal pelts, that sort of thing. The bike really felt like my own, I had to protect it and keep an eye on it at all times, especially since I couldn't just whistle for it like a horse. I'm sure you can steal other bikes and maybe even buy a new one later in the game, but man I did not want this bike to get ruined, especially since Deacon loses his souped-up bike as part of the story in the first hour.
Alessandro: Usually when you get a bike in a game, you want to go as fast as possible and do sick jumps, but it's like the total opposite here. I really went out of my way to avoid danger as much as possible on the bike. I seldom used the nitro boost.
Edmond: My first inclination was to use the bike to ram enemies, but that kills its durability which I certainly did not want, since it'll then require more scrap to repair. I also really got into fuel conservation--I found myself being very light on the throttle and making the most of hills and momentum when riding it, which leads into the whole scavenging, crafting, and conservation aspect.
Alessandro: During one encounter with some freakers on the road, they literally threw themselves at my bike to take me out. It did a lot of damage to myself and the bike. Even though it gives you a lot of mobility and freedom to explore, you're still very vulnerable on the bike, which I kinda like. It's very much an extension of you.
Combat Encounters
Edmond: You know what else was an extension of me? The spiked baseball bat I used across my entire session. I loved that thing so much that when it got close to breaking (most weapons have durability), I switched back to the weak-but-indestructible knife until I could get enough materials to repair the bat.
Alessandro: There are a surprising amount of melee weapons to find. It sort of reminded me of a classic beat-em-up game. You can get lead pipes and spiked bats, and even machetes. Unless you're squaring off against heavily-armed bandits, close-range combat is generally really reliable.
Edmond: It is! Well, unless you're fighting more than two people. But I really enjoyed relying on melee not only because it saved ammo, but because it was satisfying to perform and watch. I'm one of those Uncharted players that hip-fires like a maniac while closing the distance and then finishes with melee, and Days Gone caters to that same kind of flow. There's even a perk that enhances the damage when do when you switch it up like this, among other perks to boost weapon damage and durability. The shooting on its own felt serviceable enough, but at this early stage I found it was only really useful when you used it in tandem with the focus/slowdown perk. What did you think about the combat?
Alessandro: For me, that was actually one of the areas where the game fell a bit flat. I mean the combat mechanics and amount of tools you have at your disposal are all well and good, but it just felt a bit unremarkable in actual practice. The mechanics on display, the slowdown shooting mechanic, and along with the variety of skills found within the fairly robust skill-tree, all of these are ideas that I've seen executed in plenty of other games. That's not totally a bad thing, but the way Days Gone goes about just felt more like going down a checklist of features to have in an open-world adventure game.
Edmond: I definitely can't argue against that, though I feel like there's only so much you can do with a grounded, realistic setting like this without diving off the deep end. Although there is a gameplay element where you upgrade your stats with bio-injectors from the game's CDC (Centers for Disease Control) equivalent, so who knows? Maybe we'll get a double jump like New Dawn.
Alessandro: I enjoyed the stealth gameplay however--which even comes with a tracking vision mode. That to me felt a bit more developed and also more in keeping with the tone. I especially liked seeing how the systems in the world would interact with one another, like when freakers attack other hostile humans.
Edmond: Yes! I really appreciated the quality-of-life stealth features. You really need go out of your way to mark enemies with binoculars to get their pips on the map (it's not as generous as Far Cry), but you also get their vision cones. There's a sound indicator, they do the hiding in bushes thing, there are a few different tools to misdirect enemies, and the line-of-sight logic actually felt natural and believable.
Alessandro: Yeah, the game does a nice job of helping you keep track of all these systems. I do hope we'll see a lot more variety towards the later sections. However, I felt that each of the systems--stealth, combat, and exploration--were better when they were blending different mechanics together, rather than in isolation. It's all about being super resourceful.
Edmond: For sure, it's the ease of flowing between different states which keeps the encounters interesting, which I think they did for the three hours I played. I found certain situations where one kind of approach is just not effective--melee is impossible if there are more than two people like I mentioned before, for example, but I also found myself running low on ammo in prolonged firefights, meaning I would have to break line-of-sight, crouch-run between buildings to get across town, and find advantageous vantage points (like a hole in a boarded-up window) to get the jump and make sure my shots counted. I love doing that shit.
Characters
Alessandro: What's your take on Deacon, the protagonist? The game really goes out of its way to try and sell you on the really harsh struggle he goes through.
Edmond: Going in, I thought he was going to be a one-note, gruff biker dude. But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see that he goes through a lot of real emotional twists and turns that really do work to make you empathise with him--this is a First-Party, "Wasn't The Last Of Us Great?"-Styled Sony Game, after all. I saw enough in the preview to suggest that he's got range and maybe even some shit going on deep down.
I thought the performance was pretty good. He's believably uncomfortable in some situations--there was a point where he had to coerce a teenage girl to come with him, he fumbles over his words and seemed like he had no idea what to do, so he lies to her. He visibly regrets it later on, but it's communicated purely through his facial expressions, which I found notable.
Out in the world he's certainly tough, but it also seems like he has some repressed anger and deep sorrow when he's put into situations where he has to face Bad People--you can hear him breathing heavily and angrily, he mumbles things to himself like "oh so you wanna rob and murder helpless people? Well how do you like this, you scum", that kind of thing. It certainly adds a lot of character to the game and reminds you that this is a game about Deacon, not necessarily your own survival fantasy.
To that point though, one thing I noticed about this demo was the absence of branching story choices. I saw some earlier gameplay demos where the same cutscenes we saw had moments where you had to choose what actions Deacon takes (like mercifully kill a man or leave him to the freakers, give your partner back his gun or keep it). These choices were previously pitched with the idea that you can change Deacon's relationship to the characters and perhaps the overall narrative, Telltale Games style. Maybe they're doubling down on the "Deacon's story, not yours" thing. Did you see any of that stuff in your previous demos?
Alessandro: I didn't, actually. The recent stuff we played covered a lot of the same ground from last year's demo. It does seem like there's a greater focus on specific storylines for characters--which you can view in the game's menu. That young woman that you mentioned actually opens up her own storyline called "You're Safe Now", which deals with her circumstances in the camp you bring her to. This particular camp has its own troubles, most of which are related to the leader who imposes some harsh rules on everyone inside the safety of the base. Deacon clashes with her numerous times, which leads to some tense moments.
But to your point, it does seem like there are moments that are prime for choices and player-agency. I do wonder if that's even a thing in the game at this point during the section we played. There was a particular moment early where you have to make a choice in executing a particular character. They sort of linger on the scene for a bit before Deacon ends up going through with it.
I was initially a bit lukewarm on Deacon, in some cases I found him unlikable even, but I do agree that advancing the story helped humanize him a bit. I am curious to see how he'll change towards the end-game, and what sort of storylines will come about.
Edmond: I also need to draw attention to the fact that the actor who plays Deacon, Sam Witwer, was the voice and face of the moody protagonist in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So I think we all know how this story is going to end: Darth Vader saves him from a ravaged Earth and becomes his senpai.
Edmond: I played a lot of DayZ, which well and truly burnt me out on the zombie thing. But I still enjoy scavenging and survival gameplay if the loop is done really well and there's a good hook. I wanted to like State of Decay 2, but it was a little too monotonous and soulless for me. I went into Days Gone with similarly low expectations, which is probably why I ended up feeling so positive on it. The fact that Days Gone is going to be so focused on narrative, characters, and flexible combat options has me eager to put time aside for it. But like you, I also hope it has some surprises up its sleeve.
And an unlockable horn button. Let me beep the damn horn on the bike.
Days Gone will release for PlayStation 4 on April 26, 2019.
By Anonymous on Mar 10, 2019 12:48 am Lay waste to your enemies in cyberpunk style. Take a look at the official trailer celebrating the one year anniversary of PUBG Mobile.
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