Commander Fury

Name: XBox - Dead Island 2, Earth Day & Minecraft Legends | This Week on Xbox Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Dead Island 2, Earth Day & Minecraft Legends | This Week on Xbox XBox - Dead Island 2, Earth Day & Minecraft Legends | This Week on Xbox

Last week, we asked you to share awesome moments involving sports using the #PSshare and #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: imroyank Kratos is ready to be quarterback of the year in Fortnite Gurararala Playing a weird game of soccer in Ghostwire: Tokyo AjGamingPics1 A close up of a speeding car in Dirt 5 shimo_ps Bunny mask skier going down the slopes in Riders Republic soratobichan A colorful close up of a soccer ball in FIFA 23 RhodWulfLeon The Rock laying the smackdown in WWE 2K23 Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Ghostwire: Tokyo Spider’s Thread SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 26, 2023 Next week we’re getting spooky with shots from the Ghostwire: Tokyo Spider’s Thread update. Share moments that capture the creepy spirit of Tokyo with #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Name: PlayStation - Demon Skin - Release Date Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Demon Skin - Release Date Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Demon Skin - Release Date Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker - Season Pass 6 Trailer | PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker - Season Pass 6 Trailer | PS4 Games PlayStation - Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker - Season Pass 6 Trailer | PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Itorah - Launch Trailer | PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Itorah - Launch Trailer | PS4 Games PlayStation - Itorah - Launch Trailer | PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Street Fighter 6 - Demo Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Street Fighter 6 - Demo Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Street Fighter 6 - Demo Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Street Fighter 6 - World Tour Gameplay & Avatar Battle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Street Fighter 6 - World Tour Gameplay & Avatar Battle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Street Fighter 6 - World Tour Gameplay & Avatar Battle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Prepare those spray cans because we’re painting the streets with a fresh coat of news straight from the Street Fighter 6 Showcase – hosted by Lil Wayne! Our finished piece contains hues of detailed information on World Tour, battles with your customized avatars in Battle Hub, jaw-dropping features to brighten up your Fighting Ground experience, unveiling of the Year 1 Fighters, and a demo you can play today. Play Video A role-playing game around the world World Tour is a single-player story mode where players can create their own custom avatar to experience an overarching mystery with support from the iconic Masters. The newest location in your travels is Nayshall, a developing nation tucked away in a remote corner of Asia. Play Video Throughout your adventures, you’ll meet each legendary fighter from Street Fighter 6’s roster. Use Flight Tickets to travel around the world to find each of the 18 fighters – some are more hidden than others. Become their student by Enrolling in their style and learn their Special Moves. Increase your bond with each Master by giving them presents and completing Missions. Combine all this to unlock new cutscenes as you form personal connections with these legendary fighters. Put that in your diary! We built World Tour to redefine the scope of what a traditional fighting game is, so we took extra care in hand-crafting a personal experience by incorporating in-depth RPG elements. You can consume items and food to recover Vitality, provide buffs, or inflict debuffs. As you level up your avatar, you’ll earn Skill Points to spend on a Skill Tree to further customize your original move set. Watch out for hot-headed enemies who will chase you down on the streets to initiate combat! Unique to World Tour, unlock Drive Stall in the Skill Tree to slow down time to avoid enemies or gain the advantage with a Master Action. During a fight, when the enemy flashes, you can hit them to induce Pressure Time to inflict more damage. Perfect to take out those pesky refrigerators and drones! Create Chaos with Avatar Battles and Order with Clubs You know all those avatars you’re going to make, each with their own customized looks and fighting style? Take them into the Battle Hub and let them loose in custom avatar battles against other players online where the limit to your fights is your own imagination. Use your avatar with Dhalsim’s style, Zangief’s Screw Piledriver, and Ken’s Hadoken or any other wacky combination, which could lead to ridiculous set-ups. Be wary because your opponent might have come up with an even crazier palette of moves. If order is more your thing, create a Club in the Battle Hub to find like-minded players. Customize your Club emblem and design a uniform that only your Club’s members can show off. Top-Tier innovation in the Fighting Ground As a celebration of the Street Fighter series, we’re introducing the Battle Damage Feature! During a fight, characters will get sweatier and develop cuts, bruises, and other telltale signs of a heated battle. This is only available in certain offline modes and can be turned off in Settings. We’re committed to accessibility in Street Fighter 6 and have enhanced sound effects that will tell you how far away you are from your opponent, the height level of attacks, whether an attack is a cross-up, and to also indicate your remaining Drive Gauge. Play Video We also have a multitude of introductory tools for all skill levels. Fleshed-out Tutorials and Character Guides provide a solid foundation for each character, especially for those with little experience in fighting games or anyone that wants to try out new characters. Our third Control Type, to go along with Classic and Modern, is Dynamic, where players can unleash flashy moves with a single press of a button – yes, button mashers are welcome! Once you feel comfortable, you can try tackling Combo Trials, which include combos of varying difficulty. Arcade Mode is a single-player mode in Fighting Ground where you’ll face off against the CPU and learn more about each fighter’s stories. Complete Arcade Mode for each character to unlock illustrations that can be viewed later in the Gallery. Your scores can also be uploaded to online leaderboards, so get out there and challenge the world. Besides the classic Versus Mode, Street Fighter 6 includes both Team Battle and Extreme Battle. In Team Battle, play with or against other players or the CPU by creating a team and selecting the appropriate parameters. Extreme Battle runs on a set of Rules along with fun Gimmicks like Running Bulls or our own special version of hot potato. Play in Extreme Battle to learn the basics of the game or to unleash pure havoc. Play online against other players by creating a Custom Room, separate from the Battle Hub. The four virtual cabinets in the room can be set to One on One, Extreme Battle, and Training. Custom Rooms now include up to 16 players at a time! Ranked Matches return where you can fight against other players worldwide and earn League Points to rank up. We’ve taken steps to reduce the fear of losing a match in certain Ranks. First, there’s a one-time Rank-down protection feature for those ranked in Diamond and below. To encourage online play, Rookies will no longer lose League Points upon defeat. Finally, Iron-Gold and Master-ranked players will not incur League demotions. Each character also has their own individual Rank, so trying a new character in a Ranked Match is easier than ever. We hope you take advantage of these features to improve your gameplay! *Takes a second to breathe* If you’ve made it this far, you’ll see how much content is in Street Fighter 6. Our development team challenged themselves to create a title all players can enjoy. Year 1 Characters bring their style Four fighters join the Street Fighter 6 roster in our first year after launch! Rashid, who debuted in Street Fighter V, returns in Summer 2023. The enigmatic A.K.I. struts into the roster in Autumn 2023. Ed, also from Street Fighter V, strikes back in Winter 2024. Finally, the legend, the beast, the transcendent Akuma will rage into Street Fighter 6 in Spring 2024! All four of these characters are incorporated into World Tour where you can learn their Special Moves and increase your bond. They’re also included in the Deluxe and Ultimate Editions of Street Fighter 6, which you can pre-order now! Your moment. Your demo. Play Video Play the demo for Street Fighter 6 today on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4! Hop in for a tiny peek at what the full game offers. Learn basic battle mechanics from the Tutorial and practice Luke & Ryu’s fighting style in the Character Guide. Dip a toe into the first moments of World Tour and experiment with the deep avatar creation feature. Custom avatars can be transferred over to the full game on the same platform once it releases! If you haven’t already, watch the Street Fighter 6 Showcase to take in the cityscape because it’s almost your time to hit the streets. Street Fighter 6 launches on June 2 for PS5 and PS4! Pre-order now for Outfit 1 Color 10 for Chun-Li, Jamie, Manon, Dee Jay, Juri, and Ken – PlayStation Store pre-order offers an extra bonus of 18 Special Titles and Stickers. View the full article

Name: PlayStation - KarmaZoo - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury KarmaZoo - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games PlayStation - KarmaZoo - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games

Name: PlayStation - Diablo IV - Druid Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Diablo IV - Druid Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Diablo IV - Druid Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Happy 5th anniversary to Kratos and Atreus. Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Happy 5th anniversary to Kratos and Atreus. PlayStation - Happy 5th anniversary to Kratos and Atreus.

Name: PlayStation - Wild Dogs - Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Wild Dogs - Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Wild Dogs - Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Name: XBox - Diablo IV | Druid Trailer Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Diablo IV | Druid Trailer XBox - Diablo IV | Druid Trailer

Name: XBox - Mineko's Night Market | Lore Trailer Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Mineko's Night Market | Lore Trailer XBox - Mineko's Night Market | Lore Trailer

Name: PlayStation - Mineko's Night Market - Lore Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Mineko's Night Market - Lore Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Mineko's Night Market - Lore Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

I’m excited to announce that we’ve expanded our relationship with Firewalk Studios and are thrilled to welcome them to PlayStation Studios. Firewalk is home to a remarkably talented team of creatives who have launched some of gaming’s most celebrated experiences, and they’re already hard at work on their first original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation. Since announcing our publishing partnership with ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk in 2021, we continue to be impressed by the team’s ambitions to build a modern multiplayer game that connects players in new and innovative ways. The studio shares our passion for creating inspiring worlds grounded in exceptional gameplay, and we want to continue to invest in their mission. We’re excited for Firewalk to bring their technical and creative expertise to PlayStation Studios to help grow our live service operations and deliver something truly special for gamers. Please join me in welcoming Firewalk! Every once in a while, you get to have an adventure. Over five years ago, we jumped at the chance to set up a new studio and build a new IP from the ground up. Recalling our own favorite times with games, we founded Firewalk Studios around the idea of delivering memorable moments – those amazing, had-to-be-there times shared with other people. Our goal is to deliver those shared moments of joy to players around the world. Building a new studio at scale has been an incredibly exhilarating and relentlessly daunting task. Fortunately, we’ve been supported by great partners throughout – ProbablyMonsters helped turbocharge us in setting up the studio, and Sony has been supporting our project and our creative vision from the beginning. We’ve assembled some of the most inspired talent in the industry to deliver awe-inspiring new worlds and experiences filled with great core gameplay. The excitement of building something new for players has thoroughly energized the team and our partners, and we’ve been playtesting every day. Today we’re taking the next natural step and joining PlayStation Studios. We’ve worked closely with Hermen and the very talented team at PlayStation for years, helping to make our new game even better. To join PlayStation Studios is to formally become part of a family that has produced many of the most storied games of our age, and we are honored. We want to thank everyone who’s supported us along the way and those looking forward to our future. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and we can’t wait for the next chapter in this adventure. – Tony Hsu and Ryan Ellis Studio Head and Game Director, Firewalk Studios View the full article

Name: XBox - KarmaZoo | Announcement Trailer Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury KarmaZoo | Announcement Trailer XBox - KarmaZoo | Announcement Trailer

Name: XBox - Stray Blade Launch Trailer Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Stray Blade Launch Trailer XBox - Stray Blade Launch Trailer

Name: PlayStation - Stray Blade - Launch Trailer | PS5 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Stray Blade - Launch Trailer | PS5 Games PlayStation - Stray Blade - Launch Trailer | PS5 Games

The key to victory in this 4v4 competitive platformer is strategy. There are strategic advantages throughout the game from gameplay, to hero roles, powers, and more. To celebrate the start of Crash Team Rumble’s Closed Beta – here are some tips and tricks that can give you a leg up on the competition to lead your team victory: Boosts are stackable depending on what map you’re on Gem pads boost your score, but there is huge boost potential by capturing all of the gem pad clusters on one map. Pro Tip: Be sure you and your team collects and banks as much Wumpa as possible while the boost is active, to fully benefit from the boost. Fighting is only a means to an end: scoring is what counts The name of the game is scoring – so defense is just as important as offense.Victory is a much harder task without a blocker. The blocker’s main goal is to prevent the other team from scoring at their Wumpa bank. How can a team win if they can’t bank their Wumpa?!Pro Tip: The Gasmoxian Guard is a blocker’s best friend. Blocker’s should have their Gasmoxian Guard set up camp at the other team’s Wumpa bank, making it extremely difficult for the other team to score. Relic Stations can swing the match If a game is close, the Relic Station can make all the difference – rolling over enemies, catapulting around a map, and more. Pro Tip: Collect as many relics as possible early to use on epic stations for game changing results later in the match when it becomes more crucial. Use the whole map Don’t be afraid to explore and see what’s available in all of the corners of the map.Pro Tip: Don’t forget to explore the map vertically. Check out the views from a higher point, you never know, you may find a new way to help your team from a bird’s eye perspective. Your hero’s powers matter Specific powers can take roles to the next level, choose wisely. Some powers are meant to compliment a hero – ie. golden Wumpa for a scorer, Gasmoxian Guard for a blocker, etc.Pro Tip: Placement of a power can make all the difference, be strategic. View the full article

Name: PlayStation - Dying Light 2: Stay Human - Gut Feeling Update | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Dying Light 2: Stay Human - Gut Feeling Update | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Dying Light 2: Stay Human - Gut Feeling Update | PS5 & PS4 Games

Name: PlayStation - Humanity - Launch Date Announcement | PS5, PS4, PSVR & PSVR 2 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Humanity - Launch Date Announcement | PS5, PS4, PSVR & PSVR 2 Games PlayStation - Humanity - Launch Date Announcement | PS5, PS4, PSVR & PSVR 2 Games

Name: XBox - Redfall - The Cryptid Hunter | Devinder Hero Trailer Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 04/20/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Redfall - The Cryptid Hunter | Devinder Hero Trailer XBox - Redfall - The Cryptid Hunter | Devinder Hero Trailer

Move over “International Pickle Day,” May 16 has a new number one claim to fame: it’s the launch day for Humanity! Better yet, it’ll be available on Day 1 as part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog’s May lineup, available at no additional cost to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members. Whether you own a PS5 or PS4, are a PS VR2 or PS VR or TV-only gamer, want to craft your own levels or just sit back and enjoy some action-platforming and puzzle-strategizing, this year May 16 is going to mean more than just “National Piercing Day.” So…any questions? Play Video What did I just watch? We wanted to announce Humanity’s launch date with a trailer that truly reflects the game: fun, a bit weird (in a good way) and starring an adorable lil’ shiba inu. Oh, and importantly: clearly, undeniably Japanese. What better way to do that than to recreate the wild – and brilliant – Japanese PlayStation ad campaigns of the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era? (If you haven’t seen them, it’s worth a search on YouTube, I promise) We’ve been incredibly flattered to hear Humanity compared to classics of this era like Intelligent Cube, Echochrome, and Devil Dice (among others), even Katamari Damacy and Parappa the Rapper – all fresh and unique designer-led games out of Japan that broke new ground and did it with style. And whether you’ve played those titles or not, or were even gaming back then, we hope you’ll enjoy that same spirit in Humanity: stylish and different, but with a deeply satisfying experience at the core. Ok, but what type of game is it? In Humanity, you control that glowing shiba inu, placing commands on the ground for a giant marching horde of people to follow. Make them turn, jump, float through the air, swim, climb, etc., all to reach the goal (or goals) in each stage. The game gradually introduces these mechanics and more, combining them with each other and new elements to ramp up the challenge the further you go. Curious to know more? Be sure to check out the gameplay trailer we shared during February’s State of Play. So why the doggo? Well, I mean, why not? The dev team explored a couple of different interface approaches, from a more simple, generic cursor to having one of the humans take the lead. But considering the relationship between dogs and humans in real life and the story we wanted to tell, it just felt natural. If the humans in the game have lost their own will, mind, and soul, who would they want to follow without questioning it? A dog! When we tried it out, everything clicked. What’s the pupper’s name? It doesn’t have one – the shiba in the game is you! You wake up as a shiba Inu with no memory of what happened before, including your name. Why PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium? Of course we want as many folks as possible to enjoy Humanity’s 90-plus stage single-player Story Mode, but the most exciting part of launching into PlayStation Plus Game Catalog is it guarantees a massive audience for our game’s robust user-generated content features: a ton of players will be out there creating, sharing, and playing each other’s custom-built stages, right from day one. Whoa, is that a boss fight? That’s right. Humanity’s Story Mode stages run the gamut along the action-puzzle spectrum, from lean-forward platformer-style “action” levels that will test your reflexes, to lean-back “puzzle” head-scratchers where you might even put the controller down while you think something through – and everything in-between. The game is constantly introducing new mechanics, and mixing and matching them with everything you’ve learned so far to make it feel like you’re always challenged, and never know what’s coming next. So what is next? There’s a lot more Humanity to talk about – the narrative in our single-player Story Mode, our optional VR compatibility (PS VR2 or PS VR), unlockable rewards, details on our super-intuitive Stage Creator, all the crazy-amazing stuff people made and shared in User Stages during our limited-time demo, etc. So keep an eye out for more info and videos in the coming days leading up to May 16, which this year is not just “National Barbeque Day,” but Humani-Tuesday! Learn more about PlayStation Plus membership plans. View the full article

It has been five incredible years since God of War (2018) came out and more since our team at Santa Monica Studio was deep in development on the game. Since then, we’ve released the game’s NG+ mode, next-gen updates, a PC port, and a sequel you might have heard of called God of War Ragnarök. None of this would have been possible without the enduring and enthusiastic support you’ve shown us over the years. To mark the five-year anniversary of God of War (2018), our team wanted to celebrate the occasion with you by taking a deep dive behind the scenes into the creation of the climactic boss fight against Baldur. Big-time spoilers for God of War (2018) ahead! Verify your age to view this content. Verify your age to view this content. Strange(r) Beginnings The Stranger, later revealed to be Baldur, is the first character you meet after being introduced to Kratos and Atreus. He comes calling with an agenda that immediately puts him at odds with Kratos, where his combat ability and persistence immediately mark him as the most dangerous threat dogging our heroes’ heels throughout their journey. Baldur confronts Kratos at his home in Midgard. While Kratos and Atreus don’t want to engage with him, Baldur forces them to fight for their lives on several occasions throughout the realms. He is the final boss of the main story, the culmination of the Aesir plot and last test the players must overcome before finally scattering Faye’s ashes from the highest peak in all the realms. Concept art of Baldur – Artist: Jose Cabrera. The conflict comes to a head when Baldur turns his rage towards his mother Freya, as well as Kratos and Atreus, forcing them into the fight of their lives against one of the All-Father’s strongest followers. Bruno Velazquez, Animation Director at Santa Monica Studio, emphasized the goal of the sequence: “We knew that the players would expect a big epic finale, so our goal was always to try and push what we had done on the initial Baldur fight and up the stakes in every way.” Start to finish, this sequence is one of the most ambitious in the game and combined the efforts of our entire team to pull it off. From extensive cinematics with dramatic confrontations between the characters to a massive boss fight that spanned multiple phases and locations – this climactic finish to the plot’s main conflict was one of the most important moments in the game we had to get right to make sure our players reached Jötunheim with a sense of well-earned satisfaction. Putting pen to paper The pressure to make this sequence feel epic and earned after teasing it from the start of the game was high. When it came to laying the groundwork, the first step was writing the story. Matt Sophos, Narrative Director at Santa Monica Studio, spoke on what the team wanted to achieve: “The narrative objective was twofold. First, we wanted to convey from both a story and gameplay perspective just how far Kratos and Atreus had come in their relationship. We wanted to show they were working together seamlessly, protecting each other, and fighting as a unit. The second goal was to put Kratos and Atreus on a collision course with no cut-and-dried ‘good’ outcome. There was going to be a cost to this fight, and the one they chose was one that turned Freya from an ally to an enemy.” Script page from cinematic leading into the final confrontation with Baldur. Despite Kratos demonstrating his growth by trying to resolve the situation without fighting, Baldur is unrelenting in his pursuit of Freya’s life. This puts him and Kratos in direct conflict once again, sparking the final showdown between the two. Giant sense of scale The fight between Baldur, Kratos, and Atreus shows no signs of stopping despite Freya’s use of Vanir magic to separate them. She turns towards more drastic measures by possessing the corpse of Thamur, the Stone Mason. Visual exploration of Thamur – Artists: Dela Longfish & Yefim Kligerman. During certain parts of the game, this figure has been visible to the player in Midgard – extremely large and perhaps intimidating in his size, but ultimately harmless. The Stone Mason’s presence is meant to evoke a sense of wonder or curiosity in the player, and maybe even a ‘what if’ moment imagining the fight between Thamur and Thor as Mimir describes the very encounter that killed the Giant in one of his stories. Concept art of Thamur scale reference – Artist: Jose Cabrera. The integration of the colossal frozen body in the fight as both a mechanic and a platform across three phases was exactly the type of wild idea that made it worthy of being in the final fight of the story. Concept art exploring the look of Freya’s magic possessing Thamur. Sophos emphasized that when it comes to creating these huge set-piece gameplay moments, they aren’t typically scripted by the Narrative Team from the beginning. In this case, it was Design Team that came up with the idea of using the Stone Mason as part of the fight: “Any time we approach boss fights from the narrative side, we’re reticent to write huge checks that other departments have to cash. Whenever you put something down on the page as a writer, you know lots of other team members will have to execute on it, so we try to keep the core narrative small and personal while letting Design tell us how big they want to go. Freya puppeteering the corpse of Thamur didn’t come from us, but when Design said they wanted to do it and have the fight range all over the place (including on top of him), we giddily said, ‘Hell yeah… we’ll make that work.” Script page from the cinematic where Thamur is possessed by Freya’s magic. Larger-than-life boss fights are a hallmark of the God of War series, so the team was no stranger to going big and reaching for something they felt would blow players away. However, one new element introduced in God of War (2018) had a profound impact on how those moments were captured – the camera. The closer placement to Kratos and no-cut technique used throughout the game were essential in achieving the feeling of undergoing an intimate journey with father and son. Whether in cutscenes or combat, you are always close to Kratos, seeing and experiencing what he does. Erol Oksuz, Lead Camera Designer at Santa Monica Studio, discussed how this approach impacted the reveal of the Giant: “The credit to selling the scale of Thamur goes to Cinematics, Animation, Art, and Lighting —truly a team effort. In the prior Greek-era games, scale was shown by flying the camera waaaaay out, dwarfing Kratos and the player against creatures and the environment. However, God of War (2018)’s goal of putting the player and camera on the ground for Kratos and Atreus’ journey created many rules to provide the documentary-inspired experience. Along with ‘no cuts’ was ‘no flying cameras’ — this meant the camera could not simply fly away on its own for extreme long shots. Instead, what replaced it was beautifully crafted choreography that added scale to the experience — the work of those teams still ‘wow’ me.” Play Video “For example, just after Baldur loses his invulnerability, Freya binds him with vines and whips him by the camera. That slight pan and tilt now sets the player up for a classic God of War moment with a small, silhouetted Freya in the mid-ground and massive Thamur rising in the background. Freya and the Giant are only alone in-frame for a moment before Kratos and Atreus step back into the foreground to remind the player that they’re right in the middle of it too — no need to have cut or flown the camera to any other position.” Velazquez added that the transition sequence where Thamur grabs Kratos and Atreus in his massive hand also required the team to take extra consideration with the camera: “One of the hardest challenges was keeping the continuity of the no-cut camera during the part where the Giant grabs Kratos and Atreus and picks them up. We needed to make sure we sold the idea that the hand blotted out all the light and engulfed our heroes without harming them, carrying them across the arena and seamlessly dropped them off somewhere else. This was very challenging from a technical standpoint for sure.” Play Video The inclusion of Thamur affected not only the cinematic moments, but also the camera in combat. The team needed to account for how to best telegraph the Giant’s attacks during these sections with the camera position. For example, during the fight, Thamur slams the ground causing a wave AoE to disperse from the impact while the player is engaged with Baldur. Given the close position the camera already has in combat and the hectic nature of the encounter, Oksuz elaborated on the necessity to adapt for the increased scale: “The Greek-era games had a camera locked to a general direction, so when a boss would attack, it would pull back to perfectly frame the move as a ‘tell,’ giving the player some time to react. That style of ‘tell’ had to be adapted because players now had full camera control, so we tried to provide as much info the player as possible without affecting their control or focus.” Play Video “After a few iterations with Animation to get Thamur’s hand as low as possible, we also adjusted the camera to pull back further than usual and widened the lens to provide contrast with the normal, close-fight camera. This also opened screen real-estate to show off the ground below going into shadow while increasing the chance to see the Giant’s hand. With the final audio, a build-up of screen-shake, and controller rumble, there was enough there to communicate that something big was about to happen.” The Stone Mason’s involvement in the scene ends when Atreus calls out to Jörmungandr to help them. The World Serpent obliges, resulting in a massive clash as he bites into the Giant and pushes it back, breaking Freya’s spell. According to Velazquez, this was a late addition to the game as the team explored different ways to resolve Thamur’s presence. While Kratos and Atreus were motion-captured, the rest of the entire sequence was hand-animated by the talented Dennis Pena (Sr. Staff Animator), who had to balance keeping our heroes in the shot while capturing all the chaos and action around them. Play Video Animation process on the sequence with Jörmungandr attacking Thamur. Clash between Gods The final encounter with Baldur features one of the most complex combat sequences in the game. With Kratos and Atreus’ full kits accessible, the team wanted players to feel powerful while making use of all the skills they learned throughout the story. Denny Yeh, Lead Combat Designer, elaborated on the SMS Combat Team’s philosophy: “We like to think of end-game fights as a final exam of sorts. Unlike challenge bosses like the Valkyries, which are designed to test pretty much everything, a story boss like Baldur needs to feel more like the greatest hits of mechanics throughout the game. Think of it like a celebration of what you’ve learned, rather than a strict test.” Baldur is both the first and last encounter in the game, which posed a unique challenge in that this fight had to feel familiar and but also fresh. The Aesir god has an established, unique fighting style that is quite different from his brethren who all use weapons. Velazquez noted: “Early on we decided for Baldur to not have a weapon due to the idea that someone that does not feel pain would be more reckless and daring when in combat. He would not need a shield to block or a sword to strike because he would rather use his own body as a weapon.” This posed an interesting question for the team, who had to balance introducing new mechanics, while also maintaining consistency with the character that had been established through several fights already experienced by the player. The answer was partly with the integration of the Stone Mason and Freya as participants. These aren’t always just obstacles to be avoided, but also new tools the player can use to their advantage, Yeh explained: “Freya herself wasn’t necessarily trying to kill you, more just stop the fight, so a lot of her intervention involved immobilizing you. It just so happens that being immobilized means Baldur can easily punch you in the face! The cool thing about Freya’s vines is that they can affect both you and Baldur. So, if the player is paying attention, they can dodge it and lure Baldur into it, allowing them to turn the tables.” On top of Freya’s magic and the screen-wide attacks from Thamur, the other significant element was, of course, Baldur himself: “With end-game story bosses, we like to come up with mechanics to encourage usage of all your tools. From a combat perspective, this is where Baldur’s ability to absorb fire/ice came in. It allowed us to get the player to switch weapons and showcase a bigger variety of all the cool abilities they’ve unlocked up to that point.” Play Video Animation process of Baldur’s Elemental Burst. Baldur’s ability to imbue his body with fire and ice along with a new suite of moves were all key factors in keeping players on their toes. Taking point on the fight design was Sr. Staff Combat Designer Loren Bordas, who led the way building an encounter that gave players the opportunity to feel like the God of War while utilizing the full breadth of the tools and knowledge available to them. “In addition to the overarching trait of absorbing elements, the element that he’s currently channeling changes the properties of all his attacks. This added a fun new twist to moves that the player had already seen before. He also had additional abilities such as throwing elemental projectiles. In the final phase of the fight, Loren and the team mixed and matched all of these attacks into combo sequences to really keep the pressure up.” Baldur enters his fire phase during the fight. While some bosses can have a more focused gameplay theme, such as the puzzle-solving element in the Hræzlyr fight that requires the player to utilize lightning sap, for an end-game boss like Baldur, Bordas and the team had to ensure the encounter didn’t make the player feel like their power progression was being invalidated by leaning on non-combat gameplay elements. This meant that the Baldur fight needed to have a good variety of phases and behaviors to make it feel like an epic finale. Yeh elaborated: “He starts off element-less, allowing you to freestyle with whatever abilities you desire. Then he starts absorbing elements, encouraging you to show off your choice of runic attacks for each weapon.” Play Video “In later phases, Loren and the team added additional enemies into the mix, allowing players who focus on crowd clearing abilities to shine. And then in the final phase, Baldur swapped between the two elements very frequently, adding the pressure of on-demand weapon switching.” This time it’s personal In many of the mid-fight sequences, the two gods clash with their fists, despite Kratos having weapons at his disposal. This was a deliberate choice the team made to emphasize the personal, desperate, and violent nature of the final confrontation between Kratos and Baldur. Velazquez offered additional insight: “Since Baldur did not wield his own weapon, we decided that Kratos should also sheathe his to have more impact. This was in-line with the overall direction to make the combat a closer, more personal experience due to the camera, as well as the specific direction that these moments between Kratos and Baldur should feel like a brutal struggle. This is also why we chose to have Kratos use hands to end Baldur, it is a far more intimate and visceral moment than if he were using weapons.” Play Video As the player, you are drawn close to the action by the camera while Kratos and Baldur trade blow after blow. There are plenty of moments during the fight that are there to make you feel triumphant as Kratos and Atreus work together against the man who came to their home and threatened them without provocation. However, there is also an equally intentional and unavoidable brutality to the encounter that the team included to convey the toll it takes on the characters and the eventual cost of their conflict. Fighting as one As Sophos explained, one of the teams’ key goals was to show how close Kratos and Atreus had come over the course of the game, as both a family and fighting unit. As much as the player is intended to feel accomplished and powerful as Kratos during this fight, it is also important for that feeling to extend to Atreus as he demonstrates how far he has come along the way by supporting the player in gameplay and combat moments. This sequence was the chance to show just how much Atreus changed, from an unsure boy who couldn’t shoot a deer to a confident fighter Kratos could rely upon in battle. Velazquez described these moments: “There are several sequences that sell the team up between Kratos and Atreus well, like Kratos tossing Atreus in the air to fire arrows, as well as when Kratos jumps off the Stone Mason holding Baldur, with Atreus leaping off after them. “ Play Video Animation process on chisel leap sequence. “However, nothing compares to the moment in which the player must press well-timed prompts as Kratos and Atreus take turns pummeling Baldur. It was such a highlight for us to be able to include some of these moments that really make you feel like a cohesive fighting unit as both father and son.” Play Video Animation process on Kratos and Atreus team-up sequence. Atreus actively supports Kratos during the encounter by dealing out damage and stun to create opportunities to close in on Baldur, but it is during these cutscenes and QTEs where the team really wanted our boy to shine and give a moment for the player to cheer him on. Performances to remember As the climax of the game, this sequence had the monumental task of not only delivering a huge combat set piece, but also offering a conclusion to two of the most prominent storylines outside of Kratos and Atreus. Though the scene begins with Kratos and Atreus unsure where Freya’s loyalties lie, as soon as they see Baldur’s hostility towards her, the pair immediately move to defend her as tensions rise. At this point in the game, Freya has saved Atreus’ life and been an integral part of our heroes’ journey. Kratos steps forward to intervene between Baldur and Freya. Despite knowing all the good she’s done for the pair, Kratos and Atreus’ journey to Helheim shed new light on Baldur’s suffering for the player. We’ve seen first-hand how psychologically scarred his inability to feel has left him. While not excusing his actions, knowing the toll Freya’s spell took on Baldur adds a sorrowful layer of nuance to the encounter that actor Jeremy Davies’ portrayal expertly conveys. Sophos added: “He brought such pain to a character who, ironically, couldn’t feel it. His performance made it hard to hate Baldur since even the worst things he said had an undercurrent of tragedy to them.” Another moment of Davies’ exceptional delivery from this scene takes place right after the Mistletoe Arrowhead releases the spell on Baldur, allowing him to feel for the first time in a century. Velazquez discussed the actor’s ability to capture all the emotions running through the character: “Jeremey did such a fantastic job with Baldur overall but the moment that really stays with me is when the Mistletoe Arrow dispels the spell Freya put on him and he regains the ability to feel once again. He did such a great job of selling that moment and helped the audience have some sympathy for Baldur and his plight.” Play Video Another of many standout performances from the closing cinematic of this sequence is Danielle Bisutti’s portrayal of Freya. As the Narrative Team stated in their goals for the final encounter of the game, this was never going to be an ending where everyone walked away happy. It is in large-part due to Bisutti’s heart-wrenching performance as Freya that the repercussions of Kratos’ actions had meaningful weight. Curled over the lifeless body of the son she sacrificed everything to keep safe, Freya’s raging grief as she turned from ally to enemy was embodied perfectly through Bisutti’s portrayal. Sophos added this scene was one of the most impactful he witnessed on stage: “When Danielle Bisutti (Freya) promises retribution for the killing of her son, and slowly builds in intensity until she’s just spitting bile, hate, and grief at Kratos… it’s one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever been a part of.” Play Video “You could hear a pin drop on the performance capture stage. We were all just kind of stunned into silence. I knew based on how much of herself Danielle invests in her performance that she was going to go hard, but DAMN…” And with that, we hope you’ve enjoyed this look back on the final boss fight in God of War (2018)! On behalf of everyone who played a part in the creation of this game and all the team here at Santa Monica Studio, we cannot express our gratitude enough to our community for all the support given to us over the last five years. We wouldn’t be here without you! Verify your age to view this content. Verify your age to view this content. View the full article