It doesn’t take all that much to get me to dive back into Blizzard’s stellar ARPG, Diablo 4, which has had a fantastic run of seasonal content and updates in the year since it made its devilish debut. But after an extensive hands-on with its upcoming character class, the Spiritborn, I might be kissing my free time goodbye altogether. This jack of all trades impressively mixes up the Diablo ecosystem with its most customizable and varied class yet, opens up a whole new unexplored aspect of Diablo lore, and most importantly, lets you summon a giant spectral gorilla to Hulk-smash demons into pink giblets. By the end of my time exploring Vessel of Hatred’s spooky jungles and dark dungeons, I was ready to forsake my roguish ways and declare myself a Spiritborn main, and that’s no small feat.
A quick housekeeping note: my time playing Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred was focused almost exclusively on the Spiritborn character class. After choosing my preferred Spiritborn warrior, I was dropped right into the action in the new region of Nahantu to craft my build and dismember everything in sight. Though all of the following things are in there, I didn’t see any story, meet any NPCs (aside from vendors), or get to check out the new hireable mercenaries feature. That said, my access to the Spiritborn class and all it offers was pretty exhaustive, so I’ll be focusing on that. Let’s dive in!
The Spiritborn are an entirely new class to the Diablo series, complete with their own lore that’s tied up in the ancient civilization of Nahantu – as seen in the Act 3 jungles of Diablo II – and the ethereal spirits with which they commune. Unlike the other Diablo IV classes, where you dive quite deep into a specific fantasy like tanking with the Barbarian or doing mad DPS with the Rogue, the Spiritborn is much more customizable and varied, thanks to the four guardian spirits you can choose to build into. Those four spirits are: the eagle, which focuses on mobility, evasion, and lightning damage; the gorilla, which is all about survivability and physical damage; the jaguar, which is the king of DPS, attack speed, and fire damage; and my personal favorite, the centipede, which uses poison, debuffs, and lifesteal to control the battlefield and feed off your foes’ misfortune.
Each of those spirit guardians is represented by a massive ghostly avatar that imbues you with power and occasionally takes to the battlefield itself to lay waste to your enemies, like how the centipede bursts onto the scene to start spitting giant globs of venom at everything in sight, or the eagle, which swoops in to zap your foes into dust. The skills and abilities that correspond with each of these spirits appear on the Spiritborn skill tree as color-coded nodes, so you can easily identify which you might want to focus on depending on your chosen spectral BFF.
These four distinct styles, and the divergent builds you can create from them as a result, make the Spiritborn feel like four new classes in one. For example, a slow-moving, extremely resilient gorilla build will feel very different from a jaguar build where you’re teleporting around the map. But although you’ll need to choose one of them to be your primary patron, one of the most defining characteristics of the character class is the ability to hybridize your build with some of the powers offered by other guardian animals. So, for example, if your jaguar build is feeling a bit squishy, you can reach across the aisle to your gorilla spirit and add a few of his tanky abilities to your repertoire, making yourself significantly more durable.
The four distinct styles, and the divergent builds you can create from them as a result, make the Spiritborn feel like four new classes in one.
That’s a whole new ball game from the much more specific fantasies the other character classes offer, and at first I was worried that would make it feel like a jack of all trades and master of none. But the longer I played, the less I was concerned about the class feeling underpowered, as I went deep into a centipede-eagle (centipeagle?) build that had me filling the battlefield with life-sapping poison, then dashing out of reach when things got too hot. “You would think that it would have some kind of identity crisis, but if you play the build it doesn’t – it works,” Diablo IV Game Director Brent Gibson told me. “And I think the team has done a great job at picking the right things inside of each of the lanes that make it so unique and distinct without trying to turn it into giant cream corn.” From what I’ve played so far, I tend to agree.
After trying out half a dozen different builds, I’m very much sold on this extremely unorthodox class, and I really got a kick out of how different each of the spirits felt and how flexible the class was in allowing me to take on different roles depending on my current need or flight of fancy. It remains to be seen if any of these builds will be able to compete with the five existing and much more focused classes, but so far I’m really encouraged by what I saw, and have a feeling I’ll be running as a Spiritborn exclusively when I tackle Vessel of Hatred later this year.
Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road holds a special place in the hearts of many, and it also happens to hover over very specific parts of our planet.
X/Twitter account @MarioBrothBlog highlighted the placement of the racing series’ most iconic track in a series of posts. Those who have put in some time into the Nintendo spinoff franchise might have noticed that Earth can be seen below some versions of Rainbow Road in-game. Mario Broth offers an in-depth analysis of the size and location of both the Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart Wii iterations of Rainbow Road, revealing that they both cast shadows over very different parts of the planet.
Mario Kart Wii’s and Mario Kart 8’s Rainbow Roads are both depicted as floating above the Earth. By examining the skyboxes, we can map their real-world locations. The Wii Rainbow Road is over Canada, while the Mario Kart 8 Rainbow Road is over the Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/MUoHwhYiOL
— Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) July 18, 2024
Mario Kart Wii’s Rainbow Road is massive, covering a large portion of Canada and even a sliver of Greenland. Quebec and Nunavut get the most coverage, with the starting line placed just above the former. Mario Kart 8, meanwhile, seems to be positioned above the Mediterranean Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea, centered between Sardinia, Sicily, and Tunisia. It’s also much smaller than its Nintendo Wii counterpart. Mario Broth notes that the Booster Course Pass re-release of the Wii track uses this same skybox, putting it in same place.
But wait, there’s more! X user @SB2749 was able to track down a 3D model of the Mario Kart Tour version of Wii Rainbow Road, which comes with a few small changes. Notably, the gargantuan course hovers above Southeast Asia instead of Canada in the mobile entry, swallowing more than half of Japan with one sharp turn.
Addendum: reader @SB2749 has provided the location of the Mario Kart Tour version of the Wii Rainbow Road track, which is in yet another location, covering Japan, China and Southeast Asia: https://t.co/2xD73iMtYR
— Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) July 18, 2024
Nintendo likely didn’t intend for any version of its Rainbow Road to be built to scale, but it’s still fun to imagine you might catch a glimpse of Mario and co. if you break out a telescope. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Mario Kart series is currently between releases. The last numbered entry arrived on the Wii U in 2014, though Nintendo’s managed to make the most of that experience with a Deluxe re-release for the Switch in 2017. A long list of DLC additions have since arrived over the course of the last few years via the Booster Course Pass, which wrapped up with its final wave of content late last year.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Crow Country, Conscript, and now Vultures – Scavengers Of Death. We really do seem to be living through a craze for PS1-style horror games. Vultures is different to the others, though, in that it’s turn-based zombie crunching combined with roguelike scavenging to survive and get more powerful. It’s arriving on Steam sometime soon and it’s probably worth a looksy if you’re after biohazard disposal with a tactical twist.
Toree’s Panic Pack costs 89p. 99¢. That’ll probably either perk up your ears, or make your face twist in reasonable scepticism. Luckily, as with all the previous Toree games, it’s absolutely worthy of the former and certainly not the latter.
Previous games in the series of short and colourful 3D platformers have had a mantra of ‘easy to pick up, difficult to master’, and if you’ve indulged in any of them and have been hankering for something a bit more ‘difficult to pick up, aching to master’, well you’ve struck gold here, sunshine.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess: How Capcom Created a Prequel Story Through Traditional Japanese Puppeteering
The lush Mt. Kafuku, home of the Goddess. The source of turmoil, the defilement. The defilement corrupts the mountain, and the 12 masks containing the power of the Goddess are stolen. The Maiden Yoshiro & her guardian Soh purge the defilement and perform a ritual.
Embracing the company slogan, “From Osaka to the World,” Capcom will release Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess tomorrow, July 19. An original action-strategy hybrid that weaves its gameplay into a unique Japanese-inspired world, players take on the role of Soh, the guardian of the Maiden Yoshiro, and must protect and fight for her, making use of the two phases; day and night, to prepare for and fend off the looming threat of the Seethe respectively.
The game takes inspiration from several Japanese traditions, helping inform everything from the aesthetic to how Soh fights in a “sword-dancing” style – and the influence is far more than skin-deep. With the release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess coming on Friday, July 19, Capcom has partnered with practitioners of one of Japan’s oldest traditional performing arts, Ningyo Joruri Bunraku (known more simply as Bunraku) – a comprehensive art form that integrates Tayu (narration), Shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument), and puppeteering. A special video titled “Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny,” featuring living national treasure and master puppeteer Kanjuro Kiritake the Third, portraying the priestess, has been released as a prequel to invite players into the world of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess.
Ahead of the release of the video, the Xbox Wire Japan team participated in an interview at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka, where the performance was staged and filmed. The interview features Master Kanjuro Kiritake, Kunitsu-Gami director Shuichi Kawata, and Capcom’s Tairoku Nozoe, who scripted for the Bunraku performance. The team talked us through the influence of Bunraku on the game, the unique creation of a Bunraku performance for the game, and more.
First, we’d like to hear more about the background of this collaboration. We understand that the challenge to collaborate began when the Capcom team reached out with the idea, and Master Kanjuro graciously accepted to help out. Could you tell us about the process leading up to this?
Nozoe: If we were to trace things back to its origin, it might be when Kawata, who was developing the concept for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, shared his passion for Bunraku with me. Kawata is a fervent fan of Bunraku, and his enthusiasm led us to attend a performance together. We were both deeply moved by the performance, and it made us realize that such fascinating art form existed out there, convincingly withstanding the test of time. This inspired us to reach out to the National Bunraku Theatre. Kawata’s connection with the world of Bunraku also helped, allowing us to have various discussions and propose the idea for this collab. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was created with a sense of traditional arts and performances in mind, so I am incredibly moved that this collaboration has come to fruition in such a big way.
From left to right: Capcom’s Suichi Kawata, Master Kanjuro Kiritake, Capcom’s Tairoku Nozoe.
Master Kanjuro, when you first heard about the proposal to work and collaborate with a game through the arts of Bunraku, what were your initial thoughts?
Master Kanjuro: I remember feeling a bit troubled because I couldn’t immediately organize the concept in my mind, and I wasn’t sure how to make the project a reality. However, given my extended experience with various collaborations and my inherent love for collaborations through the art of Bunraku, I offered to help if I could. I believe that by the time of filming, I had managed to clear my mind and focus, resulting in the wonderful video.
The National Bunraku Theatre preparing for the performance of Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny Video.
Master Kanjuro, do you personally play video games? Or do any of the people close to you enjoy playing games?
Master Kanjuro: Games are fascinating because they allow you to immerse yourself in the story happening on the screen, and moreover share various narratives that are embedded in Japanese culture with the world. All of my children love games, and I also enjoyed the early, simple video games when I was younger. I remember having to guide my children to play in moderation, as they tended to play a little too much under the past standards. Now, it’s mainly my grandchildren who play games, and they often invite me to join. When I have time, I enjoy playing with them. I still get very absorbed in gaming, so I try to be a bit careful [laughs].
Master Kanjuro and his crew attend the final meeting before the performance.
I heard that when discussing the project, you felt a personal connection with Capcom’s catchphrase, “From Osaka to the world”.
Master Kanjuro: Exactly. Bunraku is an art form that was born and raised in Osaka, just like how Capcom has continued to nurture this same land. I felt a strong connection with the idea of sharing and spreading our efforts further, beyond Osaka, to the rest of the world.
As the project progressed and you saw the game footage and concept art for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, you became very enthusiastic and offered various advice on the creation of the puppets. Could you share your impressions when you first saw the game footage, and your thoughts as the project progressed?
Master Kanjuro: First and foremost, I was captivated by the visual beauty and found the character designs very interesting. Having been away from games for a while, besides playing with my grandchildren, I was honestly amazed by the advancements made in modern games. At the same time, it increased the challenge of figuring out how to create these characters as puppets. My expertise lies in performing in “jidai-mono”, which focuses on historical events and people, and not in fiction. So I initially thought this project would involve simply making and perhaps slightly manipulating the puppets, but when I learned that a full story and script were being written, I realized the collab was transforming into a very profound, enjoyable, and expansive project.
The script was apparently written by none other than Capcom’s Nozoe-san.
Master Kanjuro: At first, I didn’t know who had worked on the script. But after a read-through, I found it to be very profound, packed with just the right ingredients, and felt it was very compelling. What I found particularly interesting about this script was that, unlike many other scripts where it is difficult to pair with a suitable musical accompaniment, I could envision what type of music would be best fit from the first read. Although the final music will always be composed by the shamisen player, I had a strong impression of how the music would feel like, and I believe it turned out to be something truly exceptional.
As a result, I ended up being busy with this project throughout June, a month when I was supposed to be on a break with no performances assigned. However, my original aspiration when I was young was to be a manga artist, and I have always loved illustrating, creating things, drawing, and designing. The feeling of anticipation, seeing the puppets gradually nearing their final forms, made June a truly fulfilling month. Incidentally, the magatama decoration [a ceremonial, comma-shaped object considered sacred] on the Maiden puppet was entirely handcrafted by myself.
The kashira (head) of the puppets are each designed with specific characters and roles in mind.
Do you have any comments you would like to make, with the collaboration between Bunraku and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess soon coming to a full circle?
Nozoe:Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a game that values tradition while also embracing new challenges. For this collaboration project, the focus was not so much on expressing the essence of the game through the world of Bunraku, but rather on how to align and highlight the charm of Bunraku within the world of the game. Given that, what impressed me the most when Master Kanjuro supervised the script was how skillfully he adjusted everything with a keen sense of balance. He knew exactly when to align with the expressions that Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess has, and carefully incorporated the elements we felt should retain a Bunraku-esque touch. As a result, I feel the Ningyo Joruri Bunraku that came out of this project maintained a very satisfying balance.
Master Kanjuro: I am very glad that you are happy with the outcome. Would you like to consider a sequel?
Nozoe: Yes, please!
The tayu (narrator, left) and shamisen (instrumental accompaniment, two on the right) are key to a successful Ningyo Joruri Bunraku performance
Master Kanjuro: I don’t want to trouble everyone at the theater, but I’d like to try performing this as a full-length play. It would be interesting to turn this into a play and adjust the story to work on the stage. I’m delighted that such new attempts can be made with Ningyo Joruri Bunraku, which originated, rooted, and grew in Osaka. The “3-man manipulation” technique, now considered standard, was devised in 1734, about 290 years ago. It’s both fascinating and gratifying to see that the Ningyo Joruri, which has preserved this technique for so long, is now connected with the latest technology and content in gaming.
Nozoe: During the development of the game, we were always inspired by the direction and movements of Ningyo Joruri Bunraku. Even before discussing the collaboration, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was already heavily infused with elements of Bunraku. Additionally, the method used to create the environmental elements in the game was quite unique, where we first created miniatures and then digitized them. This emphasis on realism, which is very important to Kawata-san, made our efforts within the collaboration align well.
I am aware that some people may read this blogpost before watching the performance, while others might read the article after having already seen it once and then are motivated to watch again. Could you share any tips for those who are experiencing Bunraku for the first time?
Master Kanjuro: As a puppeteer, I’d like you to carefully observe the synchronized movements of the puppets performed by the three puppeteers. The omozukai (head and right hand), hidarizukai (left hand), and ashizukai (legs) are three entirely different individuals working together in synchronicity to animate a single puppet. This technique has been refined over approximately 290 years, and through this, you can experience just how well-crafted the art of Ningyo Joruri Bunraku is. While it may be challenging to grasp everything in one viewing, I believe that if you watch it multiple times, there will be moments when its beauty may resonate with you. Once that happens, you’ll likely begin to enjoy any performance you watch. Some may feel unsure about what is being said or narrated, but don’t worry. The narration is crafted in the most beautiful Japanese language, and over time, you will be able to deepen your understanding with the help of a synopsis at hand. I hope you will pay close attention to these aspects.
Nozoe: Since Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess is the focal point for this collaborative development, it might be good to first get to know its story. In the original work, there are the main characters: the guardian, Soh and the Maiden, Yoshiro, and their story is something that has been repeated many, many times. The game itself only highlights one of the many. Given this, “Ceremony of the Deity: The Maiden’s Destiny” can be considered a prequel to the main story of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess. How does Soh and the Maiden featured in this prequel connect to the main story? That is a mystery you might unveil once you play the game, and then come back to watch the performance again.
Kawata: We have prepared mechanisms that will further your understanding of Kunitsugami: Path of the Goddess when you watch the play after playing the game. Additionally, if you reflect on the ending of the main story while watching the Ningyo Joruri performance, you will find yourself saying, “oh, that’s why”.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be available on July 19 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the game from day one. In addition, this title is compatible with Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing cross-play and transfer of saved data between Xbox and Windows 10/11.
The New Era established in Mortal Kombat 1 has seen many classic characters from the series evolve in new and interesting ways. Resetting the Mortal Kombat Universe allowed us to experiment with their narratives to sharpen relationships, increase connections, and heighten conflicts. We’re taking characters in bold new directions while also honoring their pasts.
Before we dive into the backstory of Takeda joining the Mortal Kombat 1 roster, let’s take a first look at his Brutality finishing move.
When the team decided that Takeda Takahashi should join the roster of Mortal Kombat 1, we were faced with an intriguing narrative challenge: How do we make a character, who was previously a second generation kombatant, a peer of his immediate ancestors? We chose to alter Takeda’s history to root him firmly in the New Era’s present day.
Mortal Kombat 1 introduces reimagined versions of iconic characters in a way that as they’ve never been seen before, and in this New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Takeda is Kenshi Takahashi’s cousin, not his son. As a fellow Takahashi, he has also served the Yakuza. As a fellow hero, he also eventually chooses to reject them. But that doesn’t mean that he and Kenshi are thick as thieves. As was the case in the prior Mortal Kombat era, the two men have different agendas which bring them into conflict. Where Kenshi’s sole focus is extracting his family from the Yakuza’s embrace, Takeda seeks its destruction as well as the destruction of Earthrealm’s entire underworld. Kenshi is no fan of Takeda’s larger and deadlier agenda.
Even with these changes, Takeda’s backstory still retains key narrative elements from its prior iteration. As before, Takeda spends significant time living among the Shirai Ryu. He trains with Scorpion, blending the latter’s Shirai Ryu technique with his own style of kombat.
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As we began writing Takeda’s scripts, we realized that his world needed to be more deeply integrated with that of his fellow kombatants. To do so, we brought the criminal Red Dragon clan into the mix. They make their first appearance in the New Era as the shadowy bosses responsible for all of Earthrealm’s and Outworld’s organized crime.
Takeda Takahashi will be available on July 23 as part of the early access period for Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack owners on PlayStation 5, followed by wide availability on July 30. Additionally, Takeda will be playable for the first time ahead of his release at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) fighting game tournament in Las Vegas from July 19 to 21. This opportunity will be available exclusively for event attendees and located within the Mortal Kombat 1 booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
We’ve had a glut of articles about gloomier video games on here today, Rachel’s bright and breezy Dungeons Of Hinterberg review notwithstanding. Tomorrow, I promise, it’ll be wall-to-wall wholesome life sims, pastel petals and hug emojis as far as the eye can see. But before then, a quick piece on well-received DreadXP-published horror sim The Mortuary Assistant, which will shortly be updated with an “endless embalming-only mode” that strips out the game’s supernatural scares and turns it into a very downbeat job sim.
Famitsu‘s latest look at the Japanese gaming charts is in and it’s another clean sweep for the Switch.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD holds onto the top spot for the third week in a row — way to go, bro — but there are also two new entries this time around which have snuck into the proceedings. Aerial action was clearly a popular choice this week, as Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition flew into second place with 14,322 sales in its debut. Princess Maker 2 Regeneration also nabbed a spot in the top ten, with 3,685 units sold.
After more than four years of working on Schim we are excited to share it with the Xbox community! As two developers (Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman) it is amazing to be able to release the game on Xbox as well. Ewoud did all the porting and has very fond memories of playing on his first Xbox (360) many years ago. With this post we want to give you some insights and invite you into the world of our first indie game Schim.
Shadow Jumping in Schim
Schim is a game in which you jump from shadow to shadow to get back to your person. We designed the colorful abstract world with influences from cities in the Netherlands. The levels in Schim invite you to play around. Schim is a very relaxing and forgiving game with optional challenges and a slight difficulty curve. A great game to destress with. We have seen players race through levels and just as many players who take their time and explore all nooks and crannies to experience the little stories that can be witnessed and influenced.
Interacting with Shadows
Shadows are the platforms in Schim but you can also interact with them. Every type of shadow has its own unique interaction that triggers the essence of the object, person or animal. Some things change their state like a traffic light while others make a sound like a car that honks its horn. The interactions influence the flow of the level and at times can create new paths in the world. We added loads of these unique interactions to reward exploring and experimenting in this magical world.
Reunite with Your Shadow
The story of Schim revolves around the Schim and their person. The person starts as a child at the beginning of the game. In the first ten minutes you get to grow up with them. You can hop out of their shadow or run around controlling the person when you are in their shadow. Numerous live events occur in rapid succession and we see them grow up. At a certain point they experience a horrible day where everything just doesn’t go their way. They get fired, their bike stolen and they stumble and fall. This is the moment where you as the Schim get disconnected from your person. You will have to find your way back to them. In most levels you will see your person try to get things in order again in the world as you chase them. It’s up to you to get back to them.
The Shadow Creatures of Schim
Every shadow in the world has its own Schim. In the game you will come across many of them. Some will need your help as they have lost their shadow just like you.
These objects can be found and placed back into the world. They also serve as the collectibles in the game. Some are hidden and give enough room to explore the world to find all of them.
Different Times of Day
Depending on the time of day the shadows are longer or shorter. There are also some levels that you will visit more than once. Multiple of these levels will be experienced both in daylight and in nighttime. During nighttime you will only be able to traverse in shadows that are cast by lights in the level. Anything that is darker but still moonlit does not count as a shadow. This makes these levels feel very different from their daylight versions.
Thank you for reading. We welcome you in the world of Schim!
SCHiM is a game about jumping from shadow to shadow, while interacting with a relaxing and lively environment.
A schim is the soul and spirit of an object, thing, or living being. Everything in the world has one. A schim should never be separated from their thing! This does happen to your schim, this schim who is attached to a human being is separated from them early on in the game.
Freegunners, Concord’s Open Beta launches today, granting you a weekend’s worth of galactic action on PS5 and PC. Jump aboard the spaceship Northstar, meet the Freegunners, then head planetside to take on rival crews across multiple different game modes. Open Beta gives you a chance to try out the 16-strong character roster, and get to grips with Crew Builder, the Job Board and more.
You’ll find additional gameplay details, tips and lore in the ‘How to Play’ section of the Open Beta’s main menu. To bolster that info and arm you with additional gameplay tips ahead of launch, we sat down with Firewalk Studios’ lead gameplay designer Claude Jerome and lead character designer Jon Weisnewski to dig into the intricacies of the multiplayer shooter’s gameplay mechanics and systems.
A Freegunner for everyone
Concord’s 16-strong character roster offers a lot of variety from the off. But there are certain Freegunners in the lineup that are a good fit for certain players based on their experience in the multiplayer shooter genre.
“We actually have a number of characters that are designed specifically to be entry points for players who feel anxiety or stress that come into a game like this,” says Weisnewski. “For that player who’s never played a shooter before, I’d recommend Lark. Lark was designed from the ground up to be inviting [to those players]. Their weapon, the Razor Pod Launcher, blasts out this little sphere that floats in the air. When an enemy gets close to that sphere, it detonates and spawns little homing projectiles that will track down the enemy and do damage… so right out the gate, we have a gun that doesn’t require players to be precise with their aiming.
“One of Lark’s Abilities is to drop a Spore Seed. It creates an area that buffs your team and debuffs the enemy team – you’ll get faster mobility, a little bit of damage resistance. That Spore has a high uptime, so you can be constantly planting. You’ll help your team by running around the map and planting Spore Seeds in key locations. Their other Ability is the Transplant Pod. On first activation they create this little plant, and on second, they teleport back to it. There’s a ton of high level strategic play, but [for newcomers], they have a weapon they don’t have to aim, an Ability that always helps their team and if they get stressed during combat, they can teleport out.”
“Kyps is similar,” Jerome continues. “She’s a spy robot that can plant surveillance traps, she can go into stealth [on dodging]. She can be an effective help for the team in this low anxiety way. The traps can spot people behind walls.
“That feeds into a dynamic of our philosophy – brains versus aims. We want both to matter. It matters if you have thumb skill, but we also want this cerebral approach to combat. Be thoughtful of every move you make, to feel like it matters to the outcome of the match.”
“For the highly competent shooter player, someone who is already very, very skilled at these games, just wants to pick it up and, and be effective right out the gate, I would recommend Teo,” concludes Weisnewski. “Teo was intentionally designed to feel familiar to people who have played shooters. He’s got a very military-inspired loadout: a Guild Guard Rifle, a side arm pistol he can swap to. He has Cluster and Smoke Grenades. He’s got a double dodge. He’s quick. If you’ve played any shooter, he should just feel immediately familiar.”
Crew Roles
Rather than traditional archetypes, each of the 16 Freegunners fall into one of 6 Roles – Anchor, Breacher, Haunt, Ranger, Tactician and Warden. Each has been defined and designed around play styles, with further variety found in the characters that fall within those Roles. “We have three different Rangers,” examples Weisnewski. “Each has a distinct feel to them. We have a more support-leaning character, a defensive-leaning character and a more traditional offensive-leaning character… we hope players will gravitate to one that actually feels like it was made just for them and how they want to play.”
“One of our philosophies we’re talking about is this concept of like recipes versus ingredients,” explains Jerome. “Recipes are this authored, crafted thing that you have to play this way, right? We just give you a bunch of tools and you can pick the way you want to approach combat.” You’ll see each Freegunner’s Role displayed on the Character Select screen.
Character Abilities and Skillful Loops
Every Freegunner has two unique Abilities, mapped to L1 and R1. Not all recharges are built around cooldown time: they differ per Freegunner and are built around the most fun, effective way to reinforce that character’s personality. It’s a resource model Firewalk coin as “Skillful Loops” or “Sloops” for short. “I think Jabali was the pioneer of sloops,” says Weisnewski, the concept successful enough to inspire the studio to apply it all Freegunners. “Take a character like Lennox, a precision shooter. A character with a lot of trust in their thumbskill will have an extremely higher DPS than others. So that’s the skill we’re trying to encourage, train and reward. So Lennox gets his Throwing Knife Ability back on landing a kill.” In contrast, 1-Off’s Trash Bomb recharges by vacuuming up projectiles or items in the world. Find out more about the Ability conditions for each Freegunner in the Character Select screen or in the Freegunners section of the main menu.
Crew combos
“This goes back to that recipes versus ingredients analogy,” says Jerome. “Combos are these implicit combinations of actions and status effects” with Freegunner combative options pairing nicely together. “DaVeers’ Burnite grenade launcher leaves these purple chemical splashes where its projectiles hit. If they hit those with their Ignition Dart, they’ll ignite and explode. But if another character like Haymar uses her fire abilities, it’ll also ignite those chemicals.” Start experimenting during matches and get a feel for complementary skillsets.
Support items
Some Freegunner Abilities are permanent, deploying an item into the combat space that can help your crew or hinder rivals. Examples include Daw’s Heal Pads that top up an ally’s energy bar, or Duchess’s Construct Walls which block paths or provide cover. These will remain even between match rounds, or until the enemy team does something about them. So for multi-round matches, there’s value in long-term strategy by populating the map with useful gear. “It allows you to take advantage of characters beyond their lifespan [during a match],” explains Jerome.
Crew Builder and rolling over Role Perks
Each of the six Freegunner Roles has a Crew Bonus. Rangers, for example, have Improved Weapon Recoil, Tacticians, faster reload speed. In Concord, if your next deployed Freegunner has a different Role, the previous character’s Role-specific perk stacks on top of theirs, ultimately letting you play a much more capable combatant infused with the buffs of 6 Roles. It’s an extra layer of strategy played out over a match as you play through Freegunners to adapt to the situation at hand. Crew Builder, selectable within the Freegunners option on the main menu, allows you to build custom team compositions, deck builder style, to take into specific modes. There’s more details in the “How to Play” menu.
Complete Jobs, get paid
Freegunners are mercenaries, guns-for-hire who roam the galaxy and do high-stake jobs to keep them going. “We want each match to [feed into that fantasy],” says Jerome. “So that shows up in our progression system. The Job Board shows all the different things you can be rewarded for doing in that match. That could encourage Ability usage, kill combinations… when you complete those jobs, those challenges, that gives you XP. Your payout. That unlocks more options, more customisation for your characters.”
Concord’s Open Beta is available on PS5 & PC July 18 – 21. You can listen to an extended interview with Firewalk in the Official PlayStation Podcast, the new episode of which drops tomorrow.
