Last month we saw quite a few adventure games spring into action. What game from last month’s lineup was a fresh start? Some of the big new releases included Assassin’s Creed Shadows, MLB The Show 25, Hitman World of Assassination (PS VR2), and Split Fiction.
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.
Hey, everybody! Sid, Kristen, Brett, and I are back this week to discuss the new take on Pac-Man Shadow Labyrinth, the wonders of hand-tracking in PlayStation VR2, what it’s like to learn how to walk in Baby Steps, and their most played games on PlayStation.
Stuff We Talked About
Next week’s release highlights:
Koira | PS5
Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos Remastered | PS5, PS4
The Last of Us Part II Remastered | PC
Shadow Labyrinth — Release Date (July 18 for PS5)
Into Black (PS VR2) — Announcement Blog (coming soon)
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
The wait is over! Masters of Light is now one of the first games to introduce full hand tracking on PlayStation VR2, pushing the boundaries of immersive gameplay like never before. As the creator of Masters of Light and co-founder of Coven, I’m beyond excited to bring this revolutionary update to PlayStation fans.
Learn specific gestures to teleport, block meteors and fight!
Harness magic with your own hands
Imagine stepping into the world of Masters of Light and casting spells with nothing but your hands—no controllers needed. This is the power of PS VR2’s new hand tracking technology, allowing you to unleash beams of light, summon shields, and control energy like a true celestial warrior. Every flick of your wrist, every precise movement, translates into real-time spellcasting, making battles feel more intuitive, immersive, and exhilarating than ever.
Masters of Light features high energy first person combat where focus, timing and strategy are keys to victory.
A new standard for immersion
When we first envisioned Masters of Light, our goal was to make players feel truly empowered. From the very beginning, we built our combat system around fluid, natural gestures—inspired by self defense moves. Now, thanks to PlayStation VR2’s advanced tracking capabilities, players can experience the game as we originally imagined: with pure hand movement, free from controllers.
Frantic hand tracking moves will keep you physically engaged in the fights. You WILL break a sweat!
The evolution of Hand Tracking in VR
At Coven, we’ve been developing hand-tracking games for years, pushing the technology forward with every project. Bringing this feature to PS VR2 was an incredible challenge, but also a dream come true. This would have not been possible without the support of our incredible porting team, VR Monkey. Here is what they have to say:
“Implementing the hand tracking in two and a half months was a challenge, since officially Unity hasn’t added PS VR2’s hand tracking support. So one of our developers (Thanks Eric Gregory) created an in-house plugin that took advantage of Sony’s new state of the art tracking system to make hand tracking run at 60 frames per second (currently the highest available on the market).
After that, we could harness the powerful gesture detection system of the PlayStation 5 to recreate all of the game’s powers and interactions in a week’s work.
We’ve refined the system to make sure every motion is responsive, every action feels powerful, and every battle is a seamless blend of strategy and skill.“
New enemies and superpowers are unlocked as players progress in the game, climaxing in insane battles that will leave you breathless.
Play your way
With this new update, Masters of Light now offers multiple control options:
Hand tracking mode – No controllers, just pure hand movements for spellcasting and navigation.
PS VR2 Sense controller mode – Experience the game with the precision and feedback of adaptive triggers and haptics.
Whether you prefer the tactile power of controllers or the freedom of true hand-tracked gameplay, the choice is yours.
Use the “shockwave” gesture to push away all the enemies at once. Reactivate ancient crystals with your inner light to open Gates to other constellations.
A galactic battle awaits
If you haven’t joined the fight yet, now is the perfect time. Step into the role of The Wanderer, a being of light battling against the encroaching darkness. Travel across stunning cosmic landscapes, uncover ancient secrets, and challenge the black hole’s core in a fight to save the galaxy. With 36 action-packed levels, leaderboards, and the intense Grand Master difficulty mode, there’s always a new challenge to conquer.
Hidden in the 36 levels are ancient ruins that can be reactivated by the player to unlock pieces of the lore.
Join the revolution
Hand tracking on PS VR2 marks a huge leap forward for virtual reality, and we’re honored to be among the first to bring it to PlayStation fans. Whether you’re a longtime VR player or diving in for the first time, Masters of Light delivers an experience that’s intuitive, thrilling, and truly next-gen.
Are you ready to wield the power of light with your own hands? Masters of Light is available now on PlayStation VR2—download the update and step into a new era of VR gaming today!
Shadow Labyrinth is the forthcoming 2D action platformer from our team at Bandai Namco Studios where players will control Swordsman No.8, summoned to a mysterious planet by the enigmatic Puck to complete a mission where others have failed. The two will discover secrets and battle huge bosses in their struggle to survive. The concept of a dark Pac-Man game is bold new ground for the brand, delivering a unique experience that existing and new PAC players will be excited to dig into. Shadow Labyrinth emerges from the darkness on July 18.
Gamers may have noticed that Puck looks quite a bit like Pac-Man, and there’s the amazing visual of a huge foreboding and dark Pac-Man chomping down on the body of a downed foe. But Shadow Labyrinth’s inspiration from Pac-Man is more than skin deep, our team worked to build from the ground up with careful consideration of what it means to be a Pac-Man game.
The iconic maze is second only to Pac-Man himself when considering the core factors of a Pac game. We wanted to apply that principle to our game where the characters are just as important as the place where we find them. Arcade Pac-Man’s maze is immersive, and we wanted to bring that to life on a broader scale. The map of this mysterious planet when viewed zoomed out is itself a massive maze, and like the original Pac-Man, you must get familiar with the maze to best your enemies. The original arcade game’s maze was set upon a background of darkness, Shadow Labyrinth takes this one step further by having our story take place in the depths of outer space on a dark and mysterious planet where survival means tougher challenges in deeper levels. You either reach the end or are consumed trying.
When you approach a Pac-Man arcade machine you are greeted by a joystick, so we thought, controlling Pac-Man is quite simple, right? It’s just a joystick. But as you progress through each level the on-screen action of dodging Ghosts gets intense. Shadow Labyrinth gives players a variety of actions and weapons to use, but we wanted the player inputs to feel natural, not overwhelming – like that simple joystick. We also wanted to give the player as much choice as possible, letting them choose which direction they would like to explore first. Like original arcade Pac-Man, the action in Shadow Labyrinth gets seriously intense and we felt that an approachable control scheme and the flexibility to explore the directions they’re curious about would help deepen player immersion similar to the original arcade game.
There are in fact 3 modes of play in Shadow Labyrinth. Controlling Swordsman No.8 is all about weapon use and artfully dodging, and Mini Puck mode is all about exploring hidden and out of reach pathways. These in themselves feel very Pac-Man, but the 3rd mode of play is effectively Shadow Labyrinth’s version of a Power Pellet: GAIA, the robotic giant with devastating force. Using GAIA, players can damage enemies that might have otherwise been too strong, break through barriers (a reference to the arcade game Super Pac-Man), and actually eat enemies. But just like a Power Pellet, this power is not endless, and must be used strategically to, as Pac-Man fans say, “turn the tables” on your enemies.
Pac-Man is always eating Dots, Power Pellets, and Ghosts to level up and keep going. We wanted to expand on the core concept of consuming in Shadow Labyrinth to include eating to defeat foes but also eating as a means of powering up. In the game, you can choose to eat enemies instead of slashing them until defeated.
If you do choose to eat them then you’ll gain different resources depending on the enemy you’ve eaten. These resources can then be used to acquire and upgrade your abilities. So, in Shadow Labyrinth too you must eat to progress, not only to get further but also to grow from prey to the apex predator.
But where are the Ghosts? We didn’t forget them. In Shadow Labyrinth, amongst many of the vile creatures you must destroy or be haunted by are the G-Hosts: parasitic organisms that have taken over monsters and machines of the planet to create something new and terrifying. These encounters serve as formidable boss battles fitting for the primary antagonists of the arcade original. You’ll encounter the G-Hosts based upon Pac-Man Ghosts such as Pinky, never revealed until now, as twisted boss battles.
Shadow Labyrinth takes inspiration from the legacy of games in the genre as well as being built using the DNA of Pac-Man. But eagle-eyed gamers have already started to notice clues that Shadow Labyrinth takes place in the larger chronology of the UGSF (United Galaxy Space Force) timeline: a shared universe that connects many of Bandai Namco’s space-themed games. As players explore the massive map of Shadow Labyrinth’s world, they’ll encounter some familiar looking enemies like those from the Dig Dug series, Bosconian, and more.
Shadow Labyrinth comes to PlayStation 5 on July 18!
The Battle Royale map that started it all is back! Prepare to drop into Verdansk in a huge launch event celebrating the return of the map. Featuring authentic, back-to-basics gameplay with the latest in fan-favorite mechanics, there’s a wide variety of features coming to the game.
Season 3 begins on PS4 and PS5 with Multiplayer and Zombies content coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on April 2 at 9AM PT, followed by the launch of Verdansk in Call of Duty: Warzone 24 hours later on April 3 at 9AM PT.
Verdansk, rebuilt from the ground up
Like we never left:150 players. The original announcer. Shooting during freefall. Original Infil cinematics. All before you hit the ground running.
Original game mechanics:Original Supply Boxes, Floating Loot, Armor Satchels and Buy Station menus, coupled with current Loadouts and Perks, with High Value Loot Zones across the map where some premium loot resides.
QOL updates:A variety of quality-of-life updates also hits Call of Duty: Warzone, including Squad Redeploys at Buy Stations, Attachment descriptions during Weapon Inspects, detailed death recaps in game, a HUD flag so you know exactly when your Loadout is available to buy, and more.
Game modes, events, rewards
Game modes
Play a variety of modes including returning favorites and new ones:
Battle Royale
Plunder Quads
Bootcamp
Plus, get in on the brand-new Battle Royale Casual playlist at launch, featuring 28 players and up to 120 bots, the perfect arena to warm up before the main event.
Return to Verdansk launch event
Reassemble the Squad and drop back into your former stomping grounds for an exciting homecoming. The Return to Verdansk Event takes the form of a series of challenges scattered across 12 distinct zones within Verdansk. Crack all 12 safes to earn the infamous Kali Sticks melee weapon.
Login, Get the Kilo 141
The Kilo 141 Assault Rifle is back and ready to tear it up across Verdansk for old times’ sake. Players will automatically unlock the Kilo 141 for use in Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone after logging in to Call of Duty: Warzone following the launch of Season 3 on April 2.
More Verdansk-era Weapons: In addition to the Kali Sticks and Kilo 141, players can earn two more classic Verdansk-era weapons. Get the CR-56 AMAX Assault Rifle and HDR Sniper Rifle, both earnable in the Season 3 Battle Pass.
New multiplayer, Zombies content
Don’t miss out on the Season 3 content coming to Black Ops 6 on April 2. Play multiplayer maps including a remaster of Firing Range and modes like Demolition and Sharpshooter. Plus, explore a diabolical mansion in the woodsin the new Zombies map, Shattered Veil.
Season 3 launch intel, Black Ops 6 free trial
Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, Zombies, and General game content drops a day early on Wednesday April 2, 9AM PT. Call of Duty: Warzone content launches across all platforms 24 hours later, on Thursday April 3, 9AM PT.
Free trial: Play all of Black Ops 6 during 24-Hour countdown
Pre-load the game, then access Black Ops 6 as a premium player or via a Free Trial with the entire Season 3 premium game accessible for 24 hours, allowing you to grind out some of the new weapons, including the Kilo 141, CR-56 AMAX, and HDR. Season 3 launches April 2.
Protect the streets of Detroit, survive a family of horror icons, and turn digital detective with April’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup. RoboCop: Rogue City, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory will be available to PlayStation Plus members from April 1.
Let’s take a closer look at the games.
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RoboCop: Rogue City | PS5
Become the legendary part man, part machine, all cop hero and bring justice to the dangerous, crime-ridden streets of Old Detroit. With your powerful Auto-9 or one of a range of weapons available, eradicate criminals throughout this explosive first-person adventure. Your cyborg strength and cybernetic abilities can be upgraded as you progress, to make you an even more formidable law enforcement officer.
Explore open areas and complete your objectives according to your own sense of justice. Finding evidence, interrogating suspects and maintaining public order are just some of your daily tasks as a police officer. But don’t take decisions lightly: your choices can determine the fate of citizens and the result of your mission. Your investigation leads you right into the heart of a shadowy conspiracy in an original story that takes place between RoboCop 2 and 3, with striking locations to explore and familiar faces to meet. Peter Weller, the original RoboCop actor, is even back on duty to voice the cybercop.
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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | PS4, PS5
Take on the role of one of the notorious Slaughter family, or their victims, in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a third-person asymmetrical horror experience based on the groundbreaking and iconic 1974 horror film. As a victim you must use your wits and stealth to stay out of the Family’s reach and find the tools you need to lead to your eventual freedom. Slaughter Family players must seek out, track down, and stop their guests from escaping. Players of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can finally find out if they have what it takes to survive.
After being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Keisuke Amazawa has no choice but to dive into the Digital World and investigate to prove his innocence. Even if that means joining a group of hackers and helping them to solve the troubles threatening this mysterious universe. Discover the mysterious backstory to the events that happened in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth as you dive into a deeper and darker adventure, at crossroads between real and digital and experience the perfect mix between Adventure, Raising and Battle with over 320 Digimon to discover.
All three games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on April 1 until May 5.
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Last chance to download March’s games
PlayStation Plus members have until March 31 to add Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Sonic Colors: Ultimate and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection to their game library.
Gran Turismo players! Update 1.57* for Gran Turismo 7 available as of Wednesday, March 26 at 10:00pm PT / March 27 at 5:00am GMT / 2:00pm JST.
Three new cars added this month
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Aston Martin Vintage ‘18
(Can be purchased from Brand Central)
This lightweight cornering machine has been called the best Aston Martin ever.
The ‘Vantage’ name had long been used by Aston Martin to represent their high performance model grades, but in 2005 the Vantage became its own separate model. Relatively compact for an Aston Martin model and equipped with a V8 engine, the car would become a hit being the best handling front-engine rear-wheel drive model in the line-up. The next generation Vantage introduced in 2017 carried on the core concepts of the model.
Though sharing a platform with the DB11 V8, the Vantage body has a shorter wheelbase and is 120 kg lighter which results in a cornering machine that has been lauded as the best handling car in the history of Aston Martin. The powerplant is a Mercedes-AMG 4L V8 producing 502 BHP. With a 0-62 mph time of 3.7s, and a top speed of 195 mph, the car is also capable of supercar speeds.
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Mazda CX-30 X Smart Edition ‘21
(Can be purchased from Brand Central)
This crossover SUV from Mazda features a revolutionary new engine design.
During the sport utility vehicle (SUV) boom that swept across the globe during the 2010s, Mazda introduced their CX-3 and CX-5 models, however there was a significant size difference between the two. The CX-30 is a crossover SUV designed to fill that gap in the line-up between the CX-3 and CX-5. While relatively compact, measuring 4,395 mm in length, 1,795 mm in width and 1,540 mm in height, the CX-30 still exhibits Mazda’s flowing, streamlined ‘KODO Design’ aesthetics in its exterior. On the front mask, the signature wing stretches out to the sides, joining the left and right headlights together, while the ripple across the side of the body exquisitely reflects the light as it moves across.
The car is provided with a choice of 3 powertrains: The 2L gasoline direct injection ‘SKYACTIV-G’, the 1.8L direct injection diesel ‘SKYACTIV-D’ or the ‘SKYACTIV-X’ a 2L gasoline direct injection engine which uses a revolutionary spark-controlled compression ignition (SPCCI) system. The ‘CX-30 X Smart Edition’ grade seen here was introduced in 2021, based on the ‘SKYACTIV-X’ model. One of the major selling points of this model are its wealth of driver assistance equipment included as standard, like the Active Driving Display which projects information onto the windscreen, and the Smart Brake Support automatic emergency braking system. The introduction of this model grade also saw improvements to the SKYACTIV-X system itself, with automatic models receiving increased throttle pedal resistance to improve driving feel.
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Renault Kangoo 1.4 ‘01
(Can be purchased from Brand Central / Used Cars)
A popular leisure activity vehicle that started life as a commercial van.
In France, there has been a long-running trend of ‘fourgonnette’ style vehicles, small commercial vans, with a number of bestsellers emerging over the years. One such car which stemmed from this trend was the Renault Kangoo, originally debuting in 1997. When developing the Kangoo, alongside optimizing its performance as a commercial vehicle, Renault also added some features that would give it some potential to be an MPV for personal leisure as well. This model included sliding doors for the rear passenger seats and separate rear seats that could be individually adjusted. This strategy proved to be a success and the Kangoo became the forerunner of the ‘ludospace’ leisure activity vehicle segment. The roughly 4 m long body provided abundant cargo space, making it the go-to model for outdoors activities. The Kangoo was available with a variety of different power units to fit its purpose, but the model featured here uses the 1.4L gasoline engine. At only 73 BHP, it offers the bare minimum in power, but the ability to use all the power available is in the true spirit of French automobiles. And with its soft suspension, this makes for an unusually exhilarating driving experience.
Café / Extra Menus
The following Menu will be added to the Extra Menus section:
Extra Menu No. 45: Suzuki (Collector Level 35 and above)
World Circuits (Event)
The following new events have been added to ‘World Circuits’:
Sunday Cup: Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
European Clubman Cup 600: Deep Forest Raceway Reverse
Japanese FF Challenge 450: Tokyo Expressway – Central Counterclockwise
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Gran Turismo Sophy
The next-generation racing AI agent, Gran Turismo Sophy has evolved into “GT Sophy 2.1” and is now available in ‘Custom Race’ (PS5 version only)
‘GT Sophy’ can now be selected as the rival AI in Custom Race on all GT Sophy supported tracks and layouts in World Circuits.
Scapes
‘The Faroe Islands’ has been added as a featured curation in Scapes.
*Internet connection and Gran Turismo 7 game required for update.
PlayStation Store’s Spring Sale begins tomorrow, Wednesday March 26. For a limited time* you can enjoy deep discounts of up to 75% off across a wide selection of games and add-ons. That includes Elden Ring (40% off), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Cross-Gen Bundle (30% off), Baldur’s Gate 3 (20% off) and many more*.
What other games are included? Well, it’s a list so big we can’t fit everything in this PS Blog post, but we can give you an early preview of some of the titles which will feature below. When the promotion goes live tomorrow, head to PlayStation Store to discover the full lineup as well as your regional discount pricing.
Star Wars Battlefront II: Celebration Edition Upgrade
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Deluxe Edition
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws – Season Pass
Star Wars Outlaws – Ultimate Edition
Star Wars Outlaws – Ultimate Upgrade
Starship Troopers: Extermination
Stellar Blade
Stellaris: Console Edition
Stellaris: Starter Edition
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Summer Heat Collection 1
Summer Heat Collection 2
Summer Heat Collection 3
Super Furniture Pack
Survivors of the Void
Taxi Life – Supporter Pack
Taxi Life – VIP Vintage Convertible Car
Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator
Tekken 7
Tekken 7 – Definitive Edition
Terminator: Resistance Enhanced
Terraria
TESO: NEW PS5 Base Edition
The Crew Motorfest Cross-Gen Bundle “PS4 Title ID”
The Crew: Motorfest
The Crew: Motorfest Ultimate Edition Year 2
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Season 1 PS4 & PS5
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
The Kaito Files
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Digital Deluxe Edition (NA/EU)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak Ultimate Edition (NA/EU)
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition
The Quarry
The Sims 4 – Cats & Dogs Plus My First Pet Stuff Bundle
The Sims 4 – Discover University
The Sims 4 – Essential Bundle 2 (EP11, GP10, SP16)
The Sims 4 – Essential Bundle 3 (EP5, GP5, SP13)
The Sims 4 – Get Famous
The Sims 4 – Get Together
The Sims 4 – Realm of Magic
The Sims 4 – Spa Day
The Sims 4 – Vampires
The Sims™ 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack
The Walking Dead: Destinies
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
theHunter: Call of the Wild
theHunter: Call of the Wild™ – Emerald Coast Australia
theHunter: Call of the Wild™ – High Caliber Weapon Pack
theHunter: Call of the Wild™ – Labrador Retriever
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Chaotic Great Edition
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Season Pass
Titanfall 2: Standard Edition
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Standard Edition
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Ultimate Edition
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Year 2 Pass
Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™ 1 + 2
TopSpin 2K25 – Cross-Gen Edition
TopSpin 2K25 – Full Game
TopSpin 2K25 – Grand Slam Edition
Train Sim World® 5: Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5
Trepang2 – Deluxe Edition
Tropico 6 – Caribbean Skies
Tropico 6 – Caribbean Skies PS5
Tropico 6 – Festival
Tropico 6 – Festival PS5
Tropico 6 – Going Viral
Tropico 6 – Lobbyistico
Tropico 6 – Lobbyistico PS5
Tropico 6 – New Frontiers
Tropico 6 – Next Gen Edition
Tropico 6 – Return to Nature
Tropico 6 – Spitter
Tropico 6 – Spitter PS5
Tropico 6 – The Llama of Wall Street
Tropico 6 – Tropican Shores
Truck Simulator 25 – American Driver
Truck Simulator Cargo Driver 2024 – EURO
UFC 5 – Super Deluxe Bundle
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Undisputed – Full Game
Undisputed – The Problem Child (DLC #1)
Undisputed – WBC Pack (Digital Deluxe)
Unicorn Overlord Monarch Edition
Unravel Yarny Bundle
V Rising
V Rising Complete Edition
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Ultra Edition
Watch Dogs 2 – Deluxe Edition
Watch Dogs: Legion – Standard Edition PS4 & PS5
Watch Dogs: Legion – Ultimate Edition PS4 & PS5
Watch Dogs: Legion PS5
Way of the Hunter – Elite Edition
Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles Season Pass
Wolfenstein® II: The New Colossus™
WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship
Yakuza Complete Collection
*Sale refreshes at 23:59pm PT/GMT on April 9 and some deals will be replaced by new offers. Sale ends on April 23 at 23:59 PDT/GMT. Certain deals end before 23 April. Check PlayStation Store for details of individual deals.
It’s been nearly one month since the release of Monster Hunter Wilds on PlayStation 5! Thank you to all hunters around the world for your incredible support. Whether you’re a series veteran with many hunts under your belt, or started your hunting journey with Wilds, we hope you’ve been enjoying making your way through the game and putting in many hours of hunts in High Rank, long after the credits have rolled.
Today, we’re excited to share what’s next for Monster Hunter Wilds by taking the wraps off of the game’s first Free Title Update:
The graceful Leviathan Mizutsune makes its way to the Wilds
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Equal parts dazzling and dangerous, Mizutsune moves almost as if it’s dancing, and skillfully attacks foes with debilitating bubbles. Get your gear ready to take on this returning monster for the first time in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Mizutsune also comes with stylish new armor sets to forge for your hunter and Palico.
An eight-star Tempered Mizutsune will also appear.
To start the Mizutsune hunt, talk to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest Base Camp at Hunter Rank (HR)21 or above.
Arch-tempered Rey Dau appears in an Event Quest
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Currently, Tempered monsters present the highest threat in Monster Hunter Wilds. That all changes with Free Title Update 1, as an even more powerful Arch-tempered monster will arrive to test your skills. Take on Arch-tempered Rey Dau at HR 50 or above, when it arrives in an Event Quest on Tuesday, April 30.
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New Rey Dau γ (gamma) and Felyne Rey Dau γ (gamma) sets will be available to forge by hunting Arch-tempered Rey Dau.
Make sure to prepare your gear and polish up your skills until then, so you’re ready for this new challenge.
Take on Zoh Shia once more
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The fearsome Zoh Shia returns in High Rank with Free Title Update 1. Previously, hunters could only fight Zoh Shia one time during the story, but now the quest can be attempted repeatedly. After the update arrives on April 4, a new mission will appear for hunters that have reached HR 50 and above.
Complete it to take on the Zoh Shia quest by selecting in the Environment Overview. Zoh Shia can also seldomly appear and be made into a quest during the Wyvern’s Wakening in the Ruins of Wyveria.
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And of course, materials from Zoh Shia can be used to forge brand-new High Rank hunter and Palico equipment.
Gather around in a new locale: The Grand Hub
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Welcome to the Grand Hub, a new social space for hunters to interact with one another, communicate, and participate in fun activities unique to this new locale. The Grand Hub has long served as a place of worship for the people of Suja. At night, you might catch the Diva occasionally singing in offering, so be sure to listen in.
Hunters, let’s go bowling. Roll barrel bombs into targets in the new Barrel Bowling mini-game, available at the Grand Hub. Earn a score based on your rolls and win useful items and pendants for your hunts. Play using Barrel Bowling Vouchers, which can be obtained in multiple ways, such as login bonuses.
Felynes are ready to cook up some delicious meals for you in the Grand Hub. Also, you can hang out and communicate with other hunters around the table in the Grand Hub.
The Grand Hub is accessible at Hunter Rank 16 and above by talking to Tetsuzan in Suja, the Peaks of Accord.
Once unlocked, the Squad Information Counter will move from the Windward Plains Base Camp to the Grand Hub, allowing you to manage your squads from there.
Compete for the fastest completion times in the Arena
Arena Quests make a return in Monster Hunter Wilds. These are quests where up to two hunters aim to complete a quest as fast as possible using predetermined equipment. See how your hunt time stacks up against others around the world by checking the world rankings at the Expedition Record Board.
Challenge Quests and Free Challenge Quests
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Take on special limited-time Event Quests where you can earn pendants as rewards. All participants will receive pendants; however, you can earn special pendants based on your personal time and world ranking. Like Arena Quests, Challenge Quests require predetermined equipment and are limited to two hunters. Free Challenge Quests are new to Monster Hunter Wilds and have no restrictions on equipment and for up to four players. Both types of quests can be taken on alongside Support Hunters too.
Change Alma’s outfit
An option to change Alma’s outfit will be added to the camp’s Appearance Menu.
By completing certain side missions, you will also be able to change Alma’s glasses.
A free outfit for Alma will be available, so give it a try.
Downloadable content
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An outfit for Alma’s outfit and classic Monster Hunter series gestures will be available as free downloadable content at PlayStation Store after the release of Free Title Update 1.
Cosmetic DLC Pack 1 will also be available for download when Free Title Update 1 releases. This paid DLC will be available for owners of the Cosmetic DLC Pass, which is included in the Premium Deluxe Edition or can be purchased separately.
Seasonal event Festival of Accord: Blossomdance
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April 23 – May 7, take part in the Festival of Accord: Blossomdance in the Grand Hub. During seasonal events, the decor and food in the Grand Hub will change, and you can obtain limited equipment, gestures, and pop-up camp decorations.
That wraps up the major content additions for this first Free Title Update. In addition to what we’ve shared above, the update will include some fixes and adjustments. We’re also planning to release another update in May featuring a collaboration with another Capcom game and other additional features.
Free Title Update 2 will arrive this summer, so stay tuned for more details to come. In the meantime, enjoy this small tease of what awaits you. Happy Hunting!
There’s more to being a Hobbit than fleeing for your life and trying to survive increasingly hostile environments. This is why Wētā Workshop invites you to a taste of adventure that’s a little more… wholesome. I had a cozy chat with Stephen Lambert, Tales of the Shire: A Lord of The Rings Game creative director, to dig a bit deeper into why this particular Hobbit hole will feel like a home away from home when it launches on PS5 on July 29.
How would you describe the main pillars of gameplay in Tales of the Shire?
Stephen Lambert: So much of the game is about community. We’ve got four main areas that we focus on while living your idyllic life as a Hobbit: how you spend your time cooking, gardening, fishing, and doing peaceful activities.
The other aspect is exploring by water, so looking around the environment and discovering little secret moments and lovely little glades and areas to hang out within the world.
And then there are obviously the tales within the community. So getting to meet new people and help them along their journeys.
How important is relationship building in terms of progression?
It’s pretty important. Every thread of the story is going to help you not only expand what’s available to you as a player, but also broaden the depth of the characters and storylines. But you can explore the game at your own pace. So you can either dive deep into those stories or just live out your own little life along the side. It’s all about enhancing your feeling of peace and tranquillity.
Can you go into more detail about the game’s shared meals?
With meals being a central part of Hobbit life, it was really important to be central to our game. You’ve got to find a new recipe, grow ingredients or go to the market for them, or fish or forage for them. And then you’ve got to go through the process of cooking, and that’s not just a case of putting the ingredients together. It’s how much of something you add, how much you stir it, and how much seasoning you add that adds characteristics to the food.
You want to make sure your food is to your guests’ taste, because the closer you get to their peculiarities the more you’ll please them and build stronger relationships. And like in the real world, the act of actually having food together helps build community. So presenting the food and enjoying it with people is huge. One of our 3D artists who modeled a lot of the meals used to work as a chef so they’re all beautifully plated up.
Can you describe the decorating system and highlight what inspired the grid-less placement system?
The biggest thing about Hobbit holes is they’re not really square or rigid shapes. Everything’s kind of curved and a bit more organic, so the idea of having something that goes on a grid just didn’t fit. It just made sense to build something that allows for a huge amount of expression, to be able to tinker with things and put them in exactly how you want. You can put things on top of tables, and on top of or in bookshelves, and then move those things around together. It’s about freedom of expression, more than anything.
How have Tolkien’s works inspired some of the choices made in terms of gameplay?
We really wanted what we made to fit within Tolkien’s world, so we positioned it just after The Hobbit and before the events of The Lord of the Rings. Our artists spent a lot of time researching the families, events, and histories of what was written and weaving everything they could into that particular framework.
The other thing was creating sort of Hobbit-sized problems in a Hobbit-sized world. It’s fun trying to think of those small-town problems that cause conflict and drive their story forward.
What were the sort of challenges that you faced in creating a game in such a beloved IP?
It’s hugely intimidating, but it’s also quite exciting to take on a world like this. The beauty of the written word in books is where your imagination takes things. My imagination obviously took me in a different way with some things, and it’s lovely to be able to kind of explore different directions.
How do you want players to feel when they’re playing the game themselves, whether they’re fans, or not as familiar with The Lord of the Rings?
I very much wanted the storyline to carry itself. We didn’t want you to have to be a Tolkien fan to enjoy it, even though there are lots of references. This game was very much born out of the COVID period, a world that was so full of stress and anxiety. We wanted our game to be that place of peace and relaxation. Hence, The Shire meets a cozy game. We felt a strong idea centered around cooking and community felt the best match for that theme.
Is there anything in particular that you’d like players to pay attention to in the game?
[We spent] a lot of time putting in lots of little easter eggs, details, and researching the history of the world. So it’s very subtle, but one of the things we really focused on is worldbuilding. You might be given an asset to design or an artifact, and it’s not just about making it look interesting – it’s about who owned this? Where did it come from? How was it made? What was the world like when it was made? You start asking so many questions about what goes into making and creating a final object so that it feels grounded, and we wanted to apply that same methodology to what we did.
What was your favorite moment in developing the game itself?
The IP is such a huge part of my childhood because it inspired my love of goblins, dragons, and all those kinds of things. So that’s what’s brought me here. To get a chance to put my own spin on things and have a heavy influence on a new take on that world has been hugely satisfying.
It’s really important to us to make something that we felt Tolkien would be happy with. He’s been quoted as saying he wanted other hearts and minds to add to his world like a real mythology, and we wanted to be part of that.
