Microsoft’s long-in-development new game Perfect Dark resurfaced during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase today, providing a first look at gameplay from the next entry in the shooter series. In the footage, we see Agent Joanna Dark embarking on another dangerous mission in Cairo in the near future.
In a blog postXbox said people don’t need any prior knowledge of the Perfect Dark series to enjoy the reboot, but longtime fans may notice some callbacks.
The new Perfect Dark is a single-player game that features players using traversal mechanics such as parkour and gadgets to take down enemies. “It takes elements of first-person shooters, immersive simulation, and stealth action, but blends them into one seamless whole. The goal is to deliver the fantasy of a real-life secret agent — and allow players to use their various tools and abilities in the game,” Microsoft said.
In the game, the world is ravaged by an event called “The Cascade”, a term that refers to a series of environmental disasters that have rendered some parts of the world uninhabitable for human life.
“In the wake of the disaster, a hypercorporation known as Core Mantis steps in to create a solution known as the GEN Network, and deploys it across Cairo — restoring ecological balance and creating a newly walled city, isolated from the hostile environment outside. The city will become a hub for technological innovation,” Microsoft said.
However, all is not well, and these overzealous corporations that have risen to power do not actually have the best interests of humanity in mind.
According to Microsoft, hardware plays a major role in the new Perfect Dark game, which makes sense considering it’s a secret agent/spy game. In the trailer, we can see Joanna using a tool to analyze NPC voices and create fake conversations to fool security systems.
“Tools can be used to mislead and manipulate, but we also see that Joanna can use a tool to scan NPCs and learn details about them,” a line from the game description reads.
In terms of combat, the developers say they’re trying to create a “symphony” of mechanics that integrates traversal, melee combat, gunplay, environmental elements, and gadgets into a single system.
There’s no information yet on when the new Perfect Dark game will be released, but it will be released via Game Pass. A new Perfect Dark game is in development at Microsoft’s own studio, The Initiative, alongside co-developer Crystal Dynamics.
A report released in May 2024 said that the new Perfect Dark game was in “difficult condition”. The new trailer released at the Xbox Games Showcase makes it look like the game is more in development than some might think.
The Perfect Dark reboot was announced back in 2020, and appears to still be in an early stage of development. In 2021, Crystal Dynamics joined the initiative to assist in development.
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