We Now Know How Godfall Will Use The DualSense
The release of the PlayStation 5 is mere months away. While we don't have a release date set in stone yet, all signs point to the system keeping its original release window of Holiday 2020. Along with the release of the PlayStation 5 will be an impressive roster of new titles, including Godfall from Counterplay Games and Gearbox Software.
Anticipation for Godfall has been building ever since that first tantalizing gameplay leak from way back in January. We finally got to see a decent look at Godfall's gameplay during Sony's big Future of Gaming livestream event last month, but there are still some questions regarding how the game will handle. Obviously, it's hard to determine this kind of thing before we've been able to play the game for ourselves, However, a recent interview with Gamespot may give us a pretty good idea of what to expect when Godfall finally makes its debut on the PS5.
According to game director Keith Lee, Godfall and the PS5's DualSense controller sound like they're a match made in gaming heaven. Lee explains that the DualSense "has stereo vibration in terms of the rumblers, as well as resistance on the triggers, so one of the things that you can do is to create, for the first time, a sensation of your weapon hitting another weapon and how it resonates."
In other words, the DualSense controller is able to simulate the feel of true melee combat closer than ever before. The controller makes micro-adjustments based on player feedback and the output of the game to make for a varied and exciting experience.
Lee continued, "if you're sliding across the ground, depending on the surface of the material — you might slide on gravel or sand or water — the way the vibrations work really feel like the way that those surfaces would feel."
In one of the most exciting advancements being made with the PlayStation 5, the DualSense controller utilizes haptic feedback to create a more immersive experience for the user. More than ever, players will be able to feel different sensations based upon what is happening in the game. If Sony's patent for extra button attachments for the DualSense comes to fruition, it will also be interesting to see how the controller responds to even more inputs.
Godfall was notably the very first game to be announced for the PlayStation 5, so any news about it seems extra exciting. The game has been described as a "looter-slasher," keeping a heavier emphasis on melee combat than other games of its type. Players will have to master different character classes and combat styles in their quest to save the world. While players can use ranged attacks, they are limited by various cool down times, which means that up close and personal fighting is mostly how players will get things done. With such a wide variety in playing styles available in Godfall, it should be very interesting to feel the difference in how the DualSense responds to various inputs from both the game and the player.
According to a PlayStation Lifestyle interview from last year, Godfall is poised to take full advantage of the advances made possible through the PlayStation 5 and the DualSense controller. At the time, Keith Lee told PlayStation Lifestyle, "The exceptionally powerful SSD on the PlayStation 5 offers a new level of detail for each individual object as well as seamless loading ... the new controller's "adaptive triggers" and haptic feedback will make moment-to-moment combat feel exhilarating and visceral."
Video game controllers using rumbling sensations to simulate impacts or other kinetic moments is nothing new. However, the advancements being made in haptic feedback and the like have brought these features light years ahead of where they started. In early versions of this concept, like the Nintendo 64's Rumble Pak, there wasn't much differentiation in the types of rumbles felt during gameplay, if any.
Basically, Godfall is shaping up to be the ideal launch title for the PlayStation 5 and its ambitious new controller design. While Godfall will also be available for PC, it seems as though the game may benefit from being designed with the PlayStation 5 and the DualSense in mind. One of the big focuses leading into the next console generation has been immersing players further than ever before, and Godfall appears to be putting that front and center with its responsive combat.
We'll find out for sure when Godfall releases this holiday season. In the meantime, feel the hype and check out that gameplay trailer again.