Lince Works' studio head David Leon announced on the PlayStation Blog that the third person stealth game Aragami arrives on PlayStation 4 Oct. 4. Leon released a new trailer showing off some of the powers and skills players can use as they take control of the shadows to battle the army of light in this fantasy stealth title.
Aragami is an undead assassin brought back from death by the princess Yamiko. She is a prisoner of Kaiho, the army of light, and Aragami must use his power to manipulate the shadows to defeat the army of light and free the princess. The game features online co-op and is stated to be between eight and ten hours long.
Leon details Aragami's shadow powers in the blog,
Using your shadow powers, you will be able to teleport between shadows, create shadow paths to avoid detection by enemies, create shadow decoys and weapons, and even summon shadow creatures that will strangle or decapitate your enemies.
The blog suggests the game was built around two playstyles, "Ghosts and Demons." It says players won't be punished for their playstyle. whether it be slow and silent or quick and dirty, but it doesn't explain how the game rewards either style of play.
Aragami will be available Oct. 4 on Steam and PlayStation 4.
Quick Take
In my research for this title, I found an emphasis on Aragmi bringing consequence back to stealth. In the blog post, Leon writes, "With Aragami, we really wanted to bring that feeling of stealth back into games. Over the last few years, we feel the genre has become a bit watered down. Being spotted by an enemy is no longer cause for an alarm — it doesn’t really matter anymore."
"Reflex Mode" in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain comes to mind specifically when mentioning how being spotted is no longer cause for alarm, but I don't believe stealth games are being watered down while the industry emboldens other genres. Open any options menu in any modern console shooter and you'll find aim assist locked in the on position. There are games that won't let you fully disable their aim assisting features. There are games that use aim assist during online "competitive" matches. Making things easier is a common trend in the gaming industry, and stealth isn't being hit harder than any other genre.
Is the stealth genre in trouble, or is the genre just harder and therefore slower to innovate despite the hardware advances of modern consoles? Let me know what you think in the comments.
