PlayStation Store - Matrix: The Awakening and Twelve Minutes

PlayStation Store - Matrix

Matrix: The Awakening and Twelve Minutes are undoubtedly the flagship contents of the new PlayStation Store update: in the first case we are talking about a spectacular demo created to illustrate the capabilities of the Unreal Engine 5, in the second of a thriller adventure based on the concept time loop.

The week that is about to end has however also seen the arrival of other interesting titles: from the shooter Serious Sam 4 to the awaited expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, passing through products such as Heavenly Bodies and White Shadows, as well as the much talked about Challenger Edition of Godfall.

Matrix: The Awakening

Matrix: The Awakening, the spectacular chase sequence Launched by Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the course of The Game Awards 2021, Matrix: The Awakening (PS5, free) is an exclusively next-gen demo created by Epic Games to illustrate the sophisticated technologies of Unreal Engine 5. How? Virtually recreating the world of the Matrix and giving us the opportunity to experience it with an absolutely extraordinary visual rendering.

We tried Matrix: The Awakening and we were fascinated by it: after a presentation with the two protagonists of Matrix Resurrections (here the second trailer in Italian), the demo involves us in a frantic chase in which Trinity and a new female character try to sow the Agents, who nevertheless multiply driving various vehicles.

Completed that phase, heavily scripted and for this very reason truly spectacular, we then move on to a section where it is possible to freely explore the city of the Matrix, going around on foot or by car, or activating a virtual drone that can rise to any height and allow us to admire the boundless panorama, possibly modifying the lights and the presence of traffic and pedestrians.

Matrix: The Awakening is therefore a technological demonstration of great impact, which provides a taste of what will be the future of videogames and more. Precisely for this reason it pushes the PlayStation 5 hardware to the limit, struggling to maintain 30 fps, especially in the most hectic situations, and using gimmicks such as upscaling to reach a resolution in 4K.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes and its peculiar view from above After the exclusive timeline on Xbox, Twelve Minutes (PS5 and PS4</a>, € 24.99) also makes its debut on Sony consoles, bringing with it an undoubted load of charm and originality. It could not be otherwise, considering that the adventure created by Luis Antonio uses an unprecedented view from above and a narrative that recalls the thriller genre, using the expedient of time loops.

The history of game sees the protagonist return home while his wife is waiting for him with a surprise, but soon afterwards the police burst onto the scene, arresting the woman accusing her of having committed a heinous murder a few years earlier. At this point the first loop occurs: the character we control can go back in time by twelve minutes and try to change the course of events.

Twelve Minutes, the bedroom What we need to change exactly why the situation you change? The possible interactions are many and certainly add depth to the experience, while lacking consistency as we wrote in the Twelve Minutes review. In fact, the game turns into a sequence of trials and errors that at a certain point can create frustration and that does not leave you fully satisfied when you finally find the square.

Net of the inevitable consequences of an overly lacking structure of constraints, we speak in any case of an artistically indisputable product, with an engaging plot and excellent dubbing by world famous actors such as Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley.

Godfall : Challenger Edition

Godfall, a fighting sequence Available in December at no additional cost for PlayStation Plus subscribers, Godfall: Challenger Edition (PS5 and PS4, € 14.99) basically looks like the title's endgame developed by Counterplay Games, with three different modes (Lightbringer, Dream Stones and Tower of Ascended Trials) designed as extra content after completing the story.

At the command of a person Onage already adequately enhanced, we will therefore be able to try our hand at a series of challenges and obtain valuable rewards, alone or in co-op with two other players, refining our build by unlocking new and powerful items to add to the equipment. And if the experience captures us, of course, we can also purchase the basic campaign through a € 15 upgrade package. The Godfall review.

Serious Sam 4

Serious Sam 4, the protagonist on a motorcycle shoots an alien with the A rifle over a year after its release on PC and Google Stadia, Serious Sam 4 (PS5 and PS4, € 39.99) has also come as a surprise to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, to the delight of the many fans of the Croteam shooter series. The game, set before the events of the third chapter, puts us in Sam's shoes, once again grappling with an army of evil aliens to slaughter.

His mission will take him this time to visit Rome, Pompeii, Carcassonne and Tunguska, giving life in each of these scenarios to absolutely spectacular battles, also thanks to an enhanced graphic engine that manages to represent hundreds of enemies on the screen at the same time. We will have to eliminate them all, through frenetic and engaging action sequences perfectly in line with the soul of the franchise. The Serious Sam 4 review.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, the main characters of the expansion Square Enix's new, rich MMORPG expansion is finally arrived! Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (PS5 and PS4, € 44.99) adds another chapter to the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark, involving us in an adventure that will lead us to visit new environments and even push us to reach the moon.

The many players of Final Fantasy XIV will be able to experience the skills of two new classes, Sage and Reaper, take advantage of a level cap raised to 90, explore new locations such as Old Sharlayan and Radz-at-Han, control the new Viera race , face never-before-seen enemies and try your hand at extra raids and smaller PvP modes than the original ones. Our tried and tested Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.

The other games

Heavenly Bodies, one of the astronauts moves into the station The Space Adventure Heavenly Bodies (PS5 and PS4, 20.99 € with 15% discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers) catapulted us into the 70s, when astronauts took their first steps outside Earth's orbit and had to extricate themselves within cramped structures, such as the space station that we will have the task of repairing in the game, alone or together with a friend. The review of Heavenly Bodies.

White Shadows (PS5, € 19.99) stands instead as a two-dimensional platform very close to the atmosphere of the classic Limbo, set in a sort of dystopian future that is represented on the screen in rigorous gray scale and tells the story of Ravengirl, a raven girl who decides to embark on a risky journey to escape away from the violence and discrimination of the city. The White Shadows review.

Have you noticed any errors?