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    "The Broken Ghost" season quest

    in Apex Legends

    Posted

    Hi all. I'm Rayme Vinson, a designer here on Apex Legends, and today I get to tell you about something new we've been cooking up for Season 5...

     

    Fortune’s Favor

    Season 5 of Apex Legends is a big one! It’s a season about adventure, digging up the past, and change - and the translocating thief Loba is an agent of that change. It’s her misadventures under Kings Canyon that caused the destruction of Skull Town, her vendetta that brings her to the games now, and her relentless drive that will push all the Legends into a new endeavor: our first Season Quest.

    season-tab-season-5-patch-notes-body-4.jpg

    “The Broken Ghost”

    Season 5 introduces our first Quest to Apex Legends - a season-long search to find nine pieces of a mysterious artifact.

    • Collect daily Treasure Packs in competitive* matches of Apex Legends - max one per day - to unlock Rewards and new Hunts for the missing pieces.
    • Go on weekly Hunts into Kings Canyon at Night to retrieve pieces of the artifact. Brave the dangers solo or with your squad and make it back alive. While you can always join in on Hunts, you’ll only get the Rewards if you’ve unlocked the mission yourself.
    • Succeed in each hunt to earn more Rewards and unlock serial chapters that tell the Story of “The Broken Ghost”. What is this artifact, and why does everybody from the Apex Legends to Hammond Robotics want to get their hands on it?
    • Recover all nine pieces of the relic to unlock even more rewards, dive into the past, and uncover a secret that the Outlands might not be ready for.

    * Includes Duos, Trios, Limited-Time Modes and Ranked.

    apex-legends-screenshot-season5-quest-05-evacinside-clean.png

    Behind the Scenes

    January 2020 saw two big events come to the world of Apex Legends:

    • The in-game Grand Soirée Arcade Event.
    • The debut and shocking fall of Jimmy “The Forge” McCormick.

    These were received well by players and fun for us on the Apex Legends Team to make. The Soirée reward track gave us all an extra excuse to get into Apex Legends each night - offering new tweaks to gameplay and another series of unique rewards - while Forge’s grim fate was an opportunity to tell more story and get to better know the personalities and motivations of the Legends.

     

    That was the spark that got us talking about, sketching, and developing what you'll get to play now.

    With this Season Quest we’re excited to give you even more reason to look forward to jumping into Apex Legends each time - daily and weekly - by recognizing your achievements with an all new track of Rewards, Gameplay, and Story.

    apex-legends-screenshot-season5-quest-02-drill.png

    Daily Treasure Packs

    Treasure Packs are a new lootable item that you can find in competitive matches of Apex Legends. Unlike other loot, these don’t go into your backpack. Instead, they’re collected immediately on pickup and you’ll get their contents when you return to the Lobby after your match.

    The catch is that you can only collect one of these a day. If you come across another that day, ping it for your friends!

    There are 45 packs to collect this season, and each one can contain Crafting Metals, BattlePass XP, Apex Packs, or the ability to play a new weekly Hunt for the next piece of the artifact.

    apex-legends-screenshot-season5-quest-03-dropship-clean.png

    Weekly Hunts

     

    To actually find and recover each missing piece of the relic, you’ll need to get your hands dirty in one of nine weekly Hunts.

    These are quick and dangerous incursions into Kings Canyon at Night. You’ll get dropped off, make your way to a target location, recover the piece you’re looking for, and rush to catch your ride home.

     

    But it might not be so easy. Dangerous prowlers (those sweet puppies that you’ve already met in Bloodhound’s Trials) threaten to cut your trip short, and you’ll need to be on your toes and use any tricks in your Legend’s arsenal to survive. There might even be a few ways to turn the darkness back on itself, if you’re lucky.

    Party up and bring your Squad along for some covering fire & companionship, or go in Solo like the lone wolf you are. Solo players get a few automatic respawns if they’re knocked out, while squadmates can pick each other up when the going gets tough.

     

    Complete each Hunt to earn your next piece of the artifact, an exclusive Weapon Charm, and a new chapter in the ongoing story of "The Broken Ghost".

    You can replay any Hunt that you’ve unlocked all season long, so have fun stress-testing different Legends and tactics. Enjoy arguing over which Legend is clearly the best suited each week, because we sure do.

     

    The first Hunt will be available on May 19th and can be played as soon as you’ve collected your fifth Treasure Pack. Subsequent Hunts will be released one week at a time after that, until all nine are finally available for you to play.

    apex-legends-screenshot-season5-quest-01-wattsonprowlers.png

    A Brand New Story

     

    As you recover pieces each week and assemble the artifact, the story of “The Broken Ghost” unfolds in weekly serialized chapters. Our very own lore master Tom Casiello explains it best:

    Caught between the Apex Games and Hammond Robotics, Loba is spinning a web of lies and deceit in her personal quest for vengeance… but how far is she willing to go? How does the Broken Ghost fit into her plans for Revenant? And what happens when one Legend stumbles upon the truth? See a side of the Legends’ lives you’ve never seen before... outside of the Games! Alliances will be formed, friendships will be tested, vendettas will be born, and when the dust settles, nothing will be the same again in a mystery that has far-reaching consequences for them all.

     

    When the season kicks off on May 12 you can get started on the Story right away by heading into the new Quest tab and viewing the Prologue. Then, look forward to a new chapter every week as you recover and assemble each piece, finally earning your answer to the burning question of just wh-

    Well. Right. I guess that would be telling.

    apex-legends-screenshot-season5-loba-03-vsrev-clean.png

    Good Luck, Have Fun

     

    We love playing and making Apex Legends, and I have huge pride in the dev team’s transition into running a living, breathing, constantly-evolving AAA live game. It feels like putting on a show, because it is. Watching this group of developers pouring their endless energy, creativity, and collaboration into each new Season is a stupid amount of fun. I can’t wait for you to see what’s next.

    (Btw we’re always hiring okay just saying.)

     

    Thanks for playing, have all the fun, and let us know what you think of Season 5! We’ll see you soon.

     

    F.A.Q.

    Q: How many Treasure Packs can I get?
    A: There are 45 total Treasure Packs to get this season. Every fifth pack unlocks a new Hunt, letting you recover the next piece of the artifact.

    Q: How many Treasure Packs can I get each day?
    A: One! You can pick up at most one a day in any competitive match.

    Q: What if I fall behind?
    A: Treasure Packs can be purchased for 25-ac if you want to catch up*. But this is completely optional. 

    *Treasure Packs are not purchasable in Belgium.

    Q: Can I just buy all 45 Treasure Packs on day 1 of the season?
    A: No. You can only catch up to yesterday’s number of treasure packs at most. Today’s pack can always be found by playing a match.

    Q: How many players can join each Hunt?
    A: You can play all of the Hunts solo, or with your party. 1 to 3 players.

    Q: Can I replay Hunts that I’ve already completed and earned the rewards for?
    A: Yes, as much as you’d like during Season 5.

    Q: What if I wait too long to play this week’s Hunt?
    A: Once a Hunt is released, you have the entire rest of the Season to play it.

    Q: When I play in a Squad, do we all earn the rewards for the Hunt we complete?
    A: Everyone will earn the rewards for success in a Hunt if they’ve fully unlocked it. That is, if they’ve collected the Treasure Pack for it and have already completed any Hunts that came before.

    View the full article

    Season 5 Patch Notes

    in Apex Legends

    Posted

    The details make all the difference. Learn about all the changes, big and small, coming to Apex Legends in Season 5.

     

    Hey Legends,

    We’re as excited as you are about the upcoming launch of Season 5 – Fortune’s Favor. From new Legend Loba, to the extensive updates to Kings Canyon, to the new Season Quests, we wanted to give you a high-level overview of all the changes we’re bringing to the game when Season 5 launches. We’re also making plenty of smaller buffs, tweaks, and fixes too. 

    Be sure to check those out and give yourself an edge before you drop in to pursue your fortune on May 12!

     

    NEW LEGEND: LOBA

     

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    Stylish, sophisticated, and resourceful, Loba uses her Jump Drive bracelet to teleport where she pleases and takes what she wants.

     

    Tactical - Burglar’s Best Friend

    • Teleport to hard-to-reach places or escape trouble quickly by throwing your Jump Drive bracelet. 

    Ultimate - Black Market Boutique

    • Place a portable device that allows you to teleport nearby loot to your inventory. Each friendly or enemy Legend can take up to two items. 

    Passive - Eye for Quality

    • Nearby epic and Legendary loot can be seen through walls.
    • The range is the same as Black Market Boutique. 

    Learn more about Loba on her Lore page here.

     

    MAP UPDATE: KINGS CANYON

     

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    Skulltown and Thunderdome have fallen. A new POI, Salvage, has been added to the Broken Coast. Across the map, the Offshore Rig connects to the former Relay and Wetlands. Wetlands has been replaced by the excavation of the Capacitor, which has a new underground pathway to Singh Labs. Nesting Grounds has continued to regrow into the Reclaimed Forest, which features an expanded Singh Labs exterior and a small camp outside of The Cage. Check out our blog post here for more information on these changes!

     

    Kings Canyon will be the only map available for two weeks after the season launch, so players can have time to fully explore the changes and meta shift. After the two week honeymoon period, Map Rotation will start rotating World’s Edge Season 4 into the mix.

     

    CHARGE TOWERS

     

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    Charge Towers are new devices unearthed in the excavation of Kings Canyon. Activate them to grant a full Ultimate charge to any Legends standing on the platform when the charge blast goes out.

     

    SEASON QUEST: “THE BROKEN GHOST”

    Introduces Apex’s first Quest - a season-long search for 9 pieces of a mysterious relic. Find your first daily Treasure Pack in any competitive match to get started on your hunt, and enjoy free weekly drops of new Story, Gameplay, and Rewards along the way. Learn more about Quests in our blog post here.

     

    SEASON TAB

    All seasonal content has been moved into its own tab in the lobby. Here, you can find the Battle Pass, Quest, and Challenges tabs. Future events in this season will show up here as well.

     

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    BATTLE PASS S5

     

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    Fight your way to glory with the Season 5 Battle Pass. Complete Daily and Weekly challenges to unlock over 100 exclusive items including exclusive Legendary skins, gun charms, skydive emotes, Apex Packs, XP Boosts, load screens, and more.

     

    RANKED SERIES 4

    This new season starts a new Ranked Series! This season we are sticking to mostly the same format but have also introduced a key feature, Reconnect.
     

    RECONNECT

     

    Players that leave a match unexpectedly can now rejoin their match in progress. "Unexpected" means exiting the match through any means other than the system menu, including crashing, using alt+f4 on PC, or "dashboarding" to close the game on console. To reconnect, simply restart the game and enter the lobby. The game will automatically attempt to reconnect you if the match is still valid, your squad is still alive, and your chance to reconnect hasn't timed out. Reconnect will be available for all competitive modes. 

     

    Disconnected players' characters remain in the state they were in while the player was connected. To their teammates, it will look a bit like the disconnected player has gone afk (with an icon next to their name to indicate disconnection). This means when the player reconnects, they can immediately continue where they left off. Unless, that is, they were killed beforehand. Player characters can be knocked out and eliminated while the player is disconnected. Disconnected players whose characters have died can be respawned normally, by taking their banner to a respawn beacon, before or after the player has reconnected.

     

    If a player doesn't reconnect in time,  the disconnected player's character is removed as normal, and the game will treat their disconnect as an abandonment. There is a limited time window in which a player can reconnect and failing to do so in Ranked will result in a loss penalty. Loss forgiveness does not activate until a player is fully removed from the game, so don't drop from a ranked match when your squadmates have a chance to reconnect!

     

    To read more on Series 4 Ranked, Read the blog here.

     

    CONDITIONAL LEGEND CHATTER

    Under certain pairings, Legends will speak to each other differently when prompted with normal dialogue cues. How does Loba thank Revenant for a revive? She sure doesn’t say “Thank you.”

    There are many pairings if you are interested in hearing what everyone has to say. Experiment!

     

    LEGEND UPDATES

     

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    Mirage 

    Now it’s a party! Your favorite trickster has learned a few new tricks to bamboozle his enemies in this new rework for Season 5.

    Designer Note: The hope for this rework is that it gives more depth to Mirage gameplay by giving Mirage players avenues to get better at Bamboozling people.

     

    • Tactical: Psyche Out
      • Pressing the character utility action button allows Mirage to gain control of his decoy.
      • When controlling the decoy, it will mimic Mirage’s every move.
      • Decoys now last for 60 seconds.
      • Releasing another decoy will remove the previous decoy.
    • Ultimate: Life of the Party
      • Mirage deploys a team of decoys that mimic his every move (think “Emergency Dance Party" from DUMMIEs Big Day).
      • Cooldown 60 seconds.
    • Passive: Now You See Me…
      • In addition to cloaking when downed, Mirage also cloaks while using a respawn beacon and reviving a teammate (the teammate is also cloaked).
    • Mirage’s “You got Bamboozled” line will now trigger when you bamboozle an enemy, instead of when you release a decoy.

    Bloodhound

    • Tactical: Eye of the Allfather
      • Increased Sonar Detection from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
      • Decreased Cooldown from 35 seconds to 25 seconds.

    Crypto

    • Tactical: Drone
      • Crypto can now ping banners, while in drone, to warn teammates of nearby squads.

    Lifeline

    • Increased Lifeline bin ratio to 20%
    • Removed Knockdown Shields from Secret Compartment loot pool

    Caustic

    Designer note: this is something that is a bit of an experiment.  We will be keeping an eye out to make sure this change doesn’t cause any degenerate player behavior.

    • Friendly gas no longer slows teammates.
    • Caustic traps are no longer triggered from the other side of a door.

    Octane

    Designer note: This is a first step in pushing more team utility for Octane. We have more updates planned but they didn’t make the cutoff for this patch.

    • Launch Pad cooldown is reduced from 90 seconds to now 60 seconds.

    Gibraltar

    Designer note: Internal data shows that Gibraltar’s performance in individual fights is in a good place, but we want to bring down his power a bit in team fights.

    • Reduced Dome Shield duration from 18s to 12s.

    Pathfinder

    Designer note: Given the power of quick repositioning in Apex, being able to use Pathfinder’s Grappling Hook multiple times in a fight is both too powerful and muddies combat legibility.

    • The cooldown for Grappling Hook has been increased from 15 seconds to 35 seconds.

     

    WEAPON AND LOOT UPDATES

     

    Season 5 Fully-kitted Gold Weapons

    • Longbow DMR
    • Hemlok
    • Spitfire
    • EVA-8
    • RE-45

    Mastiff

    • The Mastiff is being rotated out of the care package to a regular weapon with its power reduced accordingly. 
    • Reduced damage per pellet from 18 to 13. 
    • Reduced headshot multiplier from 2.0 to 1.25. 
    • Increased blast pattern distances for the outer pairs of pellets. 
    • Increased blast pattern scale ADS multiplier from 0.5 to 0.55. 
    • Reduced fire rate from 1.3 to 1.0. 
    • Reduced projectile size to be more in line with other regular shotguns.
    • Increased shell count from 4 to 6.
    • Increased projectile speed to standard shotgun speed.

    Peacekeeper

    • Peacekeeper is being rotated out of a regular weapon and into the care package weapon with its power being increased accordingly.
    • Tightened pellet spread pattern.
    • Reduced rechamber time from 1.2 to 0.9.
    • Reduced reload times from 2.65 to 2.45 base and 3.6 to 3.35 empty.
    • Increased projectile size to improve consistency at close range.

    Alternator

    • Increased Mag size from 16 to 19. Level 1 Extended mag is now 22, Level 2 is now 25, and Level 3 is now 27. 

    RE-45 

    • Increased damage from 11 to 12.
    • Reduced reload time from 1.74 to 1.5 base and 2.12 to 1.95 empty

    Havoc

    • Vertical recoil increased.
    • Horizontal recoil slightly increased.
    • Recoil on the first 2 shots increased.

    Longbow DMR

    • Headshot scale reduced from 2.15 to 2.1.

    Wingman

    • Headshot scale reduced from 2.1 to 2.0. 

    Hop Ups

    • Adding Skullpiercer Hopup for DMR and Wingman.
      DMR w/ Skullpiercer - Headshot scale 2.1 -> 2.5
      Wingman w/ Skullpiercer - Headshot scale 2.0 -> 2.25
    • Vaulted Anvil Receiver.

    Gold Armor

    • Added Perk: Shield Cells & Syringes give double the amount per use.
    • Removed Perk: Removed 50% heal speed.

    BUG FIXES

     

    • Fixed various conditions causing prediction errors.
    • Fixed looting in pillboxes being difficult around weapons.
    • Fixed aiming speed during zooming lerp to be consistent with hipfire and ADS speed.
    • Fixed disabling Melee Target Compensation.
    • Fixed Legend banners having a black box when having AA disabled.
    • Fixed a condition where the third character model would be missing on screens with three Legend banners.
    • Fixed sometimes erroneously pinging enemies while skydiving or in the plane.
    • Fixed exploitable spots against Prowlers in Bloodhound Trial.
    • Fixed Prowlers not attacking Gibraltar's Dome Shield.
    • Fixed deathboxes sometimes not moving on the train. 
    • Fixed subtitles in Russian showing up as English in the Bloodhound Trial area. 
    • Fixed Havoc VFX while on the train. 
    • Fixed depth of field when selecting charms in the loadout menu. 
    • Fixed lighting on Legends sometimes being dark throughout the menus.
    • Fixed tooltips not appearing correctly when highlighting items in the menus. 
    • Fixed the Charge Rifle beam shooting from the scope while using the Hard coded skin. 
    • Fixed melee not doing any damage when interrupting the Sentinel charge animation.
    • Fixed Wingman having higher than normal hipfire accuracy while crouched. 
    • Fixed Golden Barrel attachment having more muzzle flash than intended.
    • Stability fixes to reduce crashing and script errors.
    • Crypto’s EMP now affects D.U.M.M.I.E. in the Firing Range.
    • Fixed Revenant’s Death Totem being visible through smoke or gas. 
    • Fixed a few Pathfinder banner poses that caused corrupted art. 
    • Adjusted Octane’s Jump pad to make it harder to fall through cracks when deploying. 
    • Fixed Caustic's Ultimate not deploying when thrown under small surfaces. 
    • Fixed Bangalore’s smoke canisters getting stuck under the Train.

    QOL

    • We’ve overhauled the Deathbox UI to compartmentalize loot better so you can find what you need faster.
    • Crypto can now ping banners while in drone to warn teammates of nearby squads.
    • Added voice over for pinging enemies who are reviving.
    • Favorite option now available for Weapon Skins.
    • Observer Highlights for Tournament Matches. 
    • Removed location based Weekly Challenges. These caused players to have mixed motivations from their squadmates, and didn’t work well with map rotation.
    • Optimized CPU usage.
    • Improved texture streaming quality on GPUs reporting less memory than advertised.
    • We're excited to announce that at the start of Season 5 we will be adding Apex servers to the Middle East as we look to further support our fans in the region. 

    We hope you enjoy Season 5 as much we enjoyed creating it! Also be sure to follow our social channels @playapex on Twitter, Instagram, and facebook for the latest updates on the game. If you run into issues, report them here and see what community issues we are tracking with our devtracker. Be safe and happy gaming!

    View the full article

    Season 5 map updates

    in Apex Legends

    Posted

    Say goodbye to Skull Town and Thunderdome and hello to Offshore Rig, plus dozens of other changes large and small.

     

    Hey all! I’m Davis Standley, one of the level designers on Apex Legends. Kings Canyon is undergoing some pretty big changes for Season 5 - Fortune’s Favor, and I wanted to break down some of the decisions that shaped the map update into what it is.

     

    Kings Canyon is a map with lots of history, and we wanted to make a bold change to how it would play in Season 5. In the end, we made way more than one. In Season 5, Kings Canyon is a new beast, forever changed by the actions of Loba and the Syndicate.

     

    SKULL TOWN HAS FALLEN

     

    Our primary goal for Season 5 was to change the map flow. We wanted to create something to be mastered within a map that players knew very well. We’re trying to accomplish this in two ways. The first was sinking Skull Town and Thunderdome. It’s a big change, but we hope that by removing them, other parts of the map will shine. The Broken Coast now stretches from Octane’s Gauntlet all the way to the cliffs leading into Water Treatment.

     

    A new point of interest named Salvage has been added to the Broken Coast. It’s a small industrial rig that sits across from Market, holding the old Leviathan skull above the water. A protected arena with high-tier loot, Salvage is well connected to the surrounding area. There’s also a new two-way zipline balloon, which offers powerful relocation opportunities from Salvage to Gauntlet, giving you the option to traverse the enormous bay.

     

    Off to the side, along the Broken Coast, a remnant of the underground network Loba snuck through looks out over the bay. Forgotten for decades, this station is one of the many secrets hidden under the bloodsoaked topsoil of Kings Canyon...

     

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    THE RIG, CAPACITOR’S EXCAVATION

     

    Our second change was to rework the upper east corner of the map. Internally we felt this side of the map often didn’t get nearly as much attention as the desert. We took this chance to add more land mass to the upper corner and expand the playable space. Our goal was to bring more balance to how players flow through the map. From a bird’s eye view, by adding this new space, we’re trying to push the “center” of the map northeastward.

     

    The Offshore Rig is a massive new zone attached to the former Relay and Wetlands areas.  It connects to the now-broken Relay, Capacitor, and Swamps. While you may have a longer journey to the circle, you’ll be much better outfitted than a squad who chose a low or mid-tier central map drop zone. Aim for the hanging platform on the north end of the Rig for your chance at the high-tier loot waiting there!

     

    Capacitor is a major hub just inland of the Offshore Rig. While it sits at a lower elevation, Capacitor offers plenty of loot and a ton of rotation opportunities. It adds direct paths from Rig to the central river, a new route into Singh Labs, and a path from the old Relay straight across to the new Reclaimed forest.

     

    s5map3.png

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    We also added a few new camps surrounding the Capacitor excavation site. These camps are a valuable place to catch your breath and re-stock before heading into high traffic areas. During playtesting, we realized that broad open spaces devoid of loot often encourage players to take the straightest path to the map center. Our goal with these is to create more viable routes through the new space. More rotation options means more choice, which we hope encourages deeper map strategy.

     

    s5map5.png

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    Transformed by the excavation, the Shattered Forest from the original Kings Canyon continues to regrow. New roads give Reclaimed Forest much more definition and verticality. We’ve also expanded the exterior of Singh labs to be a viable landing spot on its own. While the changes to Reclaimed Forest are more subtle, our goal is to add more defined routes in order to shape a more understandable flow through the zone.

     

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    CHARGE TOWERS

     

    First discovered during early exploration of the Capacitor, Charge Towers have been repurposed by the Syndicate for the Apex Games.

     

    Charge Towers are a new addition to the Apex Legends sandbox. By interacting with the control panel, you can trigger a blast that restores the ultimate of every player on the Charge Tower platform. This is a powerful tool. Our hope is that they provide new focus points for players, and enable squads to pull off strategies that they couldn’t have attempted before.

    Look for the glowing yellow towers spread out over Kings Canyon, and make sure you’re there when the charge goes out!

     

    s5map9.png

     

    THERE’S A LOT BURIED HERE

     

    Aside from the big flashy changes, there have been a number of small updates to the map, as well as countless fixes. Some of these things will be easy to spot as you play. Others will take a little more digging, but that’s half the fun if you ask me. I’m looking forward to seeing you all out there on the ground.

     

    Davis Standley

    Level Designer, Apex Legends

    View the full article

    Deliver Us The Moon Review – Love And Loss In Space

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

    deliver-us-the-moon-screenshot-05-ps4-us

    Publisher: Wired Productions
    Developer: KeokeN Interactive
    Rating: Teen
    Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
    Also on: Xbox One, Switch, PC

    When we look to the moon, we see nothing but a glowing rock that lights up the night sky. But what if it were humanity’s last hope for survival? This is the basic premise in Deliver Us the Moon, a nicely penned story of isolation and loss that puts you in the role of an astronaut who travels to the moon to save the planet. While leaning heavily on walking simulator conventions like story progression coming from talking holograms and written documents, developer KeokeN Interactive doesn’t shy away putting you in exciting, do-or-die scenarios when things don’t go as planned.

    Deliver Us the Moon’s writing is the driving force, but this sci-fi journey is also strong in its pacing and variety, which help build momentum, create tension, and make it seem like every second matters even though you mostly play at your own pace.

    Click image thumbnails to view larger version

    deliver-us-the-moon-screenshot-03-ps4-us-10july2019.jpg deliver-us-the-moon-screenshot-06-ps4-us-10july2019.jpg deliver-us-the-moon-screenshot-01-ps4-us-10july2019.jpg

     

                                                                                                                

    The game tells the grim tale of Earth running out of natural resources, forcing humanity to the stars to find other solutions. As luck would have it, we don’t have to travel far, as the moon is rich in a powerful isotope called Helium-3 that could solve the energy crisis. The nations of the world unite and develop a revolutionary way of transmitting Helium-3 to Earth. Just when it seems we have a new beginning, the moon falls silent and the transmission ends. We have just enough energy to send a one-man rocket to the moon to figure out what went wrong, and hopefully bring the Helium-3 feed online again.

    Your first steps aren’t made on the moon, and instead unfold on Earth’s surface, which looks eerily alien given the yellow sky and dust-filled air. Your mission is to power up the rocket and launch. This is an awesome moment since you manually need to bring the rocket’s systems online from within the cockpit. You are tasked to quickly throw the switches in the right order, a moment KeokeN cleverly achieves by highlighting your next interaction in a pink hue – making you look like a well versed astronaut. You then get to experience the rocket launch from a first-person perspective, which beautifully illustrates the transition from Earth’s atmosphere to space.

    deliver-us-the-moon-screenshot-04-ps4-us-10july2019.jpg

    When you reach the lunar establishment, which is in ruin and not occupied by any life, exploration unfolds from both third- and first-person angles, often determined by the type of actions you must complete. Third-person view is used primarily for on-foot sections, which can be as tame as exploring living quarters for clues or as thrilling as darting dangerously past spinning blades in low gravity. These moments are backed by well-designed controls and sometimes stunning set pieces, like a tall tower crumbling with you on it. There isn’t any combat, but if you don’t move quick enough in certain areas, you’re going to fail and have to retry.

    The first-person camera is used sparingly, but is effective for intense, intimate moments, zero-gravity flight, and controlling a floating droid tied to some of the game’s best puzzles. I was a little annoyed that almost every door you need to access requires a puzzle or keycode, and some of your actions feel repetitive and lose their electricity after doing the same thing two or three times. For instance, taking a lunar rover onto the surface is enthralling the first time, but feels like a chore the next time out.

    Click here to watch embedded media

    Most of your effort is spent exploring and following the narrative threads of the people that once occupied this station. You see many of them as featureless holograms and get to know a few of them somewhat intimately. What you learn is that the heart can sometimes cloud one’s perspective. You see just how big of a problem that can be, but also how touching it can be. At the end of the journey, I found myself thinking about what I would do if I were in these characters’ shoes in these moments.

    Deliver Us the Moon is an excellently made game that succeeds in story and atmosphere. The lunar settlement is a fascinating place to explore, and even though it’s just filled with holographic ghosts, you get a sense of how it was once thriving and what exactly went wrong. The experience starts out strong and ends strong; some of the middle ground is a bit repetitive, but the narrative is engaging throughout and makes the journey worth taking.

    deliverusthemoon.jpg

    Score: 8

    Summary: You are humanity's last hope in this thrilling exploration of an abandoned moon base.

    Concept: Learn what went wrong on the moon in this narrative-driven thriller

    Graphics: Whether viewed from first or third person, the moon base tells its own story through its architecture. The holographic humans also convey emotion and are a big part of why the narrative works

    Sound: Even though you are alone, audio logs are used frequently bring life to oxygen-free areas

    Playability: Puzzle steps are sometimes repeated, but the journey has a nice flow, and the actions are all handled well

    Entertainment: The narrative captures your attention in the opening seconds and keeps you engrossed until the credits roll

    Replay: Moderate

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