FromSoftware’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twicestands out among other SoulsBorne titles because of its combat. InSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the constant clashing of steel between two katanas results in an exhilarating experience that remains unmatched. Other AAA titles likeGhost of TsushimaandStar Wars: Jedi Fallen Orderhave successfully put their own spin on Sekiro’s utterly satisfying deflection and posture system, and SHIFT UP’s upcoming action titleProject Evelooks to achieve the same.
It’s easy to confuseProject Evewith a PlatinumGames project with its visuals, environments, story, and soundtrack. While those comparisons are justified, SHIFT UP takes a different approach withProject Eve’s gameplay.Project Eveditches the usual hack and slash gameplay philosophy ofPlatinumGames' titlesand delves more into the meticulous combat structure ofSekiro. So far, ProjectEve’sSekiroinspirations seem at point, which makes it all the more complimentary for the latter’s fans.
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Project Eve is Set to Fill the Void of Sekiro’s Sequel
FromSoftware currently has its hands full with its upcoming action RPGElden Ring. While initially quoted as a “natural evolution ofDark Souls,“Elden Ringseems to be carrying the DNA ofBloodborneandSekiroas well, withSekiro’s stealth mechanics seemingly playing a huge role in the combat. Naturally, this diminishes the possibility of FromSoftware ever makingBloodborneorSekirosequels. Thankfully, whileThymesiais all set to fill in the void ofBloodborne 2,Project Evetakes on the responsibility of filling in forSekiro 2.
Project Evefeatures a similar posture system fromSekiro, where every enemy has a posture meter that needs depleting before their health goes down. By the looks of it, smaller enemies may go down easily by simply raining down attacks, but larger foes, especially bosses, need to be tackled more diligently with perfectly timed deflections.
Project Eveencourages deflection by rewarding players with Beta Gauge, a form of currency that unlocks various game-changing skills. Some of the skills that are confirmed so far allow players to pierce super armor, execute sweeping attacks, and interrupt enemy combos. Similar toSekiro, dodging will play a huge role inProject Eve, even more so because an appropriately timed dodge also grants players with Beta Gauge. Furthermore, deflecting and dodging will allow players to accumulate Burst Gauge, which would allow them to inflict more powerful special attacks like the leaping stab shown in thePlayStation Showcasegameplay trailer.
Mobility played a huge role inSekiro, with the grappling hook allowing for more verticality than pastFromSoftware games. Thankfully,Project Evetakes a similar approach with traversal by allowing players to scale towering infrastructures by scaling walls, swinging ropes, and hovering. There is even an instant in the latest trailer where Eve is sliding down a narrow tunnel while being pursued by a giant parasitic-like creature. The game also encourages exploration by hiding treasures across the map, though it would be interesting to see whether these treasures are new weapons, stats altering buffs, or just collectibles.
Project Eveshakes things up and hopefully makes things more interesting by introducing new weapons. The trailers revealed so far only showcase Eve’s electrified sword of some kind though SHIFT UP’s director Kim Hyung Tae has confirmed that the game will feature more weapons. Depending upon the nature of these weapons, the feel of deflection and parrying can vary, and it would be interesting to see how unique each one of them actually feels to use.
While fans have to wait to experience the slicing, dodging, and parrying inProject Eve, the addition of DualSense support significantly increases expectations. Some PS5 games likeDeathlooptake full advantage of PS5’s DualSense controller, andProject Eveseems to be going that route as well.Project Evewill take advantage of DualSense’s haptic feedback and allow players to feel the tingling sensation of slicing an enemy’s flesh. If the trailers are any indication, the deflection should feel impactful as well.Project Eve’s DualSense capabilities should exciteSekirofans even more since the 2019 game does not support any DualSense functionalities.
It’s too early to predict whetherProject Eve’s more methodical approach to gameplay will turn out as good as many are hoping it to be, but for now, it seems to be headed in a direction that should attract plenty ofSouls-likefans - especiallySekiro’s. With noSekiro 2on the horizon,Project Eveshould be on everyone’s radar.
Project Eveis currently in development.
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