Hi, I’m Tomas Sala, the sole creator and developer of The Falconeer, a third-person air combat game, coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 5.
As an individual/solo creator, what truly excites me is that the power of the PS5 has removed so many of the constraints that would have made a game like The Falconeer impossible only a few years ago. I’m here today to give you a little insight into that, along with the ways in which the PS5’s features and DualSense wireless controller have given me the freedom to create a deeply immersive and unique game world.
So, firstly, what exactly is The Falconeer?
Imagine riding atop a giant bird of prey, flying amongst the clouds, gracefully drifting and climbing as a golden sun rises on the horizon. Now, imagine the opposite of that, a dream of a dark ocean, of bottomless depths that won’t let you go anywhere but down to their dark reaches.
This core contrast is at the heart of The Falconeer, and at the heart of the world I’ve crafted for this game, a dark and harsh ocean world. It’s a place of haunting beauty, from which you, an airborne Falconeer warrior, soar above. Yet nowhere is safe in a world where the rich ride airships, the powerful tame dragons, and even the lowly sailing captains arm their ships to the teeth against the monsters from the deep, as well as against those from the sky.
It is a sheer thrill to explore the vast open world of The Falconeer on PlayStation and the advanced haptic feedback of the DualSense controller give the intuitive aerial dogfighting mechanics an incredibly tactile and fluid feel. I also made use of the adaptive triggers to mimic the feel of the recoil and force feedback of weapons. One thing that can perhaps be overlooked is the impact the DualSense controller speaker can have. This gives strong audio cues that when combined with the haptics and triggers, offer even greater immersion and ‘feel’ to gameplay. In The Falconeer, I used the speaker specifically for NPC radio voices.
The Falconeer is a very personal game to me, and it is one that explores themes of escapism and freedom but also at its core it is a homage to the classic air combat and dogfighting fighting games I played growing up. If you play the Falconeer you will recognise that it is not a typical shooter, even though you are riding a mythical giant warbird, the gameplay will still require you to build up your classic dogfighting skills, getting behind an enemy, deflecting gunfire, but now riding a giant bird that can perform acrobatics unlike any airplane could ever attempt.
New cars, new tracks, new ways to play, and much more arrive next week, and they’re all boosted on PlayStation 5 by some dedicated changes that change the feel and sound of every epic racing moment. We’ll take a closer look soon at the exclusive advancements for PS5 players, but first, let us give you a guided tour of this huge update…
Dirt 5’s biggest ever update
Dirt 5’s Career experience and roster of cars gets even bigger, with the Super Size Content Pack – available July 20 to Amplified/Year One Edition players, and available for purchase at the same time at PS Store for others.
The pack includes our largest single expansion to Career, with 27 new events, and four additional extra-large cars to tear up the tracks with: the Bentley Continental GT Ice Racer, Armada Rock Racer, Rezvani Tank, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Baja Concept. Fresh liveries for each of the cars, two extra selectable sponsors, and customisation items are all included, too.
Everything else coming to Dirt 5 on July 20 is free and available to all players, so strap in. The Parts Unknown Playgrounds Pack adds more objects to use in our custom arena creator mode, all themed around space and sci-fi influences. Also in Playgrounds, we’re adding unique Weekly Challenges and Creator Rewards, to offer more competition and incentive to use all aspects of the mode.
Elsewhere, more iconic liveries are available for five different cars, another five Trophies have been added, and finally there’s the small matter of two brand new circuits! The first additions to our track list since launch, check out San Conrado and Rio Seafront, both winding through the beaches and jungle of Brazil.
DualSense controller haptics and adaptive triggers
Along with all of that, players on PS5 will feel more connected to Dirt 5 than ever before with this update, as we implement full haptics and adaptive trigger support for the DualSense controller. These enhancements allow Dirt 5 to give you more feedback throughout every event. Notice