Highlights
The new Perfect Dark game has impressed fans with high-tech gameplay and spy elements, with the title resembling the Deus Ex series in certain ways.
Considering that the game has reportedly experienced a troubled development history, it is reassuring that its gameplay looks so promising.
Still, with Perfect Dark reportedly struggling to get on track in the past few years, and currently lacking a release date, fans of the franchise should keep their expectations in check.
The recent Xbox Games Showcase was host to plenty of exciting trailers and surprising gameplay reveals, but one of the most unexpected parts of the show was the first footage of the new Perfect Dark. After an initial reveal in 2020, Perfect Dark has been mostly missing in action over the last 4 years, save for regular reports regarding the game’s troubled development in the hands of new studio The Initiative. Veteran studio Crystal Dynamics was famously brought in to assist with development toward the end of 2021, and it appears its input has been invaluable. Perfect Dark looks to be one of the more promising first-party Xbox games in the company’s release lineup.
Though the title is intended to be a reboot of sorts rather than a sequel or a prequel, the first gameplay footage for Perfect Dark that fans were treated to at the Xbox Games Showcase carries all the signature hallmarks of the series’ DNA, along with some other pronounced influences. The high-tech first-person shooting gameplay and spy elements that the original Perfect Dark is known for are joined by some compelling stealth and infiltration elements surprisingly reminiscent of the modern Deus Ex games. While there’s no concrete release date yet and the title might still be far off, Perfect Dark appears to be heading in the right direction.
Related Perfect Dark’s Stealth Features Explained The long-awaited Perfect Dark reboot has just been given a gameplay trailer, and its stealth features look like a real highlight of the experience.
Perfect Dark Looks to Carry the Torch for the Deus Ex Series
Though Crystal Dynamics is known for the modern Tomb Raider games made during its partnership with Square Enix, it looks as if a lot of influence from one of its fellow former Square Enix subsidiaries has gone into the new Perfect Dark. Eidos Montreal had plans for a new game in the Deus Ex series to continue what Human Revolution and Mankind Divided had started. But, those plans were scrapped thanks to the studio’s sale and changing of hands from Square Enix to The Embracer Group. In a way, glimpses of both Deus Ex and the modern Tomb Raider games can be seen in the initial Perfect Dark gameplay reveal.
While it still remains to be seen just how much freedom players have, it appears from Perfect Dark’s first trailer that there will be multiple routes to reaching objectives, each of which presents different opportunities for either combat-focused or stealth-focused approaches. Additionally, the new trailer for Perfect Dark seems to indicate that Joanna will have some expanded traversal options, including sliding, climbing, and some light parkour not all that different from Lara’s maneuverability in the trilogy of modern Tomb Raider games or Faith Connors in Mirror’s Edge. In terms of the game’s overall direction and tone, Perfect Dark is already shaping up to blend an appealing mix of influences along with the franchise’s legacy.
Perfect Dark’s Lack of a Release Date Means Fans Should Temper Their Expectations
While the gameplay footage seems to indicate that the new Perfect Dark title has corrected course and is finally on track to deliver what fans of the series were hoping for from a reboot, there’s still one key piece of information missing from the reveal. That, of course, is the projected release date for Perfect Dark. Most of the games shown off at the Xbox Games Showcase are either slated to launch later this year or in 2025, but Perfect Dark’s rocky development history could mean that the title is still several years away. Though it might appear to be in a good spot, there’s a lot that could change between now and then.
At the very least, fans should keep their hype in check for Perfect Dark until more of the title is shown. There’s a long history of excellent titles with bad trailers and vice versa, and the potential for multiple elements and mechanics shown off in the Perfect Dark trailer to change between now and its eventual release is high. That said, for now, it’s at least reassuring to see that the reboot of one of the best 5th-generation first-person shooters is aiming to appeal to fans of the original game rather than the maligned Perfect Dark Zero.
Perfect Dark (2025) The Initiative’s Perfect Dark sees the return of secret agent Joanna Dark, as she goes on an action-packed journey to hunt down Daniel Carrington. The story-driven FPS game is coming to PC and Xbox consoles.Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios