Microsoft revealed a long look at its ambitious, long-in-development reboot of the Perfect Dark franchise on Sunday at the Xbox Games Showcase, revealing the first gameplay from secret agent Joanna Dark’s all-new adventure.
The new Perfect Dark will focus on “a near-future war over advanced tech that threatens the lives of millions,” said Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty. As Dark, players will need to use stealth, parkour, high-tech gadgetry, and good old-fashioned firearms to fend off global disaster.
Perfect Dark will feature elements of first-person shooters, immersive sims, and stealth-action, according to a post on Microsoft’s Xbox Wire. Players will be presented with an objective and varied tools and options to figure out how to achieve it, developers say. Joanna can go in loud with guns blazing, or quietly, with stealth techniques to take down enemies and complete missions. Parkour is used for both movement through levels and in combat. She can also use special spy technology, including a voice analyzer that can create deepfake voice imprints, letting players bypass security systems or impersonate other characters.
Here’s how developers explained the setting of the new Perfect Dark, which is set against a sci-fi ecological disaster:
Perfect Dark’s near-future world has been impacted by what’s known as “The Cascade,” in which the planet has suffered from a series of environmental disasters, rendering entire regions inhospitable to human life. In the wake of the disaster, a hypercorporation known as Core Mantis steps in to create a solution known as The GEN Network, and deploys it in Cairo – restoring ecological balance and creating a freshly walled city, insulated from the hostile environment outside to become a center for technological innovation.
Perfect Dark is being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics for Xbox Series X and Windows PC. The game does not have an announced release date. The new Perfect Dark, and its core development studio, The Initiative, were revealed in 2020.
