With the release of Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles right around the corner, horror games are poised to show what the new hardware is capable of thanks to Xbox Series X titles likeThe Medium, which has multipleSilent Hillmusic collaboratorsworking on its score and vocals. However, a developer with Dual Effect Games working onTormented Soulsbelieves the PS5 DualSense controller will be a real game changer for the genre.
An unspecified member of the Chilean development team onTormented Souls, a survival horror game announced last monththat takes inspiration fromResident Evil,Silent Hill, andAlone in the Dark, said the DualSense will be “transcendent” for horror games by greatly improving immersion. “I can imagine a transparent plastic artefac full of spiders that you have to manipulate with your hands using the joystick movement sensors,” they said in an interview with SegmentNext.
RELATED:PS5 DualSense Controller Generates Haptic Feedback From In-Game Sounds
These kinds of sensations would be enhanced by the DualSense’s haptic feedback, which is being used by developers like Insomniac Games toreplicate the spidey sense inSpider-Man: Miles Morales, that way players can better judge which direction enemies are attacking from. Many people will probably be repulsed by the thought of that tech replicating the feeling of crawling spider legs, but it does paint an interesting picture for future horror experiences.
That being said,Tormented Soulsis not planned to release on the PS5, nor the Xbox Series X, so it can’t make use of features like haptic feedback in its current build. However, publisher PQube has previously told SegmentNext that plans for the game are “still being drawn out,” leaving open the possibility of future ports.
Other developers working on titles for next-generation consoles have also expressed interest in features inherent to the PS5 DualSense controller. For example,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warwill use the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, which should give players a more accurate sense of how much resistance the triggers on each individual gun will feel.
Though the DualSense controller has appealing features for developers, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X is also booking exclusive horror titles likeMartha is Dead, which was originally coming to PS5. It seems there will be a lot in store for fans of the genre regardless of the console they buy, and games likeTormented Soulswill still be releasing on current-gen hardware for late adopters.
Tormented Soulsreleases in 2021 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
