Gamescom 2021 was decent, Not great, but decent. PlayStation decided to hold off on unveiling new footage of God of War. EA kept its Dragon Age and Mass Effect cards close to its chest. Xbox didn’t reveal anything new about The Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield, or Fable. Nintendo wasn’t there at all - but then, it’s not like it needs trade shows in the world of Directs. Still, we got to see upcoming blockbusters like Horizon Forbidden West, Halo Infinite, and an all-new Saints Row reboot, as well as some smaller titles such as Cult of the Lamb, Jett: The Far Shore, and Sifu.
Out of everything shown at Gamescom so far, however, the most enduringly impressive trailer comes from a rather unexpected source: Black Desert Online developer Pearl Abyss. Yes, I am talking about the uncannily gorgeous Pokemon-esque catch-’em-up DokeV.
What is DokeV, you ask? To be completely honest, I have no idea. This was one of the most balls-to-the-wall bonkers trailers I have seen in a very long time. There are monsters a la Pokemon, but there are also jet skis and hammers and some kind of high-octane flight. The art is wonderful - it’s one of the most emphatically ‘next-gen’ displays we’ve seen to date - and the music, at least in the trailer, is almost oppressive yet somehow still tasteful, despite what TheGamer guides editor Dave Aubrey has to say about it. It’s probably most accurate to suggest that our first glimpse of DokeV was a sort of sensory spectacle. It didn’t need to make sense or explain the concept of this extremely ambitious looking game - all it wanted to do was go full Napoleon Dynamite on stage. Weird, yes, but also oddly encapsulating and strangely charming in a very sincere, unafraid way.
Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of other fascinating games on show, too. I already wrote about how I firmly believe that Death Stranding Director’s Cut is the most exciting game of 2021 - despite the original game launching in 2019 - and I’m currently wincing to the point of near-pain at the fact Horizon Forbidden West and Sifu come out within four days of one another. The thing about DokeV is that it’s just… itself. It is an almost brazen riff off of Pokemon, granted, but only insofar as the idea of catching cutesy little creatures and making them claw-punch one another goes. Temtem, too, is directly inspired by Game Freak’s iconic monster taming sim, and yet it oozes personality to the point of immediate distinction from its origins. DokeV somehow manages to go one further - again, I have no idea what this game is actually about. Does that matter? No. Why? Because absurd nonsense is, in fact, very intriguing, especially when it looks, sounds, and hopefully plays as well as it appeared at Gamescom.
Maybe it will be rubbish. Given the popularity, acclaim, and staying power BDO has enjoyed over the last few years, I think it’s fair to suggest that Pearl Abyss’ pedigree is definitely more indicative of DokeV’s chances to be good rather than bad. Still, we won’t know until we get our hands on it. I mean, obviously. That’s how game trailers and the titles they represent work. Duh.
That doesn’t mean we can’t be excited though. No other game at Opening Night Live captivated me as much as this one, its monstrously ridiculous world and ways being so simultaneously cryptic and noisy that it’s just, like… What? Please inform me of what is actually going on here. Please. My poor brain.
DokeV is due to launch for console and PC, although a specific release date has yet to be decided on. I can’t wait to play it, mostly because if a two-minute trailer can make my head explode this much, imagine what the entire game will be capable of. What I mean is, I am already in the market for a new head - let me know if you know anyone, eh?