The Falconeer: Warrior Edition Soars onto PS5, PS4 This August

After making a name for itself last year around the launch of the Xbox Series X, The Falconeer: Warrior Edition will make its way to both PlayStation 5 and PS4 on 5th August 2021. This enhanced version of the game will include every piece of DLC and update released so far as well as an upcoming expansion named Edge of the World. It'll cost £24.99/$29.99 on the PS Store, or you can pick up a physical copy for the same price. PS4 owners can also upgrade to the PS5 version free of charge.

Alongside every piece of post-launch content, the Warrior Edition will also feature re-recorded voice work and a more streamlined tutorial. PS5 owners can look forward to Haptic Feedback implementation, but 60 frames-per-second is the standard for both PS4 and the current-gen system. Taking advantage of the PS5 DualSense controller was an important factor during the development of the port for one-man team Tomas Sala, who explained to us the sort of feelings he hopes Haptic Feedback conveys.

"A lot of players of The Falconeer usually note the strong contrasts in the game, you are either peacefully gliding along the scenery or in a frenzy of combat trying to stay alive and shoot down your targets. The smoothness of flying can really feel meditative, which makes the combat much more jarring and impactful. The haptics on the DualSense can really hammer that home, the sense that you are now in a proper dogfight. I love that contrast, so it fits beautifully. It wakes you up and really gives you a sense of weight to the weapons that simply wasn't possible before."

One of the more interesting features of The Falconeer: Warrior Edition is that Sala has gone back and actually reworked the tutorial. He says the original opening threw players in at the deep end, so entire sections have been cut out for the updated version. "What’s left is focused squarely on the air combat elements; explaining important mechanics such as aim assist and new weapons like the guided missile swarms that were added to the game later on. At the same time, bombing and some other mechanics now have separate tutorials at the starting location of Dunkle in the first chapter."

"In the Warrior edition, these tutorials are now fully voiced as well. Mechanics such as fishing and jet-streams, which were always there but never explained properly, are now given their due time. There is also a lot more textual framing per chapter, simply explaining what to expect going in, which was also lacking last year."

Sony has also offered a lot of support during development of the port, which is something Sala is thankful for. "So, I have a lot of appreciation for (and time working on) the current and the previous generation of PlayStation hardware and with it Sony's dedication to experimental and off-beat gameplay. I'm perfectly platform agnostic in that sense. But, picking up a PS4 controller or the new Dualsense is definitely a small sort of homecoming for me, the support and access to the development resources and hardware from PlayStation has felt great."

But with The Falconeer now soon to be available on all major consoles, what does Tomas Sala plan to do next? Besides taking a "good long sleep", he's leaving the door open to a sequel. "The Falconeer doesn't have a real hero narrative or even a single protagonist, it’s all about the world and the people as a whole, rather than an individual. In a future game, I might dive into a more personal narrative. It seems from the feedback I get, people really fall for the worldbuilding, the environment and the core themes of the Falconeer. So, I'm fairly confident I'll return to the Ursee eventually, it would be a shame to just leave it."

Have you been hoping The Falconeer would eventually launch on PS5 and PS4? Are you looking forward to checking it out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.