The Perfect Dark Reboot Could Change the Gameplay Significantly

The upcoming Perfect Dark reboot may deviate from the original series, according to a new job posting from Crystal Dynamics.

Since it was revealed that Microsoft was planning a Perfect Dark reboot, fans of superspy Joanna Dark have been wondering what shape the heroine’s next adventure would take. A recent job posting from Crystal Dynamics may now answer that question. Crystal Dynamics, well-known for its legendary Tomb Raider series, is co-creating the Perfect Dark remake with Microsoft’s newest first-party studio, The Initiative.

At first, the Perfect Dark series was intended to be a spiritual successor to Rare’s renowned GoldenEye 007. Perfect Dark, which was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, maintained the exact controls and praised gunplay of GoldenEye 007 while also including a plethora of cutting-edge tools for players to use in the game’s then-futuristic sci-fi setting of 2023. Many reviewers and players praised the stylish shooter upon its release, and some Perfect Dark fans consider it to be among the best games of its time. Despite receiving a sequel for the Xbox 360 and a remastered release in 2010, Perfect Dark was never able to match the longevity of praise for GoldenEye 007.

It’s possible to get a glimpse of what Perfect Dark co-developer Crystal Dynamics has in store for franchise fans when the game is released by looking at a recent job posting for a Lead Gameplay Animator there. The job description mentions that the Lead Gameplay Animator will play a significant role in bringing the title to life and specifically mentions that the position is for Perfect Dark. While most of the tasks in the work history that applicants are asked to provide are general in nature and would be anticipated for any such high-level development role, some requirements strongly imply that the reboot may depart from the series’ traditionally first-person past.The job posting specifies that the developer is looking for someone with “deep gameplay knowledge” of third-person gameplay, traversal, and melee combat in addition to the expected experience working on first-person games.

Although the possibility of third-person sections in the game may make some players think of the Xbox 360 launch title Perfect Dark Zero, this does not necessarily mean that they will experience a complete change in point of view. These job requirements may simply indicate that the Perfect Dark reboot may play similarly to some of its peers since traversal gameplay and melee combat have become fairly common in first-person shooters. Additionally, while Perfect Dark Zero’s predecessor included third-person gameplay as well, it wisely kept that perspective change to only occur when players were in cover.

The Perfect Dark reboot probably won’t be released anytime soon, no matter what form it takes when it does, according to recent reports. And even though it’s unlikely that any Perfect Dark reboot will ever be able to satisfy every series fan, at least this job posting demonstrates that the developers are willing to take some chances in their quest to resurrect the franchise.

Perfect Dark is currently in development.

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