New Perfect Dark gameplay trailer looks neither perfect nor dark

I’m as shocked as you are. As part of the Xbox Games Showcase, we’ve finally been given a new look at the Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ Perfect Dark. It’s been a while. This one is the first trailer to include actual gameplay.

The trailer shows off what I’d expect from a sequel to the N64 classic. There’s actual stealth and gadgets, and the levels look somewhat non-linear, maybe. I did not, however, see a large-headed alien or a presidential clone, but there’s still time. We do see the series’ protagonist, Joanna Dark, and mention of Daniel Carrington, though he seems to be the target of the mission.

Actually, a lot of the trailer reminds me of marketing material from around the Xbox 360 release. Parkour, gunfights behind fruit, and first-person tricks. Not that I expected it to look like an N64 game. This just looks a little generic. If it borrows the objective-based gameplay of Goldeneye and the original Perfect Dark, that would be a pretty good hook.

A release date hasn’t been stated, and neither have its target platforms. Xbox Series X|S and PC would be a good bet.