Screenshot: epic
The Matrix Awakens is going to sleep. Epic’s visually stunning tech demo (which is also a kind of open-world mini-action game) for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S will be removed from the list on July 9, the company announced via from your website. If you’ve already added the game, which is free, to your game library, you can continue downloading it on July 9th.
In terms of visual fidelity, it’s easy to prove that The Matrix Awakens is the most realistic-looking game available right now. First released last December, just as the fourth Matrix movie hit the big screen, The Matrix Awakens is apparently a showcase for Epic’s Unreal 5 game development engine. While it’s only a brief part of “gameplay” without quotes, the demonstration approaches the definition of photorealism in the textbook.
Their faces in the game, including those of Matrix stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, are hardly distinguishable from the real people on whom they are based. Walking the streets of Megacity is like walking through the financial district of any major American metropolis. You can play with the lighting. You can drive cars on urban roads (which, unfortunately for the citizens of Matrix-land, have not been demolished). Population density can even be modified. It’s not exactly heavy on the “fun” gameplay, which relies more on fast-paced events than anything else, nor does it really relate to the larger Matrix story as effectively, but it’s an impressive showcase of the next generation of fidelity to video games.
In April, during a live “State of Unreal” broadcast aimed at marking the full official release of Unreal 5, Epic raised its hood about what exactly is possible. To my inexperienced eye, these are very impressive things, bringing video games closer and closer to the mysterious valley. And while Matrix Awakens won’t be around much longer, we’ll soon be able to see other Unreal 5 games, probably more complete. The engine is being used for a number of big-budget stores on the horizon, including new entries to Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics and The Witcher from CD Projekt Red.