In recent years, PlayStation's first-party games, although well-made, seem to have fallen into a cycle of "sadness and revenge" in terms of plot narrative. From "The Last of Us" to "God of War" to "The Ghost of Mount Yotei", almost all of them repeatedly explore family trauma and grief.IGN recently issued an article calling on PlayStation to regain the more imaginative and fun diversified creations of the past, so that players can once again feel the pure joy of "playing".

IGN reported the following:

I've always been a big fan of PlayStation first-party games.They almost become my ideal "holding the controller and immersing yourself in a blockbuster adventure" experience - a true entertainment feast that is carefully crafted for people and worth savoring.But what's different from the past is that today's bright narrative style is no longer as eye-catching as it once was, but is starting to look a bit outdated.The problem isn’t just that PlayStation’s AAA titles all use that iconic third-person cinematic structure — its development teams also seem to be collectively obsessed with the same themes: grief and revenge.And I'm starting to get a little tired of it.

These games are all well-crafted and high-quality works, but I have begun to miss the era when PlayStation had a richer variety and more "interesting" games.

This awareness that "PlayStation games all tell similar stories" emerged when I played Sucker Punch's new game "The Soul of Mount Yotei."As much as I love this game and appreciate its tight and exciting combat system and the real sense of discovery that comes with exploration, I can't help but feel like: I've heard this story before.

In the game, you play the protagonist Atsushi. In order to avenge his parents, he embarks on a bloody journey in Japan in the 17th century, hunting down the "Yatho Six" one by one.Unfortunately, this story is not only similar to the plot of "Assassin's Creed: Shadows" that I completed earlier this year - the same combination of "revenge and sadness" - but more like the standard template of PlayStation in recent years: a story about blood feud and grief.

2020's "The Last of Us Part 2" is obviously the beginning of this trend-Ellie falls into a crazy vortex of revenge after the death of her father-like Joel.The first generation work in 2013 already depicted how Joel struggled to survive after losing his biological daughter.Back then, "The Last of Us" was regarded as the starting point of the "Sad Dad Game" wave, and 2018's "God of War 4" solidified this impression.Looking back now, those games became the cornerstone of PlayStation's obsession with "sad" themes.

2022's "God of War 5: Ragnarok" also revolves around the separation of mother and son, full of anger and sorrow.In Insomniac's "Marvel's Spider-Man" series, both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are struggling with evil while bearing the shadow of their deceased relatives.2020's "Dead Return" is a sci-fi cyclic nightmare stemming from the protagonist Celine's family trauma.And "Death Stranding 2", another PlayStation masterpiece in 2025 - although not strictly a first-party game - is almost a feast about the pain of fatherly and maternal love.

Today, the theme of “cycles of violence” does have the potential to turn into a cycle of diminishing returns.

Don't get me wrong, I love all of the titles mentioned above - they each have unique characters and very different gameplay.But taken together, these stories seem to be singing the same song.Family tragedy and loss take center stage, and while I agree with the importance of the game exploring mature themes, I now really feel like I've been hit over the head with the same idea over and over again.PlayStation’s obsession with “violence and sadness” is falling into an endless cycle of aesthetic fatigue.

Of course, that’s not the case for all PS5 games – Astrobot isn’t a game that explores intergenerational trauma in deep space (laughs).That's why I particularly like Team Asobi's tribute to the "classic PlayStation spirit": full of color, joy and surprise, which is particularly rare in the gloomy atmosphere.But in the past, such works were not “exceptions.”

Perhaps PlayStation’s persistence in sad themes also reflects the reality of this era.Think about the development stages of "Ghost of Mount Yotei" and "Death Stranding 2" - that was the period from 2020 to 2021 when the global epidemic was raging.At that time, mankind collectively experienced sudden loss and trauma. It is indeed understandable that the creator injected this emotion into the work.

So what’s even more curious next is: when the world gradually returns to normal, will those games that are planned after 2022 continue this melancholic style? Or will they turn to reflect a relatively calm new reality?

These are certainly stories that deserve to be told – art is a reflection of its creator’s emotions – but I still hope to see more diverse expression in the future.

Future works make people look forward to and worried at the same time.

Insomniac's "Marvel Wolverine" seems to bring a visual impact of blood and violence, but does its "maturity" only remain on the surface? Luo is fundamentally a character driven by revenge - will this story follow the path of "burying the past with violence?"The "Wolverine" movie directed by James Mangold has already told the "sad father" story (the family line in X23 is a PlayStation-style example), so I really hope that this time I can change the angle instead of repeating the old song.In addition, Housemarque’s “Saros” will also be released in March next year, and judging from the recent State of Play demo, the performance is quite impressive.And Naughty Dog, the source of PlayStation’s “Sad Age”, is also about to launch their new sci-fi game “Star: Heretic Prophet.”

The first trailer revealed a long-lost sense of lightness, which contrasted sharply with the heavy tone of "The Last of Us."Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg so far, but it would be refreshing if Naughty Dog could really rediscover the adventure and humor of Uncharted in this work.

Coincidentally, both "Saros" and "Star: Prophets of Heresy" revolve around "exploring a lost alien colony."I just hope that they can find a completely different story on that distant planet - instead of once again discovering a past shrouded in sadness.