Perfect Dark reboot brings a futuristic approach to a dormant franchise

Guess who's back.

A futuristic Cairo in Perfect Dark.
Image via The Initiative

Four years after the news of a Perfect Dark reboot first emerged, fans got the first look at the revival of the dormant franchise at Summer Game Fest—and it looks incredible.

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The series has been on the backburner since 2010 but is being given a fresh chance with developers The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics—with the imprint from the latter clearly visible.

Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark reboot.
The future awaits. Image via The Initiative

Set in a near-future version of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, the Perfect Dark reboot takes inspiration from the first two titles in the franchise but crafts a new story and universe for Joanna Dark to explore.

The trailer showed how gadgets and traversal play an important part of the arsenal and while it will be a predominantly single-player experience, it “takes inspiration from first-person shooters, immersive sims, and stealth-action,” according to a post on the Xbox Wire.

Planet Dark’s environment sees the impact of “The Cascade,” a series of environmental disasters that have resulted in entire regions becoming inhospitable. The gameplay has a certain Tomb Raider aesthetic to it, while the use of gadgets is reminiscent of Watch Dogs. When combined, it all looks to provide a unique style of gameplay.

Further details on Perfect Dark are limited, however, with the gameplay trailer lacking details about when exactly the game will arrive—but we do know it will be available to those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription on day one when it does drop.

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Image of Josh Challies
Josh Challies
Staff Writer. Professional writer since 2014. Pokemon, Marvel, Star Wars and overall geek. Previously wrote for Yahoo Sport, Stats Perform and online news publications.