The Falconeer released late last year on Xbox platforms and PC, serving as one of the early graphical showcases for the Xbox Series X. It’s now slated to arrive on PlayStation consoles and Nintendo Switch in August under the name The Falconeer: Warrior Edition. The new version features all of the previously released downloadable content (The Kraken, The Hunter, and Atun’s Folly), which was free anyhow, plus a new expansion called Edge of the World among other tweaks and refinements.
While ComingSoon didn’t get to go hands-on with the new content specific to the Warrior Edition, we did get to check out the base game running on PlayStation 5. I was most excited about the DualSense implementation as Sony’s new controller has made it my ideal destination to play multiplatform releases since it can deliver a truly immersive experience if done correctly. However, the use of the DualSense can vary wildly in terms of quality, so players are never sure what to expect. The good news is that The Falconeer is on the good side of the fence as the DualSense’s haptic feedback rumbles with each shot, which makes the aerial combat all the more thrilling. Even if it won’t top any lists of the best DualSense titles, it enhances the experience which is all one can ask for.
If you haven’t seen The Falconeer, it’s a rather unique air combat title in that you’re flying around on a giant falcon. I’m not sure of the genetics or how exactly they regain energy or are shooting rockets at enemies, but it’s a great enough visual that I don’t need to know more about the world to be into it. There is plenty of lore inside The Falconeer if that’s your jam, but the missions are also pretty straightforward thanks to a helpful user interface, and you can concentrate on the action if that’s what you’re in for.
Since you are on a living creature rather than a fighter jet, the controls are a bit more fluid and you’re able to be more agile than most flight combat offerings. The controls take a little while to get used to, but I quickly found myself dodging out of the way, locking onto enemies, and tightly turning in order to cut them off. It all results in a satisfying combat loop, which is a must in a title where you’ll be facing sky pirates and other foes quite often. Missions aren’t impressive in their variety, as the same couple archetypes are seen quite often, but I didn’t find myself the slightest bit bored by what I played.
The gameplay itself is smooth and The Falconeer‘s stylized world looks great on a 4K display running at 60 frames per second. I never experienced a single dip no matter how intense combat got, so the game delivers the feeling one wants from the current-gen system. It’s hard to believe that the game is a one-man operation as developer Tomas Sala has put together quite the impressive package, which is even more stunning when diving into the photo mode.
Now, it should be noted that we did encounter several crashes during our time with The Falconeer PS5. This usually occurred when turning in a mission, which made it all the more frustrating. The good news is that The Falconeer: Warrior Edition doesn’t land on PlayStation 5 (plus PS4 and Nintendo Switch) until August 5. That’s enough time for the technical issues to get smoothed over, so it’s not worth fretting over just yet. The big takeaway is that The Falconeer looks and plays great on PlayStation 5, which was never truly in doubt due to how well it performed on Xbox Series X.
We’ll have a full review of The Falconeer: Warrior Edition once it releases in August.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a key for our The Falconeer PS5 preview. Please read our Review Policy for more.