EVERY PlayStation story is the same.. | Asmongold TV

"Every PlayStation game is the same now." That opening line from an IGN video sets up the central claim of this episode of Asmongold TV: Sony's first-party studios have become trapped in a single narrative formula built around grief and revenge. The host walks through a catalogue of recent PlayStation exclusives to show that while the gameplay varies, the emotional architecture is nearly identical.

The main argument is that PlayStation's stable of developers has become "obsessed with stories that explore the exact same themes: grief and revenge." The host lists the evidence methodically. The Last of Us Part 2 is driven by Ellie's quest for revenge after Joel's death. God of War (2018) and Ragnarok are about coping with the loss of a spouse and a mother. Spider-Man has Peter and Miles wrestling with dead parental figures. Returnal is a sci-fi loop born from the protagonist's familial trauma. Ghost of Yotei, the latest example, tasks the protagonist Atsu with avenging her parents' murder. The host notes that this is basically the same setup as Assassin's Creed Shadows, which also begins with the protagonist's family being killed. Even Death Stranding 2 is described as a "feast of maternal and paternal anguish."