DokeV was certainly one of the more interesting games featured at Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live showcase. The Geoff Keighley-led event revealed many games we’re now very excited for, but DokeV left us equal parts bewildered and intrigued.
DokeV is being developed by Pearl Abyss, perhaps best known as the creators of popular MMO Black Desert Online. The game is set to be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
But whereas that game is set in a rather grounded fantasy world, DokeV is the polar opposite. Featuring kids on skateboards, bizarre creatures and an injection of K-Pop, DokeV looks like a fusion of Pokémon and Jet Set Radio. And if that’s not a winning combination, we don’t know what is.
Details are thin on the ground for now, but we’ll be keeping a keen eye on the development of DokeV, and we’ll be consistently updating this page when new info is released on this bizarre new adventure. Want to learn more about DokeV? Read on to learn everything we know so far.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? An open-world action adventure with monster collecting
- When can I play it? No word as of yet, but assume 2022 at the earliest
- What can I play it on? PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
DokeV trailer
DokeV Rockstar official music video
A new trailer for DokeV was shown during The Game Awards 2021 which showed the official music video for the game’s ‘Rockstar’ song. The video uses in-game footage, and once again shows off how impressive DokeV’s graphics and animations are. Check it out below.
Future Games Show 2021 trailer
The Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live trailer for DokeV left us delighted, if more than a little confused. Thankfully, Pearly Abyss and Future Games Show 2021 were on hand to save the day, dropping a trailer that featured developer insight on top of the gameplay we’ve already seen.
Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live extended gameplay trailer
If you’re completely out of the loop, what better way to get you involved than with the trailer itself? Here’s the extended gameplay trailer for DokeV unveiled at Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live presentation:
DokeV announcement trailer
Gamescom 2021 wasn’t actually the first time DokeV made itself known to the world. Pearl Abyss announced the game back in 2019 with a lovely little CG trailer. If you’re excited for the game, consider the following an extra morsel of footage while you look forward to more info.
DokeV: what we know so far
Want to keep up to speed on DokeV? Here’s everything we know about the game so far.
Genre shift
DokeV was originally billed as an MMO (massively multiplayer online) title when it was announced in 2019. However, plans seem to have changed at Pearl Abyss, with the developer shifting away from the MMO format to a more traditional action adventure.
The official DokeV Twitter account put this in no uncertain terms:
#DokeV was initially introduced as an MMO, but we decided to move the game in a different direction and it’s now a creature-collecting open world action-adventure.But regardless of genre, we’re going for fun, vibrant, and adventurous! 🦙☂️August 25, 2021
This shift away from the MMO format has been quite divisive in the tweet’s replies. The MMO aspect was the thing many people were most looking forward to. Others felt like the more focused approach could lead to a better, more polished game.
If you want our two cents, the MMO space is already deeply competitive. So much so that it’s genuinely difficult for any MMO to gain a lasting foothold in the space. With genre giants like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14 and the upcoming New World on the block, any budding new MMO would seriously have to impress to make a name for itself in the space.
DokeV’s shift to an “open-world action adventure” may well be a good thing for the game’s longevity. It’s no longer competing for attention among other MMO titans, and it’s free to be its own thing without the genre’s preconceptions.
Creature collecting?
Note the emphasis on “creature collecting” in the tweet above. As seen in the trailer, there’s all kinds of wacky, wonderfully designed creatures who’ll help you out in combat.
According to the official website, these creatures are known as Dokebi, and the bizarre designs range from an alarm clock with headphones on (yes, really) to a panda/polar bear hybrid wearing a pair of boxing gloves. So peak character design, basically.
Judging from the trailer, Dokebi look to be stored in tiny prismatic discs, and can be unleashed during combat encounters. Each look to have their own abilities that will help you out in different ways, so we imagine choosing the right Dokebi for the job will often be key to success.
Traversal
We saw a surprisingly varied amount of traversal options in the DokeV trailer. Your character is able to move on foot, as expected, but also on hoverboards, bicycles, and even a car. You can also soar through the air, Fortnite-style, via a deployable parasol, which we imagine will be useful for getting to specific places on the map fast.
Multiplayer?
Given the shift away from the MMO genre, it remains up in the air as to whether DokeV will feature multiplayer components of any kind. The trailer seems to imply that we’ll still be able to hang out with friends in limited capacities, but we won’t know for sure until more details are released.
The trailers so far have featured many aspects that one could associate with a more social experience, such as fishing, flying kites and hanging out on a beach. We’d like to think that some co-operative experiences or hangouts will still be available to try in DokeV when it releases.