PlayStation has varied a heart-pounding first gameplay video of its Hero Project from India, to be called Suri: The Seventh Note. The action game has a strong musical element, and even better DualSense haptic feedback is so good that the whole experience of music games could be changed forever.
As for the Indian Hero Project, what is that? It is an initiative by Sony to promote and support game developers in India and these new perspectives will be through the PlayStation ecosystem. No wonder Suri: The Seventh Note is the latest game out of them, and it is combining rhythmic gameplay with combat elements in an entirely different way. The first look at the game is a tiny piece of the above picture, where our hero is walking through a place filled with colors and sound, combining his hits with the music, and striking down demons right on the beat. It is like if Guitar Hero and Devil May Cry had together a child, and that child after a while grew up in Mumbai.
What was the main point of the event? Definitely, it is the DualSense haptics. The new controller’s vibrations have been reported to be in perfect sync with the rhythm mechanics of the game. When you land a beat-perfect attack on your opponent, you will feel it as a jolt in your hands. The controller will also respond when the music gets louder. This is the kind of immersive experience that can set a new standard for rhythm games, leaving the old ones behind.
The reaction of the gaming community has been very lively, and the responses are quite varied, to say the least. One user said, “Wow, you guys have made it look so nice! Honestly, I am particularly keen to experience the DualSense haptics, to see how they work in this rhythm action.” Simultaneously, another user expressed, “DualSense haptics syncing with rhythm? That’s the future.” The audience’s interest in the new face of rhythm gaming is quite clear.
Nevertheless, there are some who are not convinced right away. To support his argument, Chirag posed the question “Based on my experiences with haptic feedback, the battery life on demanding titles is cropped severely so the novelty wears off fast. Is there a way to simulate Suri in a less draining mode?” Which is indeed a very good point that I have not even taken into consideration. Sometimes we are so dazzled by the new technology that we do not hesitate to consider battery life, which is even the case with the very few “wow” factors.
And there is the … nonconstructive criticism. One user bluntly told that “Never buy anything from India,” which is absolutely shocking. Another one complained about “wokeness” in gaming, even though it couldn’t be specifically determined what he meant, since the gameplay only presents rhythm-based combat. Maybe, people just like to grumble sometimes.
The stylistics has been receiving an overwhelmingly positive response. Lina Defi called it “a very fresh interpretation of rhythm action games,” while KingGokGunz noted the “old-school arcade vibe.” The visuals seem to merge the traditional Indian aesthetic elements with the contemporary western game design, thereby creating something that is both familiar and rare at the same time.
What is really fascinating, though, is that Xbox is making this kind of push into the emerging market. The India Hero Project is not simply about selling the consoles across new continents – it is also about developing talent FROM those regions. We are seeing games that are inspired by the cultures and perspectives that previously had very little mainstream gaming representation. And maybe the real deal is that, it has been a long wait.
To be honest, the rhythm-action genre hasn’t been so vivid lately. There were quite a few rhythm games but Suri seems to be the one that will usher and reshape the whole genre. The involvement of rhythm mechanics in actual fighting and exploration will quickly attract both music-game fans and action RPG gamers alike. That is a smart approach for today’s saturated market.
Now let’s get to the most important question: when can we play this? The event did not mention any date and that is the usual practice for early shows. However, if we are getting to see actual gameplay, it probably means that the game is much further in development than we might have thought. My totally uneducated guess? Probably late 2024 or early 2025 window, but that is all wild speculation.
The India Hero Project has thus far provided us with a few very interesting titles but Suri: The Seventh Note is the one that is the boldest offering. The game could turn out to be one of those that surprise everyone when it finally comes out, thanks to the thrilling haptic integration and the new cultural perspective. It is just one more proof that every now and then the most exciting gaming innovations come from the least expected places.
The more different types of developers that are given the necessary tools and platforms, the more such games that are…
