A talking cube, female God of War & Wolverine among PlayStation announcements

A female protagonist and a talking cube are among the updates fans of the popular action game series God of War will see in the next instalment.

American video game developer Santa Monica Studio unveiled a first look at the new game, God of War: Laufey, at PlayStation's latest State of Play showcase.

Other announcements at the event included a peek at Marvel's upcoming Wolverine game, an Until Dawn sequel more than 10 years after the first edition and a new trailer for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.

The news has sparked excitement and discussion among fans, particularly around the next mainline entry starring a woman.

The franchise is widely considered to be one of the most successful in PlayStation history, and its various instalments and spin-offs have picked up numerous awards over the years.

The new game, which is yet to have an official release date, will focus on warrior and wife to Kratos, Laufey.

Gamers will be familiar with Laufey, but her prominence might be surprising as her earlier death was "supposed to be the end".

However, the new campaign will begin with her awakening in a strange realm after her funeral which, according to PlayStation, is the start of "a new adventure".

She is a 'capable warrior'

God of War fan and gamer Imogen Mellor tells BBC Newsbeat that seeing Laufey get her own story is "so exciting".

The 28-year-old says she is already a "massive fan" of actress Deborah Ann Woll who voiced and provided the motion capture for the character in God of War Ragnarök.

"It's going to be such an adventure, the game play looks incredible," she says.

Addressing how some fans have questioned the change of main character, Mellor says "unfortunately there is a section of gaming fans that prefer to play male protagonists".

"It's upsetting that they are putting such a weight on the gender of the main role rather than thinking about this as a continuation of a story we're already really invested in."

Mellor thinks some male gamers may feel like they can't relate to a female lead in the same way.

"There has been a lot of male protagonists and a lot of men have felt like they can be that main character," she says.

"They're living the fantasy of being the hero there."

However, Mellor feels the "majority of people" are excited to explore Laufey's story.

Personally she feels it "really makes sense" for the series to head in this direction.

"We've really got this very deep connection with his [Kratos'] feeling about Laufey," she explains.

"But we haven't really met Laufey. We don't know what made her so incredible and worthy of Kratos' companionship.

"She's obviously going to be a massively complex person, because you have to be if you're married to Kratos."

From the first look 23-minute trailer, Mellor says she can see Laufey is a "capable warrior" and there is "no hand-holding or "damsel in distress moment".

Sony's has had female leads front some of their major titles previously, including the Horizon series, The Last of Us: Part II and Ghost of Yōtei.

Another addition to the God of War game which has caused a stir is a talking gelatinous cube, which will aid Laufey and be voiced by Hunger Games actor Jack Quaid.

Mellor says the cube is "hilarious" and nice to see what is typically a "very serious game" still having "a lot of fun".

What else you need to know about State of Play

Other announcements which have created a buzz include Marvel's Wolverine, which is set to drop 15 September.

Mellor feels the glimpse into the new single-player Wolverine game proves "action games are back".

"It's very gory and it's very aggressive, but that's what Wolverine is."

And it's not the only one getting fans excited, State of Play also revealed that more than 10 years after the first one, there is going to be an Until Dawn 2.

The original 2015 butterfly-effect survival horror game, which featured Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek, sold millions of copies and went on to be adapted for the big screen.

The sequel will take place on an abandoned tropical paradise island with the aim remaining the same as the first edition - make sure all your characters last until dawn.

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