DokeV is a new open-world creature collector with K-pop and skating

DokeV is an upcoming open-world creature catching game from Black Desert Online developer Pearl Abyss, and it looks like a delightful mishmash of influences, from Pokemon to Splatoon.  

To be clear, this isn't the first time we've seen DokeV (pronounced doe-kay-vee) - it was first revealed at Pearl Abyss Connect 2019 - but the game has changed so much since its debut that the above trailer is billed as its "world premiere." Probably the biggest difference is that Pearl Abyss is no longer describing DokeV as an MMO; in a recent tweet, Pearl Abyss says the game is more accurately described as an "creature-collecting open world action-adventure" and in fact isn't an MMO at all anymore.

"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," Pearl Abyss explains. "But regardless of genre, we're going for fun, vibrant, and adventurous!"

In DokeV, adorable critters based on Korean spirits run amok in a beautiful urban environment, and naturally it's your job to catch those rascals. But as you can see in the trailer, there's a lot more going on in DokeV than just creature catching. There are a bunch of methods of transportation: you can skate around the city, take to the water for some jet-skiing, swing around the sky from a magic rope, and even paraglide around Breath of the Wild-style. Everything's set to some super catchy K-pop beats, which vaguely reminds me of Splatoon's busy, chaotic energy.

DokeV doesn't have a release date yet, but it's planned for launch on PC and consoles.

For everything on the way this year, here's our guide to new games of 2021.