We are now at the point where immersive gaming is the selling point of each game. Video games today have blurred the lines of what’s real and what’s not. But now, the future has arrived with the introduction of The Matrix Awakens.

The Matrix Awakens is a game developed by the creator of The Matrix movies and is spearheaded by Epic Games. The game introduces us to the world within the Matrix with its realistic graphics made possible by the use of Unreal Engine 5.

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Discover the realism behind this amazing game today. Find out more about what Matrix Awakens is all about, where to download it, how to play it, and what’s it like playing the game by checking the article below.

  • Showcasing the Power of the Unreal Engine 5
  • Enter the Matrix
  • Run, Drive, and Fly
  • Realistic Scenes with the Unreal Engine 5
  • Some Opportunities That Need Improvement
The Matrix Awakens - Discover the Realism of This Amazing Game
Image Source: Polygon

Showcasing the Power of the Unreal Engine 5

Before Matrix Resurrections came out, many believed a game would also be released much like what the previous movies had. The main Matrix trilogy was accompanied by a game called Enter the Matrix which heavily focused on Niobe’s adventures within the Matrix. 

The Matrix Awakens - Discover the Realism of This Amazing Game
Image Source: App Trigger

As such, it was fair to assume that Matrix Resurrections would also be accompanied by another game. The Matrix Awakens features a very subtle hint to the plot of the movie but is it an actual game? 

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To answer the question, Matrix Awakens is more of a demo than a full-scale game. It is more of a tech demo for Unreal Engine 5 which heavily features the world inside the Matrix. 

This tech demo is developed in partnership with Warner Bros. and Epic Games to be part of the movie’s marketing strategy.

Where to Download

If you’re itching to try Matrix Awakens, you can simply download the game through the official website or the PlayStation Store, or the Xbox Store

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The game is available to play for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. To download the game, simply click on the Download button. It will automatically download the entire game to your console. 

Wait until it is fully downloaded and installed before you launch the game on your home page. 

Enter the Matrix

The Matrix Awakens introduces us to the voice of Keannu Reeves as he explains what the Matrix is and what it has become. He also provides information on mixing the real world with the digital world. 

It is quite clear that the players can immediately attest to the game’s smoother and very realistic graphics which we will discuss later. Once Keannu Reeves finishes his speech, players then take control of Niobe, a very familiar character introduced in The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. 

Players will need to control Niobe as she fends off Agents through a highway while Trinity drives them to safety. You start with a pistol first and then switch later on to a machine gun. 

This showcases Unreal Engine 5’s ability to feature heavy action without any compromising on the quality of the game’s graphics.

Explore the Open World

The Matrix Awakens features a fully open world where players can explore every part of the game. Players can expect a detailed world where they can explore and discover hidden streets and areas within the city where the game is based. 

This is where Unreal Engine 5 shines as the city is filled with tiny little details that make it very realistic. Tall buildings cast a shadow while smaller buildings are filled with signs that are very similar to what we see in the world. 

Some cars drive past and pedestrians are going by with their lives. Players can walk around and enjoy the sights of the city or have a better view from the top by flying over the buildings

Run, Drive, and Fly

While Unreal Engine 5 makes great work of the graphics of the game, especially with its photo-realistic buildings and pedestrians, it is the player’s actions that make the game even more fun. 

The Matrix Awakens - Discover the Realism of This Amazing Game
Image Source: Eurogamer

Players are treated to many different actions such as running around the streets in the city, driving around, and, as mentioned above, flying over the buildings. 

As Niobe, you get to use your weapons to protect yourself from the Agents who are out there to hunt you down. One of the best sequences in the game is when you first load into the Matrix and you get into a car chase around the city. 

The intense action sequence heavily features realistic physics such as cars crashing.

Immersion at Its Finest

One of the best features of The Matrix Awakens is the way it reels you inside the world of the Matrix. The world of Matrix has a light green filter that makes everything bleak but never bland. 

As you walk through the sidewalk, you get to meet pedestrians who innocently go on with their lives without knowing that they are inside the Matrix. When you look above, the sky is bright and birds are flying by. 

You can see your reflection in the glass when you pass by a store. You also get to encounter traffic jams within the metropolitan area. What The Matrix Awakens with the Unreal Engine 5 does best provides you with an immersive experience.

Realistic Scenes with the Unreal Engine 5

It is no secret that the game is a demonstration of what Unreal Engine 5 does for the future of gaming. There are a lot of realistic scenes from the 30-minute demo

The Matrix Awakens - Discover the Realism of This Amazing Game
Image Source: Tech Gaming Report

Some of which include extremely believable car crashes that deform the car. Some of the car’s parts can be seen scattered all over the place. The glass from the mirrors is shattered. 

The lighting changes depending on the time of the day. This means that buildings cast a shadow at certain points of the day. 

At night, players are treated to a myriad of lighting coming from inside buildings, the street lights, lights coming from cars that pass by, and even from areas that are far away. The Unreal Engine 5 makes the virtual world as realistic as possible.

Some of the Most Impressive Stats from Matrix Awakens

While The Matrix Awakens is just a tech demo for players to introduce Unreal Engine 5, it is still one of the best and most realistic games to date. The game is under 30GB and has around 30 minutes of gameplay. However, the game still holds a lot of impressive stats even for just a demo. 

The entire city is 4.138 kilometers wide and 4.968 kilometers long which is a little bit larger than Los Angeles. The city covers a large area for players to explore with over 260 kilometers of roads, 1,248 intersections, and 512 kilometers of sidewalk. 

The city also boasts 7,000 unique buildings and more than 45,000 cars, 38,000 of which can be driven by the player. What’s more unique is that these vehicles can be taken to the road and are destructible. Alongside the thousands of vehicles, there are also nearly 35,000 simulated pedestrians within the city.

Some Opportunities That Need Improvement

The game does boast some of the most unique stats in the industry. However, it is not free from opportunities for improvement. 

The Matrix Awakens - Discover the Realism of This Amazing Game
Image Source: Eurogamer

There are still many flaws within the game that can be addressed in future patches or polished if the developers opt to pursue the full game. The epic visuals are the main selling point of the game. However, there are times when the quality of the frame rate drops dramatically as you play along. 

This is not a good sign, especially for a game that is visually intensive as The Matrix Awakens. For players who own consoles, this is going to be an issue as frame rate issues can deter the entire experience. 

The visuals of the game remain top-notch but the performance still leaves a lot of room for improvement. You just can’t have a game with good visuals with mediocre performance

The Next Generation of Gaming Is Near

With all of that said, there is still hope that one day the visuals match the performance. The Unreal Engine 5 is a testament to where gaming is heading in the near future. 

For now, there is still room to grow. The Matrix Awakens might just be a tech demo for the Unreal Engine 5 but it offers a glimpse of what the next generation of gaming is about to become. 

The open-world game is practically a blueprint of what’s to come and we are more than excited to see what will happen in the future.

Conclusion

The Matrix Awakens offers photo-realistic graphics alongside its action-packed game sequences. However, the game is not as flawless as one might think. This often leaves more room for improvements for Unreal Engine 5. 

It’s only a matter of time before we finally get to see what it’s like to live within the world of the Matrix and have it as realistic as the one we’ve seen in The Matrix Awakens.