Free PS5 game introduces giant boss that reacts to every gunshot

The new season turns sound into both a weapon and a threat.

That's the idea behind the latest update to Once Human, a free-to-play survival game.

Starry Studio has confirmed that the next season, Dissonant Resonance, arrives globally on 18 November.

The headline addition is the Sky Living-Machine Colossus, an enormous boss modelled on a cathedral pipe organ.

Lead game designer Vincent Tao explained that the developers wanted to make music an active part of the gameplay, rather than something that simply plays in the background.

The Colossus changes its appearance in real time as players fight beneath it, reacting to the sounds they make.

"What if the music wasn't just playing in your headset, but was the literal breathing and judgment of a cosmic monstrosity watching your every move?" Tao wrote in a post on the PlayStation Blog.

How Once Human's new Emotion Zones work

The update introduces four Emotion Zones, named Joy, Anger, Sorrow and Fear.

Enemies scatter musical notes when defeated, which players can shoot to produce different sounds.

Players can also collect the notes to build melodies, eventually transforming a corrupted musical score into a harmonious one and unlocking rewards for their team.

And there's another challenge waiting for them.

Once the Colossus remains in one location long enough, a rift portal opens, allowing players to enter and fight the creature directly.

The battle takes place inside a ruined cathedral, where teams of four must work together to silence glowing pipes and disrupt the music powering the boss.

The update also introduces a new companion called Silent Statue, which can absorb elemental energy during combat and provide bonuses to the team.