PS Plus members usually get a number of free games every month. This month, however, Sony Interactive Entertainment is offering a special bonus.
1. INFAMOUS SECOND SON (PS4)
DEVELOPED by Sucker Punch Productions, inFAMOUS Second Son is a fresh, open-world action-adventure story in the popular inFamous series. Set years after the initial installments, you’ll play as Delsin Rowe who unexpectedly discovers his own superhuman powers and must choose how to use them in a world where superhumans are now feared.
Step into a locked-down Seattle, enjoy your power as you choose how to push your awesome abilities to the limit and witness the consequences of your actions as they affect the city and people around you. You are the master of your own destiny.
The game was initially developed while the PlayStation 4 was still in its design phase. Sucker Punch Productions frequently met up with PS4’s lead system architect Mark Cerny and gave him feedback on how much power a new PlayStation system would require to render the team’s ideal open world, along with how detailed the visuals would be. This is how the game ended up being released for PlayStation 4.
2. BOUND: SHATTERED KINGDOM (PS4)
BOUND: Shattered Kingdom transports you into a beautiful, fantastical world that exists in the mind of an unnamed princess revisiting the memories of her childhood. Use dance moves to traverse vast environments filled with challenges. As the game progresses, the introspective story unfolds through powerful metaphor and imagery, adding emotional depth to the protagonist’s journey.
The game uses an Edge Guard to prevent the player from falling off certain platforms because the developer believed this detracted from the experience by forcing players to pay closer attention to the character’s legs than the world. There are places where the figure can fall and die, but it will respawn nearby.
3. DEEMO: THE LAST RECITAL (PS Vita)
Deemo: The Last Recital is a music rhythm game and story of urban fantasy by PM Studios. Deemo is a mystic that lives in solitude in a castle all by itself. His life changes when a little girl with memory loss unknowingly falls from the sky.
Deemo realises that whenever he plays the piano, a tree in front of him will grow taller.
Confident that the tree can grow tall enough to help the little girl reach the sky from where she came from, the two then play the piano together. Will Deemo be able to help the little girl regain her memories and get her home?
Deemo: The Last Recital is an adaptation of the mobile game Deemo. The mobile game version is a piano music rhythm game developed by Rayark Games. It has the same storyline as the PS Vita adaptation and is available on iOS and Android devices for free.
4. TOKYO JUNGLE (PS3)
The only PlayStation 3 offering in this month’s lineup, Tokyo Jungle, is a survival action game by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. It takes place in a deserted, futuristic Tokyo where the city has devolved into a vicious wildlife wasteland.
Mankind is extinct, which leaves the animals to fend for themselves.
In Story Mode, players will go through missions centred on specific animals and discover the truth behind mankind’s extinction. On Survival Mode, players will take control of a group of animals and see which group can survive the longest. You can also play Survival Mode with other players via local multiplayer.
Despite the odd game concept, the game generally received good reviews with Eurogamer’s Ellie Gibson describing it as “basically Grand Theft Auto with lions”. The game was so popular that it was included in the “Best of PlayStation Network Vol. 1” compilation disc. There is also a grid-based version of the game released for the PlayStation Mobile.
5. RIGS MECHANIZED COMBAT LEAGUE (PS4/PSVR)
The first virtual reality game to be included in the PS Plus free games lineup, RIGS Mechanized Combat League is a first-person arena-based shooter developed from the ground up for the PlayStation VR. Set in the year 2065, it immerses players in an intense, all-action future sport that mixes elements from different athletic fields like combat sports, motorsports, basketball and football.
Players take control of mechs known as “RIGS” to partake in those professional sports competitions.
There are 4 RIGS classes in the game with a total of 24 RIGS available to players. Each of those RIGS have their own weapons loadout and ability, such as one having a warhead missile launcher as a weapons loadout and the ability to fully regain health when an opponent has been taken down.
You do not need PS4 Pro to play this game. All you need is the PlayStation VR headset and any type of PlayStation 4 console to enjoy RIGS. Fair warning, you will need time to get used to the game as it may cause dizziness due to the sheer amount of action in virtual reality.