10 hidden gems on PlayStation Plus –

As you know, there are plenty of great games for Playstation Plus Extra/Premium and Xbox Game Pass and it’s easy to miss the goodies. That’s why a few years ago I wrote a series of three articles on gems for these two services, focusing on highlighting titles that I feared many of you would have missed, a concept that quickly became popular. Since these articles are now outdated as games come and go, I thought I would offer a round of new gems just in time for the summer.

Last week I offered the first installment of games for Game Pass, and the idea is to give you tips on the games you may have missed, so you won’t find God of War, Gran Turismo or Uncharted in this series of articles, but a lot of other fun stuff for many different tastes. Look below for ten great tips that will make your gaming life more enjoyable. Also reminds that some games that were in the Game Pass list are also available for PlayStation Plus and vice versa.

Choir

Chorus received a lot of attention before its launch three years ago, but then quickly disappeared from the minds. Too bad, because it is an incredible game that many unfortunately missed. It offers an intense space adventure in which you follow Nara, a skilled pilot with a dark past, on her journey to fight an evil cult. With an innovative combat system, where you perform acrobatic maneuvers in your intelligent spaceship Forsaken, Chorus offers an adrenaline-filled and engaging gaming experience. The exceptionally well-designed graphics combined with an atmospheric soundscape create an immersive space opera not to be missed.

Concrete Mind

In the adventure oddly titled Concrete Genie, we follow Ash, a creative teenager, as he uses his magic brush to revive his dilapidated hometown with vibrant artwork and imaginative creatures. The unique combination of platforming action and painting (thanks to motion-sensitive hand controls) makes for both fresh and engaging gameplay. With striking hand-drawn graphics and a gripping story about bullying, Concrete Genie was a worthy ending for developer Pixelopus, which unfortunately closed after its release. But the game lives on and deserves to be discovered by more people.

Hardspace Shipbreaker

Remember those giant wrecks on Jakku we saw in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where Rey was looking for parts to sell? How about scrapping spaceships yourself? In Hardspace Shipbreaker, you take on the role of a spaceship dismantler with the mission of cutting up and recycling abandoned spaceships. This unique premise, along with realistic physics systems, makes each mission an interesting challenge that never gets boring. It is all nicely framed by a story about labor relations (the union would have views) that gives the title a surprising emotional depth.

Encryption

Using playing cards in new ways has become increasingly common in recent years, and one such example is Inscryption. Here we witness a dark and atmospheric mix of card games, roguelike elements and puzzle solving, where you must use your wits and well-chosen cards to survive in a mysterious hut. Each round is a thrilling experience, with unexpected twists and turns and secrets slowly revealed in a cozy horror setting. If you’re looking for a game that combines strategy, horror and a compelling story, Inscryption is something Playstation Network subscribers should download and enjoy.

Paradise Killer

This game takes you to a surreal island with a mysterious murder mystery to solve. We step into the shoes of detective Lady Love Dies, and it offers a fairly open world full of eccentric characters and secrets. One of the highlights – besides the premise – we find the electronic soundtrack that creates a very pleasant atmosphere to solve problems. Thanks to the freedom to collect evidence and interview suspects in any order and do everything at your own pace, Paradise Killer offers a very engaging and non-linear detective experience like I have never played before.

Prodeus

The game breathes new life into the classic first-person genre with a modern twist, where retro-inspired graphics and cutting-edge technology come together. As our eminent contributor Jocke Sjögren wrote in his review, “Prodeus is a depiction of simple but oh-so-musical action from a time when gaming fun was synonymous with fast pace and visual spectacle, and for my part, I can think of no better way to start the Swedish autumn than with this brisk walk through demon-filled corridors where gritty monster blood breaks the gray-brown rustling weather in the company of screaming guitars and heart-rate-raising drum beats.”

Red 2

If you missed futuristic anti-gravity racing in the vein of F-Zero and Wipeout as much as we did, you should definitely check out Redout 2. There are 36 tracks to race on (all of which can also be played in reverse), a meaty career mode and plenty of customization options with things any mechanic interested in hovercraft racing needs to know, such as rudders, coolers, rocket engines, magnets and more. Since neither Nintendo nor Sony seem to be more interested in the game mode, this is a more than acceptable replacement that will keep you entertained for a long time.

Towerfall Ascension

This was long described as a Battle Royale game before the subgenre exploded. But on the same premise as Smash Bros, it involves wiping each other out in extremely frantic battles that are guaranteed to leave your friends cursing heavily. It is also possible to play together, but it is in fighting each other (especially those who have some gaming experience) that the greatness lies.

Unpack

Helping someone unpack boxes after a move may not sound very exciting, but despite a seemingly sleepy concept, I dare say that those who have played Unpacking will think about it for the rest of their lives. It really is a very enjoyable game that is hard to put down and gets so personal that at times it feels like being a shameless window-dresser. It consists merely of sleepily unpacking things with no time limit, which is so ingeniously designed that my mind effortlessly draws lines between all the objects and links them to the identity of the protagonist, who thus becomes a real living person who has experienced both joy and sorrow. Don’t miss it!

World of Final Fantasy

Don’t be fooled by the game’s graphics, which are delightfully cute and colorful, complete with chibi-like characters. World of Final Fantasy offers a deep and complex gameplay experience that unfortunately seems to have been missed by too many people – including fans of Final Fantasy itself. The battle system is an interesting mix of traditional turn-based combat combined with something more reminiscent of Pokémon. This system gives the game an original and innovative place in the series, and to succeed well requires a lot of tactical thinking to defeat tough bosses. The adventure is endearingly moving as main characters Lann and Reynn try to recover their lost memories. This forces them to travel through the imaginative world of Grymoire, which is filled with humor, heartwarming moments and unexpected twists. As a bonus, the game is packed with references and cameos from the entire Final Fantasy series, making it a true nostalgia trip for fans.