Indie PS+ Freebies Blast, Creep, and Slash Their Way Through December

Sony has gone compact and independent with its December PS+ freebies. Instead of flaunting a large, attention-grabbing AAA title, they’ve dished out a collection of six smaller-scale games that give fresh spins to old-school concepts, ranging from tactical turn-based adventures to blitzed side-scrolling platformers and echoes of classic cabinet arcade games. Few really stand out from the lot, but there’s enough diversity in what’s there to scratch many different kinds of gaming itches. Let’s take a look.

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Klei Entertainment

PS4

Invisible, Inc

Originally released on PC by Klei Entertainment, Invisible Inc. received praise for its turn-based stealth gameplay and its clinical but engaging narrative, set in the relatively near future and hinged on advanced espionage technology. The game’s title doubles as the name of the game’s focal organization, which operates in corporate espionage until a Bourne or Bond-style compromising of its agents throws the operation into upheaval. Inspiration was taken from XCOM in developing its tactical gameplay, as was its punishing difficulty, which has received both positive comments and frustrated criticisms from players. This console port was released about a year after its debut, and seems to have sneaked onto the platform without many, if any, hitches.

Stories: Path of Destinies

This action-RPG from Spearhead Games takes the idea of “choice and consequence” rather literally. Gameplay-wise, Stories: Path of Destinies appears similar to other isometric, hack-‘n-slash games of its type, reminiscent of indies like Bastion or Torchlight in its controls and incremental upgrades. Powered by its steampunk-inspired atmosphere and talking animals, the narrative branches are what give it distinction, with points throughout the game that allow for different paths to choose for the main character, Reynaldo, to go down. This results in many versions of the story and multiple end points, though they all lead back to righting whatever wrong turns that the player took so they can arrive at the true ending. Stories received negative marks for repetitive and simplistic gameplay, but makes up for it in charm and the choose-your-adventure branching.

InFramez Technology

PS3

Hyper Void

If you’ve ever wondered what the classic Atari game Tempest might look like had it been developed some thirty years later, you’ll have a pretty decent idea after spending some time with Hyper Void. Essentially, it does for the tube-shooter style of games what Geometry Wars did for Asteroids, amplifying the color palette and propelling it with slick electronic music. Much like the games from decades ago, there’s not much to it beyond the straightforward presentation of the side-to-side controls, timed firing, and close to thirty levels of escalating difficulty. The incentive to keep going is rooted in conquering levels and the thrill of the motion, and theren’s nothing wrong with that.

Tiny Troopers Joint Ops

At this point, the top-down shooter games with dual-stick controls need a little extra something to hold one’s interest, whether it’s novel weaponry or unique, challenging level design. Aside from its squatty soldiers and colorful presentation of the battlefield, critics have noted that there isn’t much of that to be found in Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops. Without that little extra something, this warfare shoot-’em-up from Kukouri Mobile Entertainment must rely on the tightness of its controls and the drive to keep pushing forward, a battle that’s tough to conquer for a port of a mobile game. Also playable on PS4 and PS Vita.

Fair Play Labs

PS Vita

Color Guardians

Fair Play Labs had a tight grasp on nostalgia while developing Color Guardians, a brisk side-scrolling platformer that throws together the flow of Donkey Kong Country with the response windows of Sonic the Hedgehog. Lots of challenges are quickly hurled at the player that requires them to maneuver between different colored “guardians” with applicable powers, amounting to seventy levels of quick thinking and quicker reflexes. Like some of those classic platform games, the bright and youthful design masks a demanding gaming experience hinged on precise control mastery.

VVVVVV

There’s a lot of retro gaming going on in this month’s PS+ offerings, so it’s actually a pretty strong words to say that VVVVVV is probably the most retro out of the bunch. That’s because, well, it’s designed to be just that: from the rough 8-bit graphics to the synth music, this old-old-school platformer developed in Flash relishes how antiquated every ounce of it appears. Featuring a grinning or frowning protagonist, Captain Viridian, who’s rescuing members of a spaceship crew at various points in an alternate dimension, VVVVVV operates not on traditional jumping, but on a peculiar gravity shifting mechanic that tests the patience and reflexes of the player.

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