With the announcement of the free PS Plus games for April 2021, it is clear that the service changed a pattern slightly during the month.
Truth be told, PS Plus there is only one sacred rule: offering good games. Many would agree that the games offered by Sony are no joke, even if it is not something they would play or have already played. However, PS Plus often changes from one standard to another. It may take some time to realize, but it is usually there. For example, in late 2019 / early 2020, Sony often offered 1 big game and 1 niche game most months. Recently, it has been a little more complicated than that.
In short, PS Plus changed the golden rule; was not only offering good games, but a variety of good games. It is also notable that sometimes a pattern without a dot is not much of a pattern. It remains to be seen if this is a transition or just a speck, but it can be argued that the free games of PS Plus for April 2021 follow the line of this pattern.
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Establishing the PS Plus standard
This pattern has a pretty good catalyst, in general. Practically since before the launch of the PS5, Sony has released bigger, better and more varied games in the service. Looking back since November 2020, however, it shows fans how varied the games were. As a reminder, every month offered a variety in terms of play style, but also in terms of quality. AllStars Destruction reviews, for example, were not the best, but many still liked it. That is the strength of this approach; there is a little bit of everything for everyone.
- November 2020: Middle-earth: shadow of war (Action RPG), Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition (Metroidvania) and Bugsnax (adventure)
- December 2020: Worms Rumble (action game), Just Cause 4 (Action and adventure), Rocket Arena (third-person online shooter), and Bugsnax (Continuous)
- January 2021: Maneater (Shark RPG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Action and adventure), GreedFall (RPG BioWare)
- February 2021: Control: Ultimate Edition (action-adventure game), Concrete Genie (Platform / Action Adventure) and AllStars Destruction (combat in multiplayer vehicles)
- March 2021: Model (puzzle game), Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Action RPG), Remnant: Das Cinzas (third person soul shooter), Farpoint (VR!), and AllStars Destruction (Continuous)
- April 2021: Days gone (zombie action adventure in the open world), Zombie Army 4: Dead War (third person shooter), and Oddworld: Soulstorm (cinematographic platform).
A quick look at these games shows that, even when genres collide, the overall tone is of separate worlds. For example, PS Plus in January 2021 offered two RPG games, but in one the players took on the role of a shark and in the other players they took on a more standard RPG approach. At the same time, February had two games that would qualify as action-adventure games, but the tones were, again, apart. When everything from pure action and pure adventure to multiplayer and VR games, it’s strange that this month’s games are different, but in similar tones.
PS Plus April 2021 walks the line
In short, April 2021 has a theme: zombies. The past few months have seemed more like a hodgepodge of games, with March being the perfect example. A month offering a puzzle game, action RPG, third person shooting, a virtual reality game and a continuous multiplayer game is followed by two zombie games and a platform game. Zombies are classic, but April compares to March. The basic principle is still there, offering good games, but the tone of this month’s games is strange in comparison.
Notably, Days gone it’s more action and adventure with huge hordes of zombies, while Zombie Army 4 is the most general alternative WW2 timeline with zombies. The gameplay, the story and all of that are distinct enough not to break that standard in terms of gameplay, but for those who don’t really care about zombies, this is probably not the best month. After months when the chances are that there is something for someone, it really pushes the standard of being a free PS4 / PS5 game buffet.
In addition, it should be noted that the 2 month offer is a launch on day one on PS Plus. Oddworld: Soulstorm is the single entry for this month, a platform game based on a classic franchise. It is a remake and a renewal of the classic game, but it is not yet known how good it is. As AllStars Destruction proves, however, that he is bound to be loved by some players out there, hopefully gaining the attention of platform fans everywhere.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen what comes next in May, but the next offer may inform the importance of April. If there are two games with similar tones again, the PS Plus standard may be in transition once again. If you go back to the smorgasbord approach, it’s just a speck. What is important, however, is that the aforementioned basic principle remains intact. PS Plus is touted as one of the best services on the PlayStation, for good reason.
PS Plus subscribers receive a handful of free games every month.
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