Last year, Sony's Play At Home initiative was PlayStation's response to COVID-19 quarantines. It initially offered two major PlayStation exclusives, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey as free downloads open to all PlayStation 4 owners, regardless of whether or not they subscribed to PlayStation Plus.
Sony brought the initiative back this month, with the PS4 remake of Ratchet & Clank and an extended trial of Funimation's anime streaming service available for a limited time. However, that turned out to just be the opening round, as Sony has announced 10 games that will be available to download for free on the PlayStation Store. Nine will be available from March 25 through April 22, while arguably the program's highest profile offering to date, Horizon Zero Dawn, will be available from April 19 through May 14. Here's what you should know about these games.
Abzû
Abzû is a game PlayStation Trophy hunters won't want to miss; it can be 100 percent completed in less than three hours. It's worth playing for reasons beyond virtual hardware too. Beyond being a rare game that can be completed in one sitting, Abzû is a visually stunning experience that's great for fans of games like Journey. In spite of its short length, it's not a frantic experience. Instead, it rewards exploration and tells a story without dialogue. The underwater setting helps Abzû avoid feeling like a stereotypical "walking simulator."
Astro Bot Rescue Mission
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is one of three PlayStation VR games being offered starting on March 25. The predecessor to PlayStation 5 pack-in game Astro's Playroom, Astro Bot was considered a killer app for PSVR when it was released in 2018. At an average of 90, this is Metacritic's highest rated PSVR game. It transports the traditional 3D platformer to VR and, like it's PS5 sequel, it serves as both a good tech demo and a legitimately good game in its own right. Anyone on the fence about picking up a PSVR headset might want to take the plunge to play this game.
Enter the Gungeon
Enter the Gungeon sets itself apart from the glut of roguelikes on the market with its pop culture references and the inspiration it takes from the bullet hell subgenre. It also features a huge amount of weapons, with 243 guns in the game, plus another 271 support items. Released in 2016, Enter The Gungeon received updates for years, and now has a considerable amount of content. Like any good dungeon crawler, it's not solely a solo experience; it also has couch co-op.
Moss
Moss is another well reviewed PSVR game that will be available through Play at Home. Like Astro Bot, Moss adapts another familiar genre to VR, in this case an action RPG. It gives players control over both the titular mouse hero in combat and the environment she's interacting with during puzzle solving segments. The game scales its perspective to its diminutive protagonist's size, making it stand out from other games in the genre, VR or otherwise. Moss' whimsical fantasy setting makes it a good family-friendly offering.
Paper Beast
Paper Beast is a VR game from Éric Chahi, creator of classics Another World and Heart of Darkness. Players unravel the game's story through exploration, with some light puzzle elements thrown in for good measure. True to Chahi's previous games, Paper Beast is light on explanation, meaning players will have to figure out solutions on their own. The title's main draw is its unique visual style, which renders its animal characters in an origami style unlike anything else on the market.
Rez Infinite
Rez Infinite is billed as "the ultimate version" of the cult classic originally released on the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast in 2001. It combines rail shooter gameplay with EDM music for a singular, synesthesiatic experience, similar to Tetris Effect. Infinite adds VR functionality to Rez, though it's an optional component, so those without a headset can still enjoy the game. In addition to the original game, Infinite also includes "Area X," a new mode where players can free roam through the game's cyberspace environment.
Subnautica
Subnautica is an aquatic entry into the open-world survival genre. Set on an alien planet, players take on the role of the sole survivor of a spaceship crash. Players can craft everything from tools to submersibles. They also have to manage their health, hunger, thirst and oxygen. There are different modes to modify the game. Creative and Freedom Modes offer more casual experiences, while Hardcore Mode features permadeath. Players who have missed out on the game since its PS4 port in 2018 will get a chance to download it starting on March 25.
Thumper
Thumper is a game in the unique genre of "rhythm violence." Like Rez, it features optional PSVR support. Impressively, it was developed by a two man team: Marc Flury programmed the game, and Brian Gibson (bassist for the band Lightning Bolt) provided its art and composed its music. In Thumper, players guide a "space beetle" through tracks by hitting notes in time with the game's soundtrack. They also have to deal with obstacles and enemies while keeping up with the game's "rhythm hell" speed. They're scored after each section, giving the game an arcade quality.
The Witness
The Witness is developer Jonathan Blow's followup to seminal indie game Braid. Inspired by classic adventure game Myst, this is an open world puzzle game that doesn't hold its audience's hands. Players have to figure out the solutions on their own, which includes decoding symbols without hints or tutorials. As a consequence, some of the game's 650 puzzles are brutally hard. Luckily, its open world means that you can always move on to another puzzle if you're stuck on one. Another mitigating factor is that not every puzzle needs to be solved to complete the game.
Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition
Horizon Zero Dawn is easily the highest profile game being given away in this round of Play at Home. It sets itself apart from other open world, post-apocalyptic games with its neo-primitive setting and deliberate combat. Its pacing is more like Monster Hunter than a traditional button-mashing action game.
Horizon will be available to download starting on April 19. Like Ratchet & Clank, the game has is a sequel in the works that is slated to release late this year: Horizon Forbidden West. This makes Play at Home the perfect opportunity for those who missed out this incredible game to finally try it before the next installment arrives. Complete Edition also includes all of the game's DLC, including The Frozen Wilds expansion.