THREE TO PLAY
PSN games you might have missed
Every month loads of games come to the PS Store, and you’d be hard-pressed to play them all, so we take a look at some that didn’t quite make the cut. This issue we’re visiting lost cities and excavating secrets long-buried… that perhaps should’ve stayed that way.
First up we’re travelling back thousands of years to visit
The Forgotten City. In the present day, the titular Roman ruins are littered with absurdly lifelike golden statues and it’s up to your time-travelling investigator to uncover why the people left their city in such an eerie state. You soon discover ‘the golden rule,’ a supernatural maxim that decrees that everyone in the city will perish if even one of them sins. Beginning life as a hugely popular Skyrim mod that went on to win a Writer’s Guild award, this mystery has been in development for nearly a decade in order to become a standalone game. In this final, glistening form, it boasts quests with multiple solutions, and four more endings, plus it makes good use of a time loop – which seems to be the hottest thing in games right now. While the presentation certainly has its rough edges, the setup alone has our interest piqued. There are plenty of twists in this tale worth unspooling.
From there we’re going to make a hop, skip, and a jump to Blue Fire. Throughout the lost kingdom of Penumbra, you can pull off seriously slick platforming pirouettes. In order to uncover its secrets, you make the leap through perilous, 3D obstacle courses and boss battles, acquainting yourself with any survivors still hanging onto the ruins along the way. It’s worth talking to these strange characters as there may be a quest or mystical item in it for you. Between the increasing challenge of its 3D platforming, its mysterious setting, and its unique art style, there’s plenty here to keep you on your toes.
Spooky FMV game Night
Book is the title that brings this column of mysteries to a close. This occult thriller comes from live-action regular Wales Interactive and the producers behind The Complex, set within the desktop of an online interpreter. Our protagonist works hard to support her growing family. Unfortunately, she is tricked into reading a cursed passage and unleashing an evil force in this claustrophobic, interactive tale that was filmed remotely during lockdown. With over a dozen endings, you’ll have reason to read the fatal words again.