THREE TO PLAY
PSN games you might have missed Every month, loads of games come to the PS Store. You’d be hard pressed to play them all, so we’re looking at some that didn’t quite make the cut. This month we journey through strange new lands in three different ways – u
Before we dwell too long on that dated reference, let’s first take a look at action strategy title Minecraft Legends. Like all games under the evergrowing Minecraft umbrella, it’s not so much just what’s up top that you’ve got to worry about, but what’s happening deeper underground. In Legends, that’s a pyromaniacal Piglin uprising threatening to burn down the idyllic Overworld. However, while collecting resources and protecting your base remain key to gameplay, much of the titular mining and crafting feels strictly-surface level to us. As you explore the Overworld, you can form alliances with friends in multiplayer and gather mobs of familiars to charge into battle with you against the squealing, incendiary threat. Now, let’s make some bacon!
Speaking of enticing scents, do you smell that? Yes, it’s the breathable atmosphere of a far-flung planet! From the developer of Tropico 5, Haemimont Games, comes
base-building survival sim Stranded: Alien Dawn. Rather than just having to worry about keeling over from exposure, hunger, or dehydration, you’re tasked with keeping a gaggle of shipwrecked survivors alive. It could be a utopian beginning for you and your companions – though for some reason the gang has decided to bring the shadow of capitalism along for the ride. That means that between hiring workers and trading resources, you can print your own money and even craft papers claiming you own the entire planet!
From far-flung alien vistas to a side-scrolling fantasy world called Engardin, next up is Afterimage, which you explore in non-linear fashion, discovering new abilities in the manner of a rather aggressive Great Uncle Bulgaria. Featuring screen upon screen of lovingly rendered 2D hand-drawn art, this metroidvania encourages you to find your own fighting style by experimenting with an impressive array of weaponry through fast-paced fisticuffs. As flashy as Afterimage is, for us it’s hard not to feel all thumbs in the heat of combat – however, where we falter you may just discover your new favourite.