As one month ends and another begins, we often take a moment to reflect on the last four weeks and look forward to what the proceeding month has to offer. If you are a PlayStation 4 or 5 user, naturally, you will focus on the truly important things, like the next batch of PlayStation Plus free games. As of April 5th, you will be able to get your hands on Hood: Outlaws and Legends (PS4, PS5), Slay the Spire (PS4) and Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Reyhydrated (PS4).
Read on for our full overview of the games, otherwise, follow this link for some gameplay footage of each title included.
Image source: Wikipedia
Hood: Outlaws and Legends
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Developer: Sumo Digital
Genre: Action/Multiplayer
Series: Hood: Outlaws and Legends
Certificate: 15+
Released: 7th May 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/X/S, Microsoft Windows
The first game on this list is Hood: Outlaws and Legends and is available for both Playstation 4 and 5. Courtesy of Focus Entertainment, this is effectively a Robin Hood simulator with a dash of stealth thrown in and organised into a Player Vs Player Vs Environment (PvPvE) set up. Playing as part of Robin Hood’s band of merry men in the medievel times, you are tasked with infiltrating a heavily-protected fort of AI guards to pillage the loot inside. Seems straightforward, right? Well, there is a twist.
You are also competing against another band of outlaws, hellbent on securing that tasty loot. The heist is split into three segments: entering the fort via a dropped key from a randomly generated miniboss, opening the vault and escaping to safety. This is where that opposing clan, licking their lips for your yummy takings try to spoil your day. Posing a much greater challenge than the AI guards, these PVP ambushes can be intense. The main fighting classes include a ranged archer, a juggernaut tank and a huntress.
Although Hood: Outlaws and Legends is under a year old and a visually stunning game with a unique format, a severe content drought has resulted in a dwindling player base. More content has and will probably continue to be added.
Image source: Rock Paper Shotgun
Slay the Spire
Publisher: Mega Crit Games
Developer: Mega Crit Games
Genre: Action/Multiplayer
Series: Slay the Spire
Certificate: 3+
Released: 14th November 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android
The next game on this list is… difficult to explain, so bear with me here. This Mega Crit Games creation tasks you with climbing a spire (hence the name) armed with a deck of cards to defeat enemies on your way up. Defeating enemies rewards you with new cards to prepare you for your next combat sequence. This is essentially a card deck-building game crossed with PvE combat, where you focus on building the perfect deck of cards for defeating monsters. While this is a fairly basic mechanic, it can get crazily detailed, complex and addictive the more time you invest in it. Plus its charming and artistic animation style is easy on the eyes.
Check out this gameplay footage to fully understand how the game works.
Image source: Super Parent
Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Developer: Purple Lamp Studios
Genre: Platform Game
Series: Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated
Certificate: 3+
Released: 21st January 2020
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Stadia, OS, Microsoft Windows
The final game on this list is a remaster (or, ‘rehydration’) of the 2003 PS2 classic of the same name. To abbreviate, ‘Battle for Bikini Bottom’ is a platformer, where you can play as Patrick, Sandy or the fabled Sea Sponge himself, each equipped with unique skills and abilities. You are tasked with defending your underwater dwelling from an invasion of robots created by Plankton to seize control of Bikini Bottom. There is not much else to say about this game other than Spongebob has never looked so dashing as his current Unreal Engine 4K resolution depiction.
Final Words
There you have it, the PlayStation Plus free games in April 2022. A mixed bag overall as Hood: Outlaws and Legends and Slay the Spire offer some unique gaming experiences while ‘Battle for Bikini Bottom certainly offers some childhood nostalgia. With an overall saving of roughly 61 BPS, this is an okay entry of free games. Keep up with all of our gaming content by following this link.
Verdict – 6/10 – okay
