Every day that goes by, Sony’s next-generation PS5 that’s expected to hit shelves this Holiday season gets closer and closer. Sony has already unveiled the DualSense controller for PS5, the highly-anticipated successor to PS4’s DualShock 4 controller, offering a glimpse at what players can expect from the design of the box. However, with COVID-19 forcingSony to change gears with its PS5 Approach, exactly when it’ll reveal more remains in the air.
With that being said, right now the focus remains on the PlayStation 4 and with the majority of the world currently stuck indoors for the foreseeable future, Sony is trying to make quarantine a little more exciting for PlayStation owners by offeringtwo free PS4 games to all players. April has been a great month for games, but it’s time to start looking toward what free games we’d like to see onPlayStation Plusnext month, so here’s our complete PS Plus free games wish list for May 2020.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition
When Gearbox releasedBorderlands: The Handsome Collectionback in 2015, it was baffling the collection included remastered versions ofBorderlands 2andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but not the original game. The collection was aptly named after popular antagonist Handsome Jacka laAssassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection; however, the reasoning seemed strange when there were only three games in the series at the time. Fast forward to April 2019 and 2K finally releasedBorderlands: Game of the Year Editionfor current-gen consoles in preparation forBorderlands 3, with a Nintendo Switch release expected next month.
Borderlandsmade an immediate lasting impression on the industry, not only for its cel-shaded aesthetic but for being one of the first successful looter-shooters. Taking the loot-driven gameplay grind ofDiabloand combining it with RPG mechanics in a first-person shooter,Borderlandswas thebeginning of a whole new genre of gamesthat really took off this generation with the likes ofDestiny 2,The Division 2, and more.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Editionis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
RELATED:Amazon Potentially Leaks The Last of Us 2’s New Release Date
Gris
Grisis a gorgeous adventure-platformer that follows a young woman whose coming to terms with the five different stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While the story is entirely open to interpretation, players control a woman by the name of Gris (which means “Grey” in Spanish) and must traverse a world that is completely devoid of color, completing levels to slowly bring different colors one by one, and find Gris voice so that she can sing again.
Made by Spanish developer Nomada Studio and published by Devolver Digital,Grishas a stunning minimalistic design that uses water-colors for its aesthetic. Accompanied by an orchestral score, Nomada has created a beautiful and moving 3-4 hour platformer experience that’s sure toplease fans ofJourney,Limbo,The Gardens Between, and evenCeleste, minus the difficulty.
Grisis available now for PC, PS4, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.
Layers of Fear 2
Looking back at the previous generation, there was once a time when the AAA video game industry had all butabandoned horror gamesin favor of shooters and multiplayer modes, relegating the entire genre to indie developers and PC. Luckily, the widespread success of YouTube and Twitch, and games likeAmnesia,Outlast, andSlender, finally put the genre back on the map and brought about recent hits such asResident Evil 2 Remake,The Evil Within 2,Alien Isolation, and even some dark fiction-style games likeBloodborne.
One developer that’s been quietly working away in the background is Bloober Team, consistently releasing quality horror games year after year includingLayers of Fear,Observer, andlast year’sBlair Witch. Labeled as a psychological thriller, Bloober Team’sLayer of Fear 2is one of the best horror games available on PS4 at the moment. Lasting roughly 5-7 hours, players take control of a Hollywood actor that “heeds the call of an enigmatic director,” and must explore a mysterious ocean liner to find their way out all while being chased down by something that’s not quite human.
Layers of Fear 2is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
RELATED:What to Do in Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Post Game
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront 2has had an interesting history. Prior to launch, fans were underwhelmed with the direction of the reboot and eagerly awaiting a sequel that appeared to be making good on everything they were asking for: a campaign mode, an interesting story from the perspective of the Empire, characters from all three trilogies, and a more robust multiplayer experience.Star Wars: Battlefront 2promised it all, and industry defining loot-box controversies aside, it couldn’t deliver on that promise.
Fast forward to 2020 and developer DICE has managed to completely turn the game around through years of consistent support and updates. In the past five months,Star Wars: Battlefront 2has received an update forThe Rise of Skywalker, amajor update focused on the original trilogy, and is due to receive Rogue One themed Scarif content in the coming weeks. DICE has taken the time and care to deliver on the promise it made forBattlefront 2from the start and releasing the game on PS Plus is a great way for lapsed fans to come back and give it another chance.
Star Wars: Battlefront IIis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Earlier this week, Sony released the latest firmware update in the form ofPS4 System Update 7.5which aimed to improve system performance across the board. Unfortunately for some players, the update has led to some unexpected issues with a percentage of users reporting system-wide crashes, infinite boot loops, and disk drive errors, amongst other problems. Hopefully, Sony will be able to come up with a quick fix so users aren’t kept away from the free April PS Plus and ‘Play at Home’ games for too long.
PlayStation Plusmembers receive two free games every month with their subscription.
