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There are many games that are associated with the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Tiers. The sheer amount of games might be overwhelming but there are a bunch of games that shouldn’t be overlooked when you have this service. I am a person who has the premium tier but for purposes of this article, I am just going to focus on the ones that can be downloaded; aka, I am leaving out the PS3 streaming only games. I recently made a list that focused on Game Pass titles, but these are games that are not on that service but are on this one. Please note, that this list is in no particular order.
1) Kingdom Hearts: 1.5/2.5, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memories (Square Enix) – $230
Where oh where do I start with these titles? Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Roxas, Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Kari, Xehanort, and every other character that are within these titles are all phenomenal in there own way, shape, or form. Some of these games are definitely better than others (if you know, you know). Some people think the IP has a very convoluted story, but honestly if you played all of the games, and used your brain a bit; the story is indeed able to be followed. The music in all of the games are outstanding, the art and visual styles do vary but they all have their individual beauty, and the voice acting in all of the games are also terrific. If you haven’t played these games before, you need to do so ASAP! I don’t know what else I can say about this franchise, except it is probably one of my favorite IPs, even through the rough patches of games. I even have been replaying some of them this year for fun, and they are still a blast to this day.
2) Returnal (Housemarque / SIE) – $70
Honestly, I am not a glutton for punishment kind of gamer and I normally stay away from tough as nails titles. Returnal was a game that I bought day one on the fact that the reviews were good all around and the trailers sold me on the game. I was still taking the chance on it nonetheless. Well, I ended up reviewing it back in 2021 and loving every minute I spent in it. You can check out my full thoughts here, but then the game got free DLC with the tower and I ended up going back to it this year to get the platinum trophy. Man, this game is still one of the best titles that Sony has put out for the PS5 generation that is console exclusive and isn’t also on PS4. I hope that Housemarque gets to make a sequel to this game or something of this caliber, as they are a terrific team.
3) Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital) – $20
I am not sure where to start or end with this game. Honestly, you might think you know what you are getting with this title, but you don’t. Honestly, my greatest piece of advice for this game is DON’T LOOK UP ANYTHING before playing it. The trailers that you may have seen for the game, is only the beginning. But what is it specifically? Well, its a wild ride that will live on to be one of my favorite games of all time. The music, scenery, dialogue, and everything else within this title is so well crafted, and the ambiance of what is portrayed is a mystery to unwind. Saying anything more would spoil the game. Just play it! Also, since I liked it so much and I unfortunately missed the Special Reserve Games sale, I went out and found a copy for my permanent physical collection.
4) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerilla / SIE) – $50
PlayStation games for me have always held a special space in my heart since I was a kid. However, a lot of their current IPs don’t have as strong of a bond with me compared those of their past. One of the exclusions to this; however, is the Horizon franchise. I think it is critical to play Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition before playing Forbidden West, but this is a game that is a must play for fans of open world action adventure games. I reviewed the game last year and I still remember vividly what the ending showcases. It basically is preparing everyone for something that is going to turn everything on its side with the world that Guerilla set up. I won’t spoil the plot line, but it is a game that people shouldn’t overlook on the service if they didn’t already play it.
5) Destroy All Humans! Remake (Black Forest Games / THQ Nordic) – $40
I loved this game back on the PS2, and thought the visuals were definitely outdated to today’s standard. This remake came out quite a while ago and it is a fantastic remake for the game that is about destroying all humans. I think this game has a lot of content from the main story that is full of wacky and fun moments to the side content that is equal parts challenging and rewarding. The sequel game is also on the service, but based on my review and experience with the sequel, I think the first one is worth more of your time compared to the second one. It probably is patched by now, but my love for the franchise was always the first two games specifically, and based on my experiences with the remakes, the first remake is the superior game.
6) What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive) – $20
First person games and me are a combination that have gotten better over time. This was one of my first titles that I played in first person. This game is a rollercoaster of many emotions that range from moments of happiness to multiple sections of sadness. Every character that you explore their story with tells many concepts from what occurred in the house and how they ended up the way they did. Many parts of the game have different art styles, a style of music, and/or a bit of a different gameplay configuration. I was always wanting to see what comes next, even if it meant diving deeper into the family backstory and causing more emotional heartache on myself. I think it is better to explore this game without spoiling anything beyond to recommend this title to fans of adventure games.
7) Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab) – $40
This was a game that came out of a studio that never made a game before, but rather they were a team that crafted commercials and did the popular Majora’s Mask Terrible Fate video. Chipz actually did both a written review for the game, and a video based review for the game with thanks to Ember Lab for sending a code to him. My thoughts on the game are fairly similar to what he said. The game may look very cutesy or easy to beat, but oh no… its definitely not something to be taken lightly. I played on the standard difficulty during my playthrough and it was still tough to get through. I think there are aspects to the game that are absolutely terrific from the art and music. The gameplay was all around was fun and well built but there was some issues with the way the combat sometimes worked. I still highly recommend this game to action adventure fans even with some of the issues I had with it.
8) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Vanillaware / Atlus) – $60
Atlus has some amazing output that they themselves develop from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise to the worlds of the Persona games. I am super excited to play Persona 5 Tactica next week, but in the meantime, maybe checking out one of their published games from Vanillaware will fill you enough until the next big Atlus title drops. 13 Sentinels was a game I was taking a chance on if I am being honest, but holy s*** I am glad I did! This adventure game crossed with tower defense has an almost perfect narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat until you roll credits after about 30 hours. Play this fantastic game, its a masterpiece that will forever live on to be one of my favorites of all time.
9) Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / SIE) – $20
If you haven’t played a Quantic Dream game from their trilogy of Sony releases, this is probably their strongest one. I started to play the other two (Heavy Rain / Beyond Two Souls) but didn’t find the character connections as strong compared to the three you play as in Detroit. Playing as multiple android characters that are trying to find their place in the world of humans is an extremely powerful idea from the start. However, the stories that Markus, Connor, and Kara each individually go through that talks and shows themes of discovery, slavery, civil rights, child abuse, depression, and so much more make connecting with these characters even more powerful. It can sometimes come off as too powerful and the game has some extremely uncomfortable situations, but I honestly enjoyed that feeling as it gives more of a weight to the choices you are making throughout the playthrough(s).
10) Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (Game Atelier / FDG Entertainment) – $40
I did not end up playing this game on PlayStation. Rather, this game was one I played and beat on the Nintendo Switch. Since it is on the PS+ collection, I actually may end up checking this game out on PlayStation and replay one of my favorite metroidvania action platformer titles. I hope that this team can continue working on this franchise, or even something brand new as they are talented with what is here. This game had, at least when I played it, a level of polish and completeness that I rarely see in the current AAA market unfortunately. The artistic style and musical score that is in the game even rivals some AAA games and even the top tier indie scene. I think this is a must play game if you are a fan of indies and action platformers.
Savings With PS+: An MSRP of $590 (not including cost of subscription to PS+ Extra or Premium)
There are loads, upon loads of other games and franchises I wish I could highlight that are part of the service, but that article would be like 50 games long. I might do more articles highlighting more titles over time, but these should hold people over for a while. Titles change over time, and some of these titles might not be on the service permanently, so I recommend playing them while you can. Not everyone will like everything here, but there should be something for most individuals. What game would you recommend to people who have the service? It could be a diamond in the rough, a classic Sony title, or something in-between. I would love to have a conversation about the service and the games available on it.
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