PlayStation Plus' games for May are What Remains of Edith Finch, Overcooked
Food for thought.
Sony has revealed the game it'll be tossing into the laps of PlayStation Plus subscribers this month - and while they're arguably lower-key offerings compared to recent efforts, they're still good 'uns.
First up is Giant Sparrow's masterful narrative adventure What Remains of Edith Finch. It's a game very much in the walking simulator mould (so your mileage may vary), but it's an absolutely breathtaking example of the genre, with each of its story vignettes incorporating new visual styles, moods, and gameplay mechanics, to create an experience that continues to surprise and delight across its several-hours run-time.
Each of those vignettes focusses on one specific member of the Finch family, all seemingly cursed to die at before their time. And as you pick through the Finch's gloriously realised homestead, with its cluttered corridors, secret passageways, and preposterous architecture, the truth behind their sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes horrifying tales is revealed.
Eurogamer liked Edith Finch enough to rank it the second best game of 2017, with Christian Donlan calling it a "complex visual delight and a brisk examination of family life, death, and all those other big themes that aren't often dealt with in as sprightly or searching a manner as this."
"What Remains of Edith Finch is," he concluded, "the sort of game that comes along once in a decade if you're lucky. In 2017 we were suddenly very, very lucky indeed."
PlayStation Plus' second offering is miles away from the nuanced narrative fancies of Edith Finch, but it's no less entertaining. Developer Ghost Town Games' Overcooked is a frequently raucous arcade cooking romp, focussed on local co-op play.
Each level tasks up to four players with dashing around an awkwardly shaped kitchen, preparing ingredients and assembling dishes in order to satisfy as many patrons as possible before the time runs out. It's pure, hilarious chaos, although frequently capable of generating some heated arguments when the pressure cranks up, despite its cute, wholesome veneer.
"It's one of those video games people suggest at a party with an expectant glint in their eye," said Johnny Chiodini in his Eurogamer Recommended review, "It's messy, it's sweary and I hope it stays around for a very long time."
And that's your lot for May on PlayStation Plus now that PS3 and PlayStation Vita games are no more. What Remains of Edith Finch and Overcooked will be available to download as part of a Plus subscription from 7th May.