Sony has revealed the six free games that PlayStation Plus members will be able to redeem throughout the month of June. Once again, it’s a very indie-heavy month, though with a bit more major studio power behind it this time.
The new PlayStation Plus games will go live this coming Tuesday, June 2nd. Thus, if you have yet to redeem Guacamelee!: Super Turbo Championship Edition, Ether One, The Unfinished Swan, Race the Sun, Hohokum, or Murasaki Baby, you have until then to do so. Afterward, these games will go back to their original paid prices for PlayStation Plus members.
As usual, you must have and maintain an active PlayStation Plus membership to redeem and play any free games redeemed through PlayStation Plus at any time.
Without further ado then, let’s lay out which freebies will be offered on current PlayStation platforms next month:
To start, PlayStation 4 owners will be able to redeem Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. This stealth-action game has players infiltrating a Cuban military base circa 1975, as legendary soldier, Snake, in order to rescue captured allies. There are also bonus missions and challenges to further extend the experience. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was praised for its beautiful production values and tight, challenging stealth-action gameplay, but it was also extensively criticized for being extremely short, beatable in less than an hour if you’re skilled, and essentially serving as a paid demo for this September’s upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is also available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
The second free PlayStation 4 offering for June is Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition. Releasing for the first time on PlayStation 4 on June 2nd, Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition is a special enhanced edition of the original Skulls of the Shogun, with lots of new features and entire new campaign segments, expanded from the game originally published by Microsoft for Xbox Live Arcade, and also releasing on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux, the App Store, the Google Play Store, Windows Phone, and Ouya. The game is a fast-paced turn-based strategy game, which tasks players with assembling an army of samurai in the afterlife, and fighting to regain their bony honour. The original Skulls of the Shogun release received positive feedback, praising its engaging challenge and addictive gameplay. Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition is currently available for PC, Mac and Linux.
Next, PlayStation 3 owners can start by redeeming Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. This digital download follow-up to Ubisoft’s Old West shooter series tasks players with taking control of dishonest bounty hunter, Silas Greaves, who is out to put down anyone who crosses him. The game was praised for its addictive, score-chasing action, though some criticized it for having uninspired boss battles. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is also available for PC and Xbox 360.
The second free PlayStation 3 reward for June is Cloudberry Kingdom. A ludicrous indie platforming gauntlet, Cloudberry Kingdom puts players in control of retired video game hero, Bob, who must rescue a spoiled princess from a tired villain. The game is noteworthy for its procedurally-generated levels and insane challenge, with millions of unique level combinations being possible, leading to an experience that never feels the same twice. We reviewed Cloudberry Kingdom for PLAY 2013 two Summers ago, praising its programming genius and tongue-in-cheek co-op, though criticizing its simplistic nature and the limited appeal behind its staggering difficulty. Cloudberry Kingdom is also available for PC, Xbox 360 and Wii U. It was planned for Mac, Linux and PlayStation Vita, though these versions are MIA, and appear to have been quietly cancelled.
Lastly, PlayStation Vita owners will first get Super Exploding Zoo, a blend of tower defense and puzzle-solving, which tasks players with defending a cluster of eggs from attacking aliens. How? With exploding animals of course! Super Exploding Zoo comes from the developer of Hohokum, and will release on the PlayStation Store for the first time on June 2nd, where it will be exclusive. Better still is that Super Exploding Zoo is cross-buy, so redeemers will score the game’s PlayStation Vita version and PlayStation 4 version together! A PlayStation 3 version is also apparently planned, though the PlayStation Blog only lists the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 versions as being a part of the PlayStation Plus lineup.
Finally, the second free PlayStation Vita game for June will be Futuridium EP Deluxe. This crazy retro-inspired action-shooter blends electronic music beats with fast-paced, addictive arcade-style gameplay. This enhanced PlayStation re-release is an update of the original Futuridium EP for PC, Mac and iOS, and received reasonably positive reception upon its initial release last September, namely centering around its addictive gameplay and dance-friendly soundtrack. Like Super Exploding Zoo, Futuridium EP Deluxe also happens to be cross-buy, so PlayStation Plus members will be able to score not only a free PlayStation Vita download when they redeem this reward, but also a free PlayStation 4 download with that, and vice-versa!
This selection feels a bit more varied and appealing compared to last month’s especially indie-heavy lineup, which no doubt failed to capture the attention of those who don’t care for indie gaming. The ability to score Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes for free should be a great draw to those who were previously turned off by the game basically being a paid demo, plus Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger are especially solid deals for download. If nothing else, you and your friends can laugh at your impotent attempts to try and finish the hilariously punishing Cloudberry Kingdom as well, even if the PlayStation Vita selection still feels a bit uninteresting.
Regardless, keep revisiting Eggplante for all news and updates on PlayStation Plus, and other PlayStation incentives.