PlayStation’s Summer of Indies Part 1
Summer is well and truly here. Painfully high temperatures are cooking people alive, asphalt is melting underneath our feet, and PlayStation’s Summer Indie Offer, which seems to be changing its name every single year is now officially back, with a large army of pre-order discounts.
Currently, the offer in question covers eight unique, digital only titles, and each and every single one of them comes with a 20% pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers. and here they all are:
Hyper Light Drifter – £12.99/£9.74
Previously released on PC, Hyper Light Drifter, is available this week on PlayStation 4. It is an isometric, action adventure, with RPG elements, which resonates with the best of the 16 bit era.
As advertised by the PlayStation Store, Hyper Light Drifter is easy to pick up, but at the same time extremely difficult to master, as danger is lingering in darkness, behind every corner. However, just like every RPG, Hyper Light Drifter, it features a range of upgrades and weapons, which will aid every player on his/her way to victory.
Headlander – £15.99/£12.79
Next in line is Headlander, a lovingly crafted 2D platformer by the now renowned Double Fine Studios.
The title itself is said to be inspired by the science fiction of the 70’s, and unlike other titles of the 2d adventure genre, it only utilizes the head as the player character and the bodies, which are littered across the game, only serve the purpose of advanced player mobility.
Headlander is also available this week, and is said to be ‘the ultimate head trip’, and just like all the other titles featured in PlayStation’s special offer, it comes with a 20% discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
DUNGEON PUNKS – £11.99/£9.59
Dungeon Punks, just like the Hyper Light Drifter, is a 20th century game, created for the 21st century audience. It is a 2D, side-scrolling beat-em-up, with an incredibly interesting art style.
The eternity of Dungeon Punks can be completed solo, or in accompaniment of two other players, thanks to the implemented couch co-op. In addition to the base adventure however, players can also challenge their friends in the arena, which supports up to three players at the same time, just like the adventure mode.
Anyone who’ll decide to pick up Dungeon Punks this week will have the pleasure experience the ’12 hours of mayhem’ which the game has to offer, alongside its impressive custom combo mechanic, which is a rarity, especially for indie games.
Risk Urban Assault £11.99/£9.59
Strategy games have always been few and far between on consoles, and many who don’t have a gaming PC, or simply don’t enjoy using the mouse and keyboard, have always been disappointed by the games which consoles had to offer. And while Risk Urban Assault may not be the ultimate strategy game, it will surely help some scratch their strategy itch.
Risk Urban Assault, is a top-down, table-top like strategy title, which is taking in place in some of the world’s major cities, however, there’s a catch, as even though places such as Shanghai or New York will be featured in the final title, they will not resemble the places we know now. As Risk Urban Assault is taking place in a post apocalyptic world.
You’ll be able to unleash your inner strategist on 2nd of August, and you’ll be able to do so at a 20% discount, but only if you are an active PlayStation Plus member.
BATTLESHIP £11.99/£9.59
Continuing the table top trend, we now have Ubisoft’s Battleship, a game which quite honestly doesn’t have to be introduced to a single person, as it is older than majority of the PlayStation 4 players.
However, with pen and paper aside, the upcoming Battleship, is a modern approach to the now tired, and archaic formula. With a fully interactive, three dimensional board, it reinvigorates the stick and stones strategy game, and presents it on digital platter to legions of younger, and perhaps unaware players.
Visual improvements, and large amounts of interactivity will surely attract the younger members on the PlayStation Network, but in order to find that out for ourselves, will have to wait until the 2nd of August.
ABZU – £15.99/£12.79
Abzu is the indirect descendant of Journey, and where Journey instructed the player to continuously ascend dunes and mountains, Abzu will do the complete opposite, by having player descend into the unknown depths of the ocean.
One could say that Abzu is a complete antithesis of Journey, as even the colour pallet is the complete opposite to what one could find in Journey. Vibrant blues, greens, and yellows are present throughout, and create a vivid dream like aura, which keeps the player constantly on his/her toes.
Abzu is coming to the PlayStation 4 on 2nd of August next week, and can be pre-ordered from the PlayStation Store today, with a 20% discount, just like all the other titles on this list.
Brut@l £11.99/£9.59
Brut@l, is a modern day dungeon crawler, with an ASCII spin. Featuring four playable classes, and an impressive amount of weapons and potions, Brut@l also features something which has become very popular amongst indie devs, and its procedural generation. And upon every adventure, the dungeon which is the focal point of the title, will always rebuild itself, and player’s will never come across the same layout twice.
The core adventure, which can be completed alone, or with another player thanks to the couch co-op, consists of 26 level, however, fun doesn’t end there, as Brut@l, also features an intuitive creation suite, which players can use to create their own dungeons, in order to punish themselves or other players.
Brut@l is coming to PlayStation 4, on 9th of August, and just like all the other titles on this list, it will feature a 20% discount for all PlayStation Plus Subscribers, who decide to become its early adopters.
Bound £12.79/£15.99
Bound is the first, and only VR compatible title on this list, and beside the fact that PlayStation VR is not going to be released until later this year, this particular title can be pre-ordered now with a 20% discount, prior to its 16th of August release.
The title in question takes place in a beautiful world, where dreams and nightmares are one. A world filled with peace and tranquillity, but also one which is a home to many dangerous creatures. And despite its minimalistic art style, it feels alive as everything from the player character, all the way to the floor tiles which can be seen in the distance, is beautifully animated and always in motion.
The eternity of Bound seems like it is a living organism, rather than a still backdrop to a story. And in order to find out what lies behind the beautiful yet dangerous facade of it, we’ll still have to wait quite some time.
Grow Up £7.99/£6.39
Grow Up is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Grow Home, which was released on consoles just last year. The quirky yet charming, climbing simulator, will make its way to the PlayStation 4 on 16th of August, and can be pre-ordered now with a 20% discount.
Continuing with the tradition of sequels, Grow Up, will be bigger and better than its predecessor. BUD’s arsenal of traversal will be expanded in order to ease, and diversify the traversal of the ever expanding world of the Grow universe.
Despite the raving reviews to which the prequel has been released, Grow Up, will come at a same low price point of £7.99 (post launch), which is surprising as we all know that success, most commonly results in considerable price increase for indie titles.