Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

‘Rime’ leads the charge for February’s PlayStation Plus offerings

By Steven Petite January 31, 2018

playstation plus games february 2018 rime game review screens 8 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony revealed February’s PlayStation Plus freebies and we think this might just be one of the best slates of offerings in quite some time, especially for PS4 owners with an interest in adventure.

PlayStation 4 users can snag Rime, the 2017 puzzle-adventure game that we called gorgeous and moving in our review. In

Rime

, you play as an unnamed boy who has washed up on a strange island. Rendered in eye-catching cartoonish visuals, you explore the wondrous island, solving puzzles and completing platforming sequences throughout the game’s five sections. Rime tells an emotional story that remains a clever mystery until the very end. It’s rare that a game as new as Rime finds itself on a PS Plus list, so PS4 owners should certainly give it a go.

Recommended Videos

Balancing the new with the old, the second PS4 game takes users all the way back to the PS4’s 2013 launch in Knack. The first-party exclusive doesn’t have the best reputation (although Knack 2 fared a bit better), but if you haven’t played the family-friendly platformer, it’s definitely not the worst way to spend a rainy (or snowy!) day.

Thanks to cross-buy, PS4 users can also nab the tactical RPG Grand Kingdom, designated as one of the PlayStation Vita’s February freebies. Set in a fantasy world populated by humans and demons, Grand Kingdom features turn-based combat, a single player campaign, and online multiplayer that works across Vita and PS4. Vita users can go back in time with Exile’s End, a side-scrolling action adventure that pays homage to the Commodore 64 with its gameplay and aesthetic.

PS3 users can pick up Spelunker HD, a remake of the 1985 NES version of the arcade game. The game includes 110 caverns to explore, each of which is filled with an array of bats, ghosts, spiders and other enemies, as well as oodles of treasure to unearth. Mugen Souls Z, an anime RPG, rounds out February’s free games on PS3.

In addition to the six new games, the PSVR title Starblood Arena remains free until March 6. If you haven’t already, make sure to claim January’s free games before February’s lineup takes over on February 6.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

Dino Crisis is making a comeback next week thanks to PS Plus

It's finally here: 1999's Dino Crisis is coming to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers for free on October 15.

This underrated Capcom classic helmed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami involves some sort of ... dinosaur crisis. It's a survival horror action game (with guns for shooting dinosaurs and puzzles) that'll feel familiar for retro Resident Evil fans. You will have to get the most expensive PS Plus tier to play it since it'll be in the Classics catalog, but it's a bit of a remaster, with up-rendering, custom video filters, rewind, and quick save.

Gaming

After Freedom Wars, this PlayStation Vita classic deserves a remaster

Soul Sacrifice Delta's key art.

If there’s one thing that the PlayStation Vita delivered, it was great Monster Hunter clones after Capcom’s hit series jumped ship from PSP to Nintendo 3DS. The list included games like Koei Tecmo’s Toukiden, Bandai Namco’s God Eater, and Gungho’s Ragnarok Odyssey Ace. While these mission-based games were perfect fit for the Vita’s pick-up-and-play lifestyle, they were also available on PS3.

Sony Japan even joined into the fray with the 2015 Vita exclusive Freedom Wars, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a remaster on modern platforms next January, courtesy of Bandai Namco. On the heels of that surprise announcement, there’s one other hunting action game that needs to break free from the Vita’s shackles: Soul Sacrifice Delta. It's an enhanced version of 2013's Soul Sacrifice that added more content and gameplay adjustments.
Grimdark Archfiend hunter
Soul Sacrifice Delta was released in 2014 and designed by Keiji Inafune (yes, the auteur behind the infamous Mighty No. 9). It plays like how you’d expect from a Monster Hunter-like action game. You can hunt down your main target and hit its weak points to gather materials and create stronger weapons. It’s an engaging gameplay loop that makes sure you’re always prepared to fight increasingly stronger monsters.

Gaming

PlayStation has quietly doubled the price of Horizon Zero Dawn on PS4

Aloy aiming an arrow into the wilderness at a robot.

Following the announcement of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for the PlayStation 5 and PC, PlayStation has raised the price of the original game's PlayStation 4 Complete Edition by $20 on the PlayStation Store.

As that edition of the game had been retailing for $20 for a couple of years now, that means PlayStation has doubled the price without warning.