The Best PS4 Exclusive of 2017

It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best PlayStation 4 exclusive games from 2017. Voted on by our editors, these were the exclusive games that our team felt made the biggest impact on current, and potential, PS4 owners. Let’s start our top vote getting runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!

Second Runner-Up: NieR: Automata

Best PS4 Exclusive of 2017

The first NieR was a very obscure JRPG the received mixed reception upon release, but grew a dedicated cult following in the years after. NieR: Automata feels like the realization of what the original game wanted to be, telling a dark multifaceted story with more engaging gameplay mechanics to go along with it.

Automata is a fascinating experience with an absolutely strange and unique main story that takes multiple playthroughs to completely uncover. Automata’s characters are part of what make the game such a great experience, as both 9S and 2B undergo some monumental growth across the game, as they find out more and more of the truth.

There’s also a ton of variety to Automata’s gameplay, with everything from top-down bullet hell segments to switching the perspective as to 2D. Square Enix brought Platinum Games along for the ride to help develop the game’s combat, and it really paid off. Compared to the first NieR, Automata’s combat is in an entirely different league. It’s an incredibly smooth game and pulling off combos is very satisfying, right up there with the best of Platinum’s own games.

What really makes NieR: Automata stand out is the fact that there’s really nothing quite like it. The disparate elements of the game somehow come together into one cohesive package. The game is fully committed to the story it wants to tell, and it absolutely isn’t afraid to take some big chances in storytelling and gameplay.

Automata came out of nowhere for most players to be one of the highlights of the entire year.

First Runner-Up: Persona 5

Best PS4 Exclusive of 2017

The Persona series has seen increasing popularity over the years with the release of Persona 3 and 4, but Persona 5 exploded onto the scene this year after extreme anticipation built up following multiple delays. The game quickly received critical acclaim, becoming one of the highest rated PS4 games of all-time, and it’s easy to see why. Like past games, Persona 5 centers around a cast of young teenagers that discover the mysterious power of Persona. On its face, the game uses the same format as its predecessors, but Persona 5 improved on almost every aspect of the series.

There’s a massive story to unravel in Persona 5 with plenty of twists and turns, and The Phantom Thieves are a lovable group of outcasts that you’ll really come to care for over the game’s 100 hour runtime. Social Links take the form of Confidants this time, and they’re used woven in very intelligently. Each Confidant ties into the main story in some way, and in fact, almost all side content for Persona 5 ties into the main themes, or main objectives of the game.

There’s still plenty of time to go around and do what you want, of course, and the high school simulation aspects of Persona that fans love so much are stronger than ever. At the same time, Persona 5’s dungeon design is leaps and bounds ahead of the last game, as each dungeon features a completely unique design with its own exploration mechanics.

There’s so much to compliment Persona 5 on as it just oozes style at every turn, menus feature flashy and impressive animations, the acid jazz soundtrack sets the mood perfectly, and there’s some truly touching storytelling to be experienced.

Winner: Horizon Zero Dawn

Best PS4 Exclusive of 2017

Guerrilla Games for years now has been known as the Killzone developer, but they proved to the world this year that they can make much more than just those games.

Horizon Zero Dawn is an incredibly ambitious open-world game, with quite the intriguing setup. Horizon is a post apocalyptic game like no other. Humanity has recovered and developed rich tribal cultures. Giant robotic beasts stalk the land, and the best part of Horizon is facing down these fearsome creatures. The game absolutely nails its combat, pitching intense battles with the giant creatures, and giving players distinct weapons to use. There are a wide variety of enemy types, and each one requires a different strategy to take down.

Horizon also presents a well-paced mystery to uncover within its main narrative. Much of the game’s story is about uncovering what exactly happened to human kind, and how the world arrived at the state it’s in now. There are interesting twists sprinkled throughout, and Horizon’s leading lady, Aloy, is a robust character that gives you a reason to care about the story. Aloy is a strong personality and outside of just being well-written, Ashly Burch does an excellent job as her voice actress, adding emotion and character into the role.

Horizon was a big way for Guerrilla Games to make their mark as something other than the Killzone studio, and boy did they succeed. The game presents a fascinating world, engaging story and main character, and absolutely pulse-pounding battles with its hulking mechanical beasts. It’s one of the best new IPs to come out in recent years, let alone on the PS4 in general. Horizon is easily one of the best games of 2017, and we can’t wait to see where Guerrilla goes next.