Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Until Dawn (PS4)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Prior to its release in October 2015, few people really cared about Until Dawn. Telling the tale of a bunch of teenagers who decide to stay in a creepy lodge on the anniversary one of their friends died there sounds incredibly corny. And in reality, Until Dawn is very corny, but it’s not to its detriment. It catches that awful horror movie essence, blends it with QTE and decision-based gameplay, and wraps it all up in an engaging, interesting story.

These decisions actually do mean something, too. You can get a variety of different endings depending on how you play, so there’s ample reason for multiple playthroughs here, too. It’s not perfect – its controls and motion capture leave a lot to be desired – but once you get accustomed to these drawbacks, Until Dawn is a great title. This is one of the best freebies to come to PlayStation Plus in quite some time.

Metacritic Score: 79

Game of Thrones (PS4)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

With John, Tyrion, Bran, and Daenerys all due to make their returns to fans’ screens in just a couple of weeks time for Game of Thrones’ seventh season, PlayStation Plus brings the Telltale Series for fans to play through in the meantime. Telltale’s series offers up interesting new stories and characters to meet from the world of Westeros, while peppering in some familiar faces along the way.

As you’d expect from a Telltale series, the gameplay largely revolves around making tough decisions, solving a few simple environmental puzzles, and conversing with the characters of the world. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, this is certainly worth checking out, however, how much you enjoy it will largely come down to whether or not you like Telltale’s tried and tested gameplay formula. It’s certainly one of the developer’s weaker series, so do keep that in mind. But, with an easy platinum trophy up for grabs, this is sure to be a big hit with trophy hunters.

Metacritic Score: 69

That’s You (PS4)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

That’s You is one of Sony’s first PlayLink games. These titles allow you to use your smartphones to have a more social, casual experience with others. To celebrate the launch of this new range of titles, Sony is giving away That’s You for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers in July.

That’s You is a party quiz game where you and up to five friends get to find out what everyone else thinks about you. It has over 1000 questions, photo challenges and drawing competitions for you and your friends to take part in to see who knows the others best.

While we haven’t yet spent any time with That’s You, we could see this being an alternative to the likes of Jackbox Party Pack next time friends or family are around at yours. Whether it’ll have the same replayability and enjoyment factor, however, remains to be seen.

Tokyo Jungle (PS3)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Tokyo Jungle brings the thrill of the hunt to the PS3 as part of PlayStation Plus’ July lineup. Putting players in control of a variety of animals, they must simply survive in a future where Tokyo is no longer the thriving metropolis it once was. Now, animals roam the streets and it’s up to the player to work out how they’ll survive in this (literal) dog-eat-dog world.

It’s a pretty bizarre concept for a game, but it’s one that the developers have clearly run with, and it’s paid off for them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite nail the landing. While the game is, for the most part, fun to play, a clear lack of polish not only hinders the presentation from time to time, but also the gameplay. Despite this, if you’re looking for something new and outlandish, Tokyo Jungle is well worth checking out.

Metacritic Score: 74

Darkstalkers Resurrection (PS3)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Darkstalkers Resurrection is actually a remastered collection of two games – Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 – sure to give fans of the series something to smile about. With upgraded visuals, online play, in-game achievements, and challenge and tutorial modes, the titles look better than ever before and have a serious amount of content to boot, too.

Of course, these old school fighters don’t quite offer up the same glitz and glam of newer fighters like Tekken 7 or Injustice 2, so they’re certainly not going to appeal to everyone. While new features have been added in, they don’t help to blow some of the dust off the game’s mechanics. Y’know, the stuff that really matters. We’d only really advise giving this a try if you’re interested in seeing one of the classic fighters and an alternative to the likes of Super Street Fighter II.

Metacritic Score: 80

Element4l (Vita)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Element4l may well have a striking art style, but its gameplay makes it a tricky one to love (and recommend). Element4l puts players in control of four different elements, each with a different ability to help you make it to the end of the level. You’ll use Air to soar into the sky, Ice to slide across the ground, Fire to burst forward, and Rock to plummet to the ground. Using these together feels intuitive, but the game’s ‘energy’ mechanic, which limits the amount you can use these powers, was hit-and-miss, stifling the fun to be had.

The highs and lows you’ll go through playing Element4l make this a tough one to recommend. When it works well, the game is a moving work of art with a satisfying, novel mechanic at work. Yet, at other times, it just all falls apart and becomes more infuriating than fun. If you’ve exhausted the rest of your Vita library, this might be worth a go, but don’t expect anything mindblowing.

Metacritic Score: 62

Don’t Die, Mr. Robot (Vita & Cross-Buy PS4)

Which PlayStation Plus July Games Are Worth Your Time?

Rounding out PlayStation Plus’ free games for July is another Vita game, Don’t Die, Mr. Robot. You control a smiley robot as he darts around the screen avoiding all of the enemy sprites crowding the screen. The only way you can fight back is by picking up the fruit that appears on-screen. All you need to do is make it to the goal time on each stage. There’s actually not much else to it outside of that aside from its slight game mode variations.

And that’s the problem. While Don’t Die, Mr. Robot is a great blast on your first run through, there’s little else to keep you going. The game’s unlockable Remix levels don’t have online leaderboards, which seems a huge shame considering the game’s arcade-style gameplay.

If you’re looking for something to keep you occupied on the beach on vacation, Don’t Die, Mr. Robot probably does an alright job, but the lack of online leaderboards is a serious blow to its lasting appeal.

Metacritic Score: 76