In case you have not heard yet, Sony is giving away two free games until May 5th as part of their “Play at Home Initiative”. As many places all over the world are experiencing thousands of cases of COVID-19, many communities encourage people to self-isolate. And what better way to self-isolate than to sit in a room with a few games. Every PlayStation owner will able to claim a free digital copy of Uncharted the Nathan Drake Collection and Journey. These games will be available until May 5th for free. For people picking up a form of entertainment, this is a great start. Germany and China however will be receiving Knack 2 instead of Uncharted.
Uncharted
Uncharted the Nathan Drake Collection is a remastered compilation of the first three Uncharted games from Naughty Dog. Each one of these games have been rebuilt from the PS3 and are now one collection making it the perfect start to the Uncharted Series. And with Nathan Drake’s adventures all over the world, this is probably one of the best times to experience these adventures. Do bear in mind, this is only the single player campaigns for each of these games. It would not really make sense to remaster multiplayer modes for a compilation when Uncharted 4 has a much superior one.
Journey
Journey is a beautiful story with stunning visuals to match it. Wandering through mysterious and ancient ruins, it is up to the player to decide how they want to discover the secrets of this world. While this game can be played alone, there are some options for social interaction. Players can connect to each other over wifi to explorer this amazing world together. This game is not just limited to the PS4. As this game is a Cross-Buy title, PS3 owners will also receive a copy of this game at no cost. This is great for people who have not picked up a PS4 due to a number of reasons.
PS Plus
While both the Uncharted the Nathan Drake Collection and Journey have been available in the past as free games for PS plus subscriptions. They are now available for free to everyone. In addition to those two free games, PS plus will still have their two free games for April. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Dirt Rally 2.0. While I have never played Dirt Rally, Uncharted 4 pairs perfectly with the collection meaning players will have access to all of Nathan Drake’s story. At least until Uncharted 5 is announced.
Indie Fund
In addition to these games, Sony Interactive Entertainment have created a ten-million-dollar fund for indie developers. While there is not much information on how to apply, it is nice that there help for indie devs during this pandemic. During the pandemic, many businesses have been shut down and are currently struggling to stay afloat. Indie game development is hard in the first place, so this pandemic is making development much harder.
For people picking up a PS4 as a way of entertainment in isolation, this is a great start for gaming. The Uncharted games are one of Naughty Dog’s best IPs and all three games consume hours of entertainment. Journey is one of the best indie games developed with hundreds hours of exploration. While it is terrible that many indie devs are struggling at the moment; it is nice that Sony has a plan in place to help them out.
