Every month, Sony offers a few PlayStation games at no additional cost to those subscribed to its PlayStation Plus service.
Now, the company has unveiled the three games hitting PS Plus in April.
First off, this month’s PS5 game is the third-person action multiplayer title Hood: Outlaws & Legends. The PS4 version is also free with PS Plus.
Meanwhile, the two free PS4 titles are the platformer SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and roguelike deck builder Slay the Spire.
All three games will be free through PS Plus from April 5th to May 11th. In the meantime, March’s free PS Plus titles will remain available until April 4th.
A PlayStation Plus subscription costs $69.99/year in Canada.
In related news, PlayStation has finally unveiled its long-awaited expansion to the service, which will retain the PS Plus branding. Launching in June, the updated PS Plus will be broken into three tiers which offer game streaming, classic PS1/PS2/PSP titles, free game trials and more. Read a full breakdown here.
The update includes 4K visuals HDR and improved shadow/draw distances on current-gen consoles, but unfortunately, no 120hz refresh rate support — that feature is “coming in future updates.”
Support for the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller and its adaptive triggers and haptic feedback is also coming in a later update, alongside more visual improvements on the Series X and PS5. It’s also worth noting that the Xbox Series S version of the game is only updated with HDR support.
The Warriors Collection Event will bring next-gen versions of Apex Legends to PS5 and XSX!
PlayStation players: check out the info below to learn how to update your game 👇 Xbox players: no action is needed. Apex will update via Smart Delivery.
The update will arrive on the Xbox Series X/S via ‘Smart Delivery,’ so the latest version of the game should install automatically. On PS5, you need to navigate to ‘Your Collection’ under the Game Library on the console’s dashboard. Next, find Apex Legends, select it and download the next-gen version.
Alongside the update, Apex is also launching a new ‘Control’ limited-time event focused on its 9 vs. 9 game mode that launched back in February.
With Halo Infinite‘s relevance waning due to an extreme lack of new content, I’m strongly considering diving back into Apex, especially now that this new current-gen update has launched.
Confirming what many have assumed for months, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been delayed.
Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma says the still-untitled Breath of the Wild sequel won’t release until spring 2023. The game was previously scheduled to release in 2022, but wasn’t given a specific date.
Nintendo first announced Breath of the Wild 2 in June 2019 with a brief trailer. The Japanese gaming giant also released a new trailer for the title at E3 2021, but beyond that, has been relatively quiet about the next entry in the Zelda series.
“For those of you who have been looking forward to a release this year, we apologize,” said Aonuma. “As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above. However, the expanded world goes beyond that, and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy, including new encounters and gameplay elements. In order to make this game’s experience something special, the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer.”
Alongside the delay announcement, a brief new clip of the anticipated game was also shown, revealing Link unsheathing a very different-looking Master Sword.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild released back in 2017 for the Switch and the Wii U. Though the game didn’t necessarily reinvent the open-world genre, it marked a significant change in direction for the typically streamlined Zelda series and remains one of my favourite games ever.
Every year, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) is held in San Francisco, bringing together game makers from around the world for networking, educational talks, awards ceremonies and more.
I was fortunate to attend in 2019, and I came away truly inspired to see so many talented creators in one place. This year, GDC has finally returned to a more traditional physical show amid the pandemic, and while I’m not there this time, I’m finding myself equally roused. That’s because a bunch of developers has taken to social media to share a bit about their game development journies, and it’s been wonderful to watch that all unfold.
It all started when JC Lau, an Asian-American developer now at Harebrained Studios, shared a story about the discrimination she faced at GDC 2019. As Lau tells it, she was attending the show to participate in a panel, but was held up when looking to pick up her speaker badge because three security guards didn’t actually believe that she was a speaker. After speaking with other devs, Lau noticed that this was treatment was repeatedly extended to “women, non-American, and PoC [people of colour] attendees.”
So if you’re at #GDC19 and feel comfortable doing so, take a picture of yourself and share it with the hashtag below. The face of the industry is changing, so let’s make sure that people both within and and outside of games see that.
With that in mind, Lau tweeted a selfie with the hashtag #WhatAGameDevLooksLike, and this has since inspired many other developers to do the same. The goal, naturally, was to show that people from all walks of life make games, not just white guys. And while the hashtag has been around for a few years, it’s gotten significant traction over the past week as GDC has returned to a major physical event. (Everything that’s happened in the past few years, particularly events pertaining to anti-Black and anti-Asian hate, no doubt only contribute to that.)
If you’re on Twitter, I’d definitely recommend checking out that hashtag. To start, it’s worth highlighting some of the Canadians that I’ve seen, including:
Asian-Canadian Jasmine Jia (Gears 4, now Genshin Impact maker miHoYo)
#WhatAGameDevLooksLike hi guys, I’m Jasmine. I am a new mom and also a senior sound designer working at #miHoYo currently I am on my maternity leave to take care of my new born but I can’t wait to go back to work on more cool sounds! pic.twitter.com/HyMeWBXvlJ
Mohawk Canadian Nathan Powless-Lynes (Far Cry 6, Assassin’s Creed VR)
Hi! I'm Nathan. I'm a Mohawk Canadian Level Designer, and I've worked on Far Cry 6, Assassin's Creed VR, and a ton of quirky personal projects. #WhatAGameDevLooksLikepic.twitter.com/KUFyGvAY42
My parents never let me play games. In dev school, I felt like I was on the outside looking in simply because this career hadn't been my childhood dream. Not every dev was a lifelong gamer – and not every dev should be. Belated game lovers – I see you ♥️#WhatAGameDevLooksLikepic.twitter.com/tjNQrHbFKX
Trinidadian-Canadian Kurston Timothy (diversity & inclusion leader at Ubisoft)
Whuddup! It's ya boy Kurston. I'm a first generation Canadian by way of the beautiful islands of Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹 I'm a D&I leader at Ubisoft #WhatAGameDevLooksLikepic.twitter.com/wTDDiojI5k
Tanya X. Short (director of Montreal’s KitFox, co-director of Pixelles Montreal)
not at GDC this year, but this is 1 example of #WhatAGameDevLooksLike — probably I should finish converting those old game design threads into blog posts, but this is easier. HI. I'm the Captain of @kitfoxgames! Nice to meetcha. pic.twitter.com/gltokiuE3P
Hosting the Game Developer's Choice Awards was not only the biggest honor I've had in the industry, but it was also the most fun I've had on stage ever!
It's been 2 days and I'm still riding that high! 🥰
I wanted to let you in on a few “behind the scenes” fun facts!
I don’t know about you, but it’s just nice to be able to put even a few faces to the art that I enjoy, be that a game, movie, TV show or book. But beyond that, I always like to celebrate the work of a developer because it’s often, sadly, a thankless job.
Clearly, then, the industry is far from perfect, and many of these developers would likely freely admit that. It also doesn’t mean that more diversity isn’t needed. That said, GDC, and the #WhatAGameDevLooksLike that sprung about from it, are a nice way to remind everyone of the joys of games, and the diverse and talented humans behind them. Indeed, games have been an integral part of my life, and I’m so thankful to those who worked so hard to ensure I was able to play them in the first place.
We all love games — let’s appreciate and respect those who make them for us.
A new report indicates that Sony could reveal its Xbox Game Pass-like PlayStation subscription service as early as next week.
According to Bloomberg, PlayStation’s Xbox Game Pass competitor will receive an official reveal soon. The publication was also the first to report that Sony is working on the service under the codename ‘Spartacus.”
Bloomberg’s report says that PlayStation’s game subscription platform will offer a “splashy lineup of hit games” and that it will merge PlayStation Plus (Sony’s online/game subscription platform) and PlayStation Now (game streaming) under one umbrella.
The report indicates that Sony plans to offer multiple subscription tiers. For example, the first tier will include online multiplayer and free monthly games, making it seem nearly identical to the current version of PlayStation Plus. However, more expensive tiers will offer a wider library of games, with the most expensive option featuring a collection of PS1, Ps2, PS3 and PSP titles, and the ability to stream games and play demos.
It’s important to note that unlike Xbox Game Pass, Sony reportedly has no plans to release first-party games on its subscription service on day one. For example, it’s unlikely that Sony Santa Monica’s upcoming God of War Ragnarok won’t be available on the subscription service when it releases.
Sony is now rolling out its next system update for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles.
One of the new features is ‘Pro Tips,’ which are cards in the Control Center that offer hints like how to pin videos and apps to your screen while you play, apply game presets and share your screen with friends.
The PlayStation mobile app is also getting new Remote Play enhancements. According to PlayStation’s blog post, PS App users will be able to join or create open and closed parties through the app. That said, it’s unclear how new this feature is as I’ve joined parties through the PS App several times over the past few months. Additionally, PlayStation says it’s easier to access your friends, parties and messaging features with the PS App’s user interface.
The PS Remote Play app also gets a dark mode based on your smartphone’s settings. Further, Sony added more Screen Reader languages on iOS and Android, including Portuguese (both Brazil and Portugal), Finnish, Swedish, Turkish, Greek, Thai and Chinese (traditional and simplified).
That’s it for this update, but PlayStation says it plans to bring variable refresh rate (VRR) support to the PlayStation 5 in the coming months. On HDMI 2.1-compatible TVs and PC monitors, VRR automatically changes the refresh rate of the connected display to match the console’s output. According to the PlayStation Blog post, VRR eliminates issues like screen tearing or frame rate pacing issues and results in crisper graphics and reduced input lag. You can also apply VRR to PS5 games that don’t support it, which could improve the video quality of some games.
When this feature gets closer to release, PlayStation says it will send out a list of all fully compatible games. It’s important to note that the update is currently causing connectivity issues for some players with a PS Plus subscription.
Finally, in the U.S and U.K., PlayStation is enabling a Voice Command preview that lets users open games, apps, settings and control media playback via voice (in English only). It’s unclear if this feature will eventually come to Canada.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of the strangest Nintendo titles I’ve ever played.
With abilities ranging from filling Kirby with water to becoming a vending machine or a car (yes, “Karby” is a thing), to say The Forgotten Land is weird would be an understatement. The latest entry in the long-running Kirby franchise rewrites the script on what to expect from the series, similar to 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey, while still holding true to what makes it unique in the platforming genre.
But to be clear, this isn’t an open-world, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild-like take on the Kirby franchise. While inventive and new, The Forgotten Land is still divided into worlds and individual stages, offering players a very linear experience.
That’s not to say these worlds aren’t fascinating to explore. During my time with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, I’ve sucked my way through a carnival land full of bright lights and actually became a glowing light bulb at one point (I told you this game is strange), bounded through an abandoned mall full of overgrowth and dodged enemies as a car ripping around a race track.
‘Mouthful Mode’ is the title’s most interesting and arguably compelling feature. Rather than inhaling up the soul of his foes and stealing their powers like in most Kirby titles, the pink puffball puts everyday items he can’t digest in his mouth and literally becomes them. You’ll suck up a car, a vending machine, a ring, stairs, lockers and even a traffic cone in The Forgotten Land. Some of these Mouthful Mode creations are also painfully cute, like the car version of Kirby, for example.
The little pink bubblegum boy takes over the entire upper half of the vehicle, with his eyes and rosy cheeks acting as the grill. In the case of transforming into a vending machine, the look is very similar to Karby and features Kirby’s stubby little arms wobbling as you waddle forwards and shoot pop cans at your foes. These subtle touches go a long way toward convincing you that Kirby has actually become these inanimate objects.
It’s a bizarre addition to the series that somehow works and sits perfectly beside more traditional copy abilities gathered by inhaling enemies, including ‘Frosty Ice,’ ‘Clutter Needle,’ ‘Toy Hammer,’ and more. In fact, Kirby’s various abilities and Mouthful Mode powers often need to be used together to solve The Forgotten Land‘s various puzzles. These abilities can also be upgraded in sometimes hilarious ways in the game’s hub world, Waddle Dee Town, which slowly expands with new buildings as you progress through The Forgotten Land.
Beyond Kirby’s unique abilities, it’s worth noting that Kirby and the Forgotten Land plays like a typical 3D Kirby title. You’ll move from the start to the end of a level while floating through the air, sucking up foes and putting weird objects into your mouth. You’ll also encounter familiar enemies like Awoofy, Bernard Scarfy (my personal favourite) and, of course, Digguh.
Difficulty-wise, The Forgotten Land is still a little too easy, even when played on its most challenging level. Kirby games have always been accessible and aimed at a younger audience, but I had hoped this latest entry would offer a challenge on par with Nintendo’s more recent Mario platformers. However, like in most 2D Mario games, if you want to kick the difficulty up a few notches, all you need to do is focus on each stage’s specific goals or beat the several mini-game levels’ top times.
There are straightforward tasks like freeing trapped Waddle Dees and taking out a specific boss or powerful foe, but sometimes, these goals are more abstract. For example, in one stage you need to find specific flowers, while in another, you’re tasked with bringing a small group of baby ducks back to their mother, Super Mario 64 penguin style.
There’s also a decent local co-op mode included in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, where the second player takes control of Bandana Waddle Dee. In classic co-op mode fashion, Bandana Waddle Dee doesn’t have the same capabilities as Kirby and is only able to stab foes with their spear and use the weapon to fly through the air like a helicopter. That said, beyond a few camera-related issues, the co-op mode is pretty fun and can make hunting down optional mission objectives easier, especially when it comes to finding that last missing imprisoned Waddle Dee.
If you go into Kirby and the Forgotten Land with appropriate expectations, you’ll walk away impressed with the title. It might not be the open-world Kirby title some assumed it would be, but it’s still a compelling game that manages to shake up the series’ formula in a few notable ways. Plus, you can become a car.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25th on the Nintendo Switch. You can buy the game directly from Nintendo or at retailers like Best Buy and Amazon for $79.99.
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Originally a PS5 exclusive, Godfall: Ultimate Edition is making its way to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on April 7th.
The Ultimate Edition includes its several updates and Fire & Darkness expansion and pre-order and special edition bonuses.
Godfall was one of the first games to hit PS5 exclusively; however, since then, the game was made backward compatible, making it available for PS4 players and was somewhat free on PS Plus. Now the developers are launching it for everyone except Switch players — at least not for now.
The Ultimate Edition is also hitting PS5, PS4 and the Epic Store on April 7th as well.
Godfall is a hero shooter focused on loot grabbing based in a fantasy setting.
The hack happens when you’re playing online and an invading enemy activates a specific ability. The host’s game will crash immediately and when they re-open the title, their character falls to their death repeatedly.
A Reddit user has found a way out of the loop, but it doesn’t seem to work for everyone. When you open Elden Ring before you fall to your death, quit the game with Alt + F4. Following that, when you re-enter the game you might have enough time to quickly open your map and travel to a ‘Site of Grace.’ If you don’t do this fast enough; however, you’ll remain stuck in the loop.
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have yet to comment on the situation, but you might want to back up your save files if you’re going to embark on online play.
