Best Hidden Gems On PS Plus

Plenty of us in this day and age, for better or worse, have grown increasingly accustomed to subscription services. It feels like we’ve hit a point where just about everyone offers something to subscribe to. PlayStation’s offering is in the PS Plus games catalogue.

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Now, many people may not even be aware of the PS Plus games catalogue as it is only accessible to the higher tiers of PS Plus, and Sony doesn’t exactly advertise it well. With that in mind, there are plenty of great games hidden away in the service that you should really give a try.

10 Anodyne

Originally released back in 2013 (and now with a 3D sequel that we’ve reviewed), Anodyne pulled heavily from the likes of early Zelda games and Yume Nikki, mixing in its own brand of oddities. All of that is meant as high praise.

Anodyne, like the word itself, is unassuming in many ways. It’s not making a grand statement or reinventing the wheel. It just…is. And therein lies the point of the game, that the everyday and ordinary can feel so surreal when viewed from an outside lens.

9 Tacoma

Despite the breakout success of its predecessor, Gone Home, Tacoma was released to much quieter applause. Still a renowned game, it runs off the same base premise as Gone Home – you explore an almost desolate space station, with just an AI companion and six others to fill out the world and story.

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The story it tells is one slightly grander in ambition than what came before, but still one focused on the smaller human connections. Plus, the visuals of the game from a design perspective are just as strong a character as the actual people you interact with.

8 Moonlighter

MoonligInhter was released in a period when pixel art games had something of a resurgence in the indie games community and received worthy praise for its gorgeous animations. And though the game was beautiful to look at, it wasn’t a slouch when it came to gameplay either.

You play as Will, a shopkeeper who wants to truly be an adventurer. And the game lets you live out that reality, with conditions. To finance this adventuring, you need to sell the treasures you find. It’s a simple loop, but one that’s deeply satisfying for the game’s length.

7 Lake

Lake is a game that can be summed up pretty well by its title. What comes to mind when you think of lakes? Peace and tranquility, calm town vibes. Nothing busy, just natural. That’s exactly what Lake wants you to feel, and maybe even contemplate for yourself.

In it, you play the role of Meredith, returning home and somehow end up delivering the post for everyone in this little town during your stay. You can influence the story and your relationships as you go, but the reality is that you are meant to take in this world and simply feel it for yourself. And there’s a lake, obviously.

6 Paradise Killer

Are you a fan of Dangonronpa, but wished it was a bit more surreal, maybe a tad otherworldly in its portrayals? Then Paradise Killer is for you! Set on the soon-to-be-perfect island of Paradise, the council controlling it has been killed, and you are summoned to solve the mystery.

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But it’s never that easy, is it? As you explore the island and its dazzling visuals, you’ll come across evidence that makes it hard to pin down any one suspect, if it even is one suspect at all. It’s a murder mystery at heart, but mystery not so easily solved.

5 Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

To call a game from Vanillaware, themselves consistently published by Atlus, a ‘hidden gem’ may seem a bit over the top, but that’s exactly what most of their games are. While 13 Sentinels got the fame it deserved, games like the theatrical Odin Sphere fell to a more niche audience.

Theatrical is used very literally here. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is styled as a theatre performance echoing the likes of Shakespeare, with combat taking place on stages and progressing onwards along with the story. It’s stylishly portrayed, and another great game from Vanillaware to check out.

4 Cris Tales

Cris Tales is a game that takes heavy inspiration from the past. Older JRPGs form the brunt of its inspirations, though this is also a core part of its very premise. Cris Tales is about time travel, and existing across the past, present, and future all at once.

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The majority of the combat shows its hand early on, and the time travel isn’t used nearly as extensively as you might hope in terms of gameplay. That said, the art style of the game is still one of its greatest selling points and one that’s definitely worth a try if you’re already subscribed to PS Plus.

3 Inscryption

Inscryption is a showcase of how sometimes, genres can be restricting. If you were to assign a genre to Inscryption, deck-builder would likely be the most accurate. But it is so, so much more than that, and a game that has to be experienced to truly understand it.

Even its art style is inconsistent in a way that enhances the unsettling atmosphere. One moment it is live-action, another mixed media, and again a garbled video tape. It’s a feeling that never quite settles and a game that isn’t afraid to shift here whenever it wants.

2 The Artful Escape

Music has always been seen as transcendental, a medium that can transport you to another world entirely. In the Artful Escape, that feeling is made into reality. As a young teenager who wants to create the most amazing stage persona ever witnessed, you will go to extreme lengths to make that real.

The Artful Escape is a showcase of the beauty and variety of what is possible in gaming, and an ode to music and imagination. It’s set across sprawling worlds, from the mundane to the surreal to the utterly impossible. It also features an absurdly stacked list of voice actors.

1 Tchia

Tchia is a game that wants you to appreciate the world around you, and more specifically New Caledonia. The trailers of the game make clear the inspiration taken from games like Breath of the Wild, but its focus on local culture gives a wholly unique personality.

Yes, you can glide and sail wherever you want. But you can also take control of any animal or object you come across and explore and see the world as they do. You help the people around you, you play your ukelele and immerse yourself in an otherwise ignored culture. Tchia is a game you really should give a chance.

NEXT: Hidden Gems On The Nintendo DS and 3DS