Words: James Law
In the run-up to spooky season, we've put together a terrifyingly tasty list of cheap thrills. It's all treats and no tricks here. This week, we have all kinds of free games, or games you can play free with subscription services you may or may not have. Who needs to spend £70 on the latest releases when you can just turn on your device and have fun for free?
Don't Sleep Soundly With The Latest Epic Games Store Giveaway
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The Epic Games Store is continuing with their spooky scary themes this week. After Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse hit the PC store last week, Among The Sleep: Enhanced Edition is available now. It's a first-person survival horror game which puts you in the tiny shoes of a two year old in a scary house. Sounds very safe, thank you.
It came out a few years ago to little fanfare but solid reviews, with IGN praising its exploration of the nature of childhood trauma rather than just piling on the jumpscares and generic horror fare. It's definitely a different vibe to last week's offering, so if you were left disappointed by Stubbs and his goofy adventures, Among The Sleep should help you lose a bit of sleep at night.
Make sure you get the game into your library by October 27, otherwise it'll be gone by Halloween. You can find it on the EGS here.
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Dragon Ball Z Blasts Onto Xbox Game Pass
Anime fightin' fans rejoice: Dragon Ball FighterZ is coming to Xbox Game Pass. With its 2.5D physics and complete lack of grounding in any sort of reality, you can grab yourself a team of anyone from the pure-hearted monkeyman Goku and slick-haired Trunks to iconic villains like Frieza and Cell. Be warned, though: Dragon Ball FighterZ's battles can get really intense.
It's a pretty hardcore fighting game, so don't expect the intense RPG elements of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but if you want a game to grind hard and become an expert at it'll be a great choice. It's developed by Arc System Works, so fans of the Guilty Gear series will feel right at home and it might just be time to give another fighter a go.
Alongside Dragon Ball FighterZ, Outriders has just become a free addition to Game Pass on PC. The co-op shooter has been available to console players for a while now, but those of you playing on your big whirring light-up boxes (I'm one of them) haven't been able to get your hands on it without paying. Now is the time, and you can check out our impressions of how Outriders plays too, if you're not sure. (You can also check out the video, below!)
Echo Generation has also just made it to Game Pass, offering something a bit new and different to your library. I really like the look of Echo Generation - it features turn-based action and an adventure that sends you on a quest to defend your town from big scary baddies. Maybe it's the card game fan in me, but it seems like a cool concept.
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You can also grab Everspace 2 if you're feeling something a bit more intergalactic - it's a spacefaring looter shooter. According to my Steam recommendations, it's a cross between No Man's Sky and Borderlands 2. Make of that what you will.
Slice Or Shoot Your Way Through Humble's Latest Treats
The Humble Choice pickings are getting stronger and stronger. If you happen to have a membership, you'll be able to get your hands on a host of brilliant games available until November 1.
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The first one I'll highlight here is Katana ZERO. If you haven't played this game yet, you need to stop reading this right now and go do that. Even better if you have Humble Choice. We really liked it back when it first came out, and it even made it into our top 25 games of 2019. Blimey. It must be good. It's somewhere between an action and puzzle game, and it had me hooked from the very beginning.
Another brilliant choice here is John Wick Hex. Far from the action-packed heroics depicted in the movies, Hex is more of a strategy game. The world slows down because of John's ridiculous reflexes and stunning speed. For free, it's well worth a go. Some might find it rough around the edges, but if you manage to get stuck in you'll be in for a treat.
Mobile Gaming Scores A Slam Dunk On Apple Arcade
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Finally, we're heading over to Apple Arcade, mobile gaming's premier subscription service. There have been some great games added recently, including 2011 iPhone Game of the Year Tiny Wings and the definitive edition of Frogger-like, Crossy Road. However, the marquee signing over at Apple Arcade this month is NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition. It's got MyCareer mode, all the players and teams you know and love from the NBA, and even the option for online play.
I know I'll be hopping on to attempt the signing of LeBron James for the Toronto Raptors. Being on Apple Arcade, it won't have in-app purchases either, meaning you'll get the whole game right away.
Relax (Virtually, Probably?) With Nature Thanks To A Microsoft Store Freebie
One more, late-in-the-day addition to this week's free games roundup. Wild Animal Rescue isn't one we know loads about but was spied by staff and we thought we'd include it as an option as it looks like it might be a (relatively) chilled-out option. The game is totally free on the Microsoft Store right now, for PC and mobile, and sends you into a virtual nature reserve to hang out with deer, bears, foxes and more - and help them when they're hurt. You can take photos as you go - and you've also got an array of options to prevent any of these cuties clawing you to pieces. It's just nature! It's not their fault! Also, they're not real! Give this one a go if tending to sickly animals out in the wild is something that appeals. And if it's rubbish, at least it cost you nowt.
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There you go! Not too shabby, eh? Next week it's the final Friday before Halloween, so expect even more frightful freebies to turn up then, but for the moment you shouldn't have too much of a problem with taking your time on whichever of the games here tickle your fancy. There's a nice variety on offer, that's for sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to replay Katana ZERO.
Follow the author on Twitter at @jamesmaclaw, and GAMINGbible at @GAMINGbible.
Featured Image Credit: Square Enix, Bandai Namco EntertainmentTopics: free games