If you're a subscriber to the PlayStation Plus service, you're no doubt very aware of the 'free' games you're getting in the month of February 2021. And if not, let me take a second of your time.
If your PlayStation account has the little yellow PS Plus logo attached, you'll be able to download and keep (for the length of your subscription) Control: Ultimate Edition (our game of the year in 2019), Concrete Genie (read our review here) and Destruction AllStars (which is exclusive to PlayStation 5 users).
Two great games there - and one that we've not played at all yet, but certainly has potential and will no doubt be welcomed by those basking in the glow of their newly acquired PlayStation 5. And three games in a month is a treat, no doubt, given that PS Plus has regularly served up just a brace of titles since it ditched support for the PlayStation Vita and PS3. Ah, those were truly the days of this subscription service. So many greats, for so little cash.
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Anyway, there's a twist in February's offerings - and it's one that might get your knickers in a twist, too. Subscribers to PlayStation Plus in Japan will be receiving the same three games as the rest of the world - the games listed above - plus an extra title. Which feels a little... unfair? Maybe. Just a little.
PlayStation Japan confirmed the addition of the excellent metroidvania game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night in late January, leading to a general feeling of European and American subscribers being denied. But! Read on, for all is not lost.
Produced by Koji Igarashi, a vital creative force on Konami's Castlevania series, Ritual of the Night released in 2019 and earned plaudits aplenty for its continuation of the gameplay from 1997's immortal Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (number five on our list of the best PS1 games ever). It had performance problems on the platform that I played it on, the Nintendo Switch, but I hear it runs smoothly on the PlayStation 4.
However, you don't need to be in Japan to get this bonus PS Plus game - you just need to create a Japanese PlayStation account. It's not that hard to do - and you're online already, so if the idea appeals, get Googling (there are loads of step-by-step guides on YouTube, too). And we recommend you do, to grab Bloodstained for 'free', as it's genuinely one of the best modern retro games of recent years, a love-letter to a classic that still manages to feel fresh in the here and now. So don't be mad or sad - just change your settings, and grab a brilliant extra game.
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In related PlayStation news, PlayStation Studios will publish its first-ever game on Xbox consoles in 2021, as it was confirmed yesterday that San Diego Studio's MLB: The Show 21 was coming to both Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It could set a fascinating precedent, with the chance of more PlayStation-exclusive franchises appearing on other platforms.
Featured Image Credit: Sony Interactive EntertainmentTopics: PlayStation 5, PlayStation Plus
